Flynn Cove to Hoonah

It’s been 15 years since our last visit to Hoonah, and we were eager to see what had changed. While there is a transient dock in the inner harbor, it lacks both power and easy water access, so Karen booked us a slip using Dockwa. Seamless process—paid online, knew our slip number before we arrived. Love it when things just work.

En route, we made a slight detour along Pleasant Island to scout for whales. Channel 71 was buzzing with whale-watching chatter, and we did spot a few feeding humpbacks—but nothing dramatic. Ironically, we later learned that a group was bubble-feeding right inside Hoonah harbor that same afternoon. The tour boats barely had to leave the dock!

bUSY wHALES NEAR pLEASANT isLAND

SEA LIONS JOCKEYING FOR A PLACE ON THE MARK

LOTS OF LOCAL, PURPOSE BUILT, SIGHT SEEING BOATS ARE VERY BUSY TRANSPORTING CRUISE SHIP PASSENGERS

THREE CRUISE SHIPS AT HOONAH

ICY STRAIT POINT IS A PURPOSE BUILT CRUISE SHIP DESTINATION

JUST A SMALL PORTION OF THE ATTRACTIONS AT ICY STRAIT POINT. LOST COUNT OF THE PEOPLE ON THE “BEACH”.

Once tied up and plugged in, we wandered into town. A few new sights caught our eye—the Icy Strait Brewery, an ATV rental shop—but our first real stop was the Hoonah Trading Company. It’s part grocery store, part surprisingly well-stocked hardware store, with a coffee shop tucked inside for good measure. We could’ve browsed for hours. Karen scored a new Hoonah ball cap to mark the occasion.

THE VIEW FROM ICY STRAIT POINT ON THE LEFT, PAST THE TOWN OF HOONAH, TO THE HARBOR ON THE RIGHT.

HOONAH HARBOR WITH ITS DOGLEG ENTRANCE

NEW WALKWAY TO PITT ISLAND BEING BUILT ATOP THE BREAKWATER

Dinner was a bit of an adventure: a 20-minute walk south to the Icy Strait Lodge. Karen found it online and had a good feeling. We skipped the main road in favor of Lumbago Drive, a quiet gravel lane that hugs the shoreline—much more scenic. The lodge was worth the walk. Her burger with bacon jam was a hit, and my chicken-fried steak with a baked potato didn’t disappoint. Bonus: a real salad bar. A rare find up here and a welcome one.

We wandered back to the boat with full bellies and had a calm, quiet night aboard. Hoonah’s grown, but it still feels like the friendly little town we remember.