Icy Strait Point

Our next port of call is Icy Strait Point, which is a recreated Tlingit village near the community of Hoonah that’s been developed specifically to provide tourist activities for cruise ships. An abandoned fish cannery has been restored and now contains both a museum and an assortment of gift shops.

We opted for the gondola rides (two gondolas) to the top of the mountain followed by an open-air tram ride through the forest.  

The high-speed upper gondola just opened in May - it’s rises up very high above the ground, and the views would have been great had it not been overcast and raining.

Despite the rain, it was fun.  The driver/guide was a lifetime resident of Hoonah and explained the history, flora and fauna, and lifestyle of the Tlingit community.

The upper terminus of the high-speed gondola is an abandoned US Air Force and DEW (Distant Early Warning) installation.  

There are no regular shipping docks, but two fairly elaborate steel docks with walkways appear to be specifically designed for cruise ships.

We had planned to take the shuttle into Hoonah in the afternoon, but as we were about to board the bus discovered that 1) nearly everything in the village was closed for Labor Day weekend, and 2) the shuttle wouldn’t be making anymore trips back to the pier - we would have to figure out another way to get back to the ship (most likely walk).  So we skipped that and returned to the ship.