Icy Strait Wilderness Island Tour

4.9
102 reviews

Excursion Overview

Join the fun on a guided driving tour across the beautiful Chichagof Island

Chichagof Island, where Icy Strait is situated, is near the entrance of Port Frederick Bay. This body of water is known to the Indigenous Tlingit people as the Bay of Bears due to its abundance of salmon.

The Bay of Bears contains six major salmon streams. Once the yearly salmon spawn begins, the streams are teeming with wildlife looking for fish. You'll have a chance to see bears as they attempt to fatten up for the winter, and other wildlife like river otters, mink, bald eagles, and martens.

The tour begins from Icy Strait. You'll drive around the island in a passenger van, searching for bears, while your tour guide narrates the scenery around you. They'll talk about their lives in rural Alaska and their experiences with local wildlife. Imagine living in a town with more bears than people!

One of our guests' favorite things to do on tour is to pick their own berries and herbs. Your expert guide will describe the medicinal purposes of the local plant life, explaining the healing properties and nutritional benefits. Some of the wild berries growing here contain more nutrients than any cultivated berries per pound.

This tour is very special, providing an experience that you won't find anywhere else. You will not regret getting off the beaten path and joining this experience!

Depart from the Excursions Hub with your lifelong Hoonah residential guides

our guides are excited to share local history and stories from living in Hoonah and all that Chichagof Island has to offer. This tour is a three-hour driving tour with a few very short walks. Wildlife is not guaranteed but your guides will do their best to point out any sightings.

Things You Need to Know

Inclusions:

  • Roundtrip transportation from the Icy Strait Excursions Hub

Requirements:

  • Minimum age to participate is 5 years old

Duration: 3 hours (Roundtrip from the Excursions Hub.)

  • 3 hour narrated scenic drive around the island

Meeting Instructions:

  • This tour meets at the Excursions Hub. Fully detailed instructions are included on your finalized ticket vouchers.

ADA Accessibility of Tour:

  • This tour is limited mobility accessible. Guests must be able to climb into and out of the van. There is minimal storage for collapsible wheelchairs or walkers. Please leave a comment during checkout if accommodations for collapsible equipment will be required on tour.

Refund Policy:

  • You may cancel for any reason up to seven (7) days prior to the date of the tour for a full refund.
  • Please see our Refund Policy Page for complete details.

Frequently Asked Questions

The minimum age to participate is 5 years old.

Booster seats will be provided for anyone who is 5+.

Our success rate for seeing bears is very high, however, wildlife cannot be guaranteed. Our area has more bears per square mile than any other place in Alaska with 1.7 bears per square mile.

Backpacks, small bags, and purses are allowed on this tour.

Non-alcoholic beverages in closeable containers and snacks are allowed on tour.​

Food and drinks are not included.​

 

Guest Reviews

4.9

102 total

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Mark F

On Oct 2025

These two had great local knowledge of the area and the native uses of plants and how the animals interact with the environment. We didn't see any bears(bummer), but we got to see lots of other wildlife and the countryside that we would not have seen otherwise. Always good to support LOCAL businesses!! They were attentive to our time constraint with the ship, so we weren't worried about being late to the ship.

Rachel B

On Sep 2025

While the animals didn't necessarily cooperate due to the crazy weather, the guides were wonderful. We loved hearing about the Tlingit culture and all the amazing stories. They worked very hard to try and find us bears while we were there.

Robin R

On Sep 2025

We got away from the tiny tourist area with a 3 hr drive through the island wilderness. Our guides, John and Marilyn, were wonderful and very informative on local Tlingit history, customs and island life. A small group tour where we all enjoyed company while watching the beautiful scenery.

Emily Jane F

On Sep 2025

While looking for bears, our tour guides shared their Tlingit culture with us.

David R

On Sep 2025

This was an enjoyable double act by husband & wife John & Marilyn, who have lived on Icy Strait Point all their lives. Between them they gave us a very interesting tour of the wildness in search of the wildlife and shared interesting personal stories of their lives and their culture. We were taken to many of the 'hot' spots for seeing bear, despite the very windy and wet weather, which had caused many other tours to be cancelled, plus they even extended by 30 minutes to keep trying to find a bear. Finally there was a very brief sighting which I missed but others saw. 3 hours is a long time sat in a van and there is no guarantee to see wildlife, but it was an enjoyable experience. Thanks for a great tour.

$145.00

Best Price Guarantee!

$145.00

Duration: 3 hours

Best Price Guarantee!

Duration: 3 hours



Adult (13+): $145.00

Child (5-12): $100.00