Icy Strait ideas

Any recommendations for Icy Strait that are NOT whale watching or zip line?

We are whale watching in Juneau as part of a family event with relatives who live in Juneau and my kids are not big enough for the zip line in ISP.

Do we need to do an excursion? Can we just walk around on our own? Is there something else we can do?

We are thinking the tribal dance only because we didn't know of any other options. If you have suggestions we haven't thought about or don't know about, I'd appreciate it.

Thank you.

We went fishing with Glacier Wind and caught lots of fish. There are bear watching companies there as well that will take you out in the bush to search for brown bears if you are interested in that. The walk into town and back is a lovely hike just on its own. The tribal dance is fun and the kids would probably enjoy it.

Any recommendations for Icy Strait that are NOT whale watching or zip line?

 

We are whale watching in Juneau as part of a family event with relatives who live in Juneau and my kids are not big enough for the zip line in ISP.

 

Do we need to do an excursion? Can we just walk around on our own? Is there something else we can do?

 

We are thinking the tribal dance only because we didn't know of any other options. If you have suggestions we haven't thought about or don't know about, I'd appreciate it.

 

Thank you.

No...you don't always "need" an excursion...sometimes it's nice to just walk around...we've been to ISP a few times and for us this is what we have done at times.

You can find some ideas at Trip Advisor if so inclined.... quite a few ideas there, even though a few do include what you do not care for.

bon voyage

Here's the local page for Hoonah (where Icy Strait Point is located): http://visithoonah.com/index.html

And what ISP offers: http://icystraitpoint.com/

 

We are thinking the tribal dance only because we didn't know of any other options. If you have suggestions we haven't thought about or don't know about, I'd appreciate it.

 

Thank you.

We did the tram tour and tribal dance. It was fine for what it was. If you do walk around, stick to marked trails and such, there are a lot of brown bears in the area.

Were probably going to walk around.

We went whale watching with Glacier Wind. You will not find finer customer service than from Shawn and Teresa. We had a brilliant, stellar day with flat water and lots of whale spouts, and a pod of 6 or 7 orcas about 50 ft. off the bow of the boat.

Our favorite day of our entire 2 week vacation.

How far is the Pier to town?

The ship will dock at Icy Strait Point - the town or more correctly the native village is right there - off the ship and you are there.

If you are referring to Hoonah it is a couple of kms to town - there is a walking path to town - they will likely run a shuttle to an from the ship to the town - I think it was $5 the last time I was there.

Hope this helps

Cheers!

:)

I second the vote that you do not necessarily need an excursion. We try to reserve at least one or more days on each cruise to relax and go with the flow. A couple thoughts....

In the town there is not much to do other than a couple bars. However the walk from the pier to the town was enjoyable. Maybe 1.5 miles or so. Overlooks the water and land in the distance and was real nice view (as are most in Alaska).

The pier area is new and very nice (clearly fabricated for cruise passengers however.) A small museum, a couple places to eat, shop, etc.

We saw very few people enjoy the nature hike behind the pier building. I thought it was really beautiful and we spent and hour or so back there. Huge trees, and it leads to a rocky beach right next to the ship. You will not find a better photo op. of your ship during your whole week.

Another idea is to book nothing and then chat with the vendors who are inside the pier building when you arrive. It seemed well organized and not real crowded at least when we were there. I know that last minute planning is not for everyone, but some like it.

Have fun.

Any recommendations for Icy Strait that are NOT whale watching or zip line? We are whale watching in Juneau as part of a family event with relatives who live in Juneau and my kids are not big enough for the zip line in ISP.

 

Do we need to do an excursion? Can we just walk around on our own? Is there something else we can do?

 

We are thinking the tribal dance only because we didn't know of any other options. If you have suggestions we haven't thought about or don't know about, I'd appreciate it.

 

Thank you.

I loved ISP. We did two excursions here and still had a lot of time to explore the port area. We did "In Alaska's Wildest Kitchen" and the "forest tram and tribal dance."

Check out my review link below for pictures.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2376089 (ISP starts page 10 - post 189)

The ship will dock at Icy Strait Point - the town or more correctly the native village is right there - off the ship and you are there. If you are referring to Hoonah it is a couple of kms to town - there is a walking path to town - they will likely run a shuttle to an from the ship to the town - I think it was $5 the last time I was there.

 

Hope this helps

 

Cheers!

 

:)

I think it was $7/person last time we were there.

We have been to ISP several times. Whale watching out of ISP was terrific. The little museum and craft shops are interesting, as are the artists usually working there. A walk along the beach was very enjoyable and we finished up with a great halibut sandwich and an Alaskan Amber beer on the patio of the restaurant overlooking the pier. As we ate, we could hear the people screaming as they flew over behind us on the zip line!

Our bear watching tour was excellent. Would do it again.