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Icy Strait Wilderness Island Tour

4.9
48 reviews

Excursion Overview

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

Chichagof Island, where Icy Strait Point 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 Point. 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.

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

48 total

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Paul P

On Sep 2024

The guides did a fantastic job of showing us the wilderness of Alaska. We were supplied with information about the vegetation, wildlife, and taken to areas you don't see on tv. We thoroughly pleased with our excursion !

Karen K

On Sep 2024

Our guides were wonderful guides. Unfortunately we visited between salmon runs so the bears were scarce to say the least. We were gifted with a beautiful rainbow, a few deer, and a determined guide. Once they learned of a sighting back where we had already been, without hesitation the van was turned around and returned to the last sighting and low and behold there was a bear and two cubs! They made a wonderful team with their stories, knowledge, and determination to show us a good time! Thank you so much for your persistence.

Syed H

On Sep 2024

Our guides were native Alaskans and were born and raised here. They gave us a complete run down on the history of the place and we got to see Salmon and Bears feeding on them.

John S

On Sep 2024

Annie was great - we saw a lot of things.

Donald S

On Sep 2024

We enjoyed our time with John and Marilyn. The back country in Hoonah is beautiful! It was a small tour of 4 in a passenger van, so it was very comfortable. We were in search of bears, but we learned so much more. John and Marilyn are locals and we enjoyed their stories very much. We did find a very large brown bear and a Bald Eagle perched up in the tree. Further, special thanks to John, who went above and beyond in delivering my husband's binoculars (which he left behind in their van), to the port so that it was delivered to our ship. Thank you SO much John!

$135.00

Best Price Guarantee!

$135.00

Duration: 3 hours

Best Price Guarantee!

Duration: 3 hours



Adult (13+): $135.00

Child (5-12): $100.00

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