Hoonah Guided Driving Tour: Native-Led Chichagof Island Access

Dirt roads built for timber, now open to the inside of an island.

A 3-hour guided driving tour from Icy Strait Point takes you into Hoonah and across Chichagof Island on historic logging roads, led by Alaskan Native and lifelong local guides. The route combines comfortable driving with a few short walks, moving through pristine interior landscapes where wildlife sightings are common. You return to Icy Strait Point at the end of the tour. Children from age 5 are welcome. The pace suits all fitness levels.

Step-by-step itinerary

3-hour scenic driving tour in Hoonah

• Begin scenic drive to Hoonah
• Meet Alaskan Native guides
• Hear historical insights
• Drive on historic logging roads
• Spot wildlife and enjoy landscapes
• Take short walks along route
• Return to Icy Strait Point

The experience

You arrive at Icy Strait Point as a cruise passenger with a free afternoon. This tour picks you up and drives you directly into Hoonah, a community of Alaskan Natives and longtime residents who know the land and its history. Your guides are local. They grew up here, fished these waters, and know the stories the landscape holds. The drive itself is the experience: you travel down dirt roads originally cut for logging operations decades ago, now repurposed to reach the interior of Chichagof Island that few visitors ever see.

The route combines driving with a few very short walks, so you move through the landscape without long stretches on foot. The roads take you through pristine terrain where wildlife appears regularly. This is working habitat, not a zoo. Your guides point out what lives here and why, grounding the scenery in the ecology and the human history of logging, fishing and settlement. The three hours move through both the natural interior and the cultural knowledge that makes it readable.

When the tour ends, you're dropped at the front gate of Icy Strait Point, leaving you time to move through the port before your ship departs. The schedule is built around cruise timing, so the return is planned to get you back with a buffer.

What’s included

• Alaskan Native and local resident guides.
• three-hour driving excursion on historic logging roads.
• access to Chichagof Island's pristine interior.
• short walks woven into the drive.
• return transport to Icy Strait Point front gate.

Before you book

Days and timesMonday, Friday, Saturday and SundayDepartures at 07:00, 11:00, 14:30 and 18:00Last departure this season: 26 Oct

Book up to1d before

AgesAdult (13 and older) · Child (5 to 12 years) · Under 5: can't be included in the booking

GroupUp to 11

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends at a different place from where it starts.

Cancellation and refundsNo refund if you cancel.It may be canceled if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 3 days ago

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearby

Operated by Wilderness Island Tours

Is this one for you?Three hours leaves you the rest of your port day free: long enough to move deep into the island with a guide who knows it, short enough to return with time before your ship departs. Pick this if you want to see the interior of Chichagof Island the way locals do, not the standard port-area stops.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (5 to 12 years). Under 5: they can't be included in the booking.

What kind of wildlife might I see on the Chichagof Island drive?

The interior of Chichagof Island is active habitat where bears, deer, and other Alaska wildlife move through regularly. Your guides know where sightings are likely and what signs to watch for, but wildlife viewing is never guaranteed: the animals decide whether they appear.

How much walking is involved in this tour?

The tour combines comfortable driving with a few very short walks, so you're not hiking long distances. The pace suits all fitness levels, and children from age 5 can join.

Will my guide be Alaskan Native?

Your guides are Alaskan Native and lifelong local residents of Hoonah. They share intimate historical insights about the land, the logging roads you travel, and the community itself.

How does this tour fit into a cruise day at Icy Strait Point?

The three-hour tour leaves from Icy Strait Point and returns you to the front gate, timed so you have the afternoon without missing your ship's departure. It's built around cruise schedules.

What are the historic logging roads like to drive on?

The dirt roads were originally built for timber operations and are now maintained for tour access. They're drivable but rough. That's part of what makes them authentic routes into the island's interior, not paved tourist roads.