Hoonah Village Tour and Crab Feast: Catch to table

Pick your crab at the dock, then crack it fresh off the boat three hours later.

A three-hour village tour and crab feast in Hoonah, Alaska, where you pick your fresh Dungeness crab at the commercial fishing dock, tour the village and a foraging spot, watch Tlingit master carvers at work, then return to cook and eat the crab you selected, with wild berry dessert. The operator is locally owned and runs the tour in English or Thai.

Step-by-step itinerary

Village tour and crab feast

• Visit dock and pick fresh crab
• Stop at Hoonah Beach House deck
• Explore forested private property
• Watch Tlingit carvers at carving shed
• Enjoy fresh crab feast at beach house

The experience

The tour starts at the Hoonah dock, where the commercial crabbing boat unloads the morning catch. You pick out your fresh crab while the operator answers questions about Alaska commercial fishing and crabbing, then demonstrates the gear right there on the boat. The crab gets iced down at the Hoonah Beach House deck (a quick stop where you can use the restroom), and you'll return to this same spot later for the feast.

Between the dock and the feast, you walk through forested private property just outside the village where the operator and their partner forage for the wild Alaska berries that will become your dessert. They also keep a small garden and orchard there and talk about what it takes to survive in a remote location. Coastal brown bears occasionally appear in this area, so bring a camera. Next is the carving shed in the village, where you watch local Tlingit master carvers craft totem poles from yellow cedar logs.

The final stop is back at the Hoonah Beach House deck for the crab feast. The crab you picked at the dock is cooked the local way, not pre-cooked, frozen and reheated like most crab shacks serve. You watch the preparation, then crack and eat crab that came off the boat hours earlier, with wild berry dessert. Most visitors say it's the best crab they've ever had.

What’s included

• Fresh Alaskan Dungeness crab you pick at the dock and cook together.
• wild berry dessert foraged from the operator's spot outside the village.
• demonstration of commercial fishing gear on the boat.
• village tour including the Tlingit carving shed.

Before you book

Days and timesNext departure: 21 Jun 2027

Book up to2h before

AgesAdult (3 and older) · Infant (under 3): free

GroupUp to 14

Live guideEnglish and Thai

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Good to know

Low physical effortStroller-friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Hoonah Beach House

Is this one for you?You watch the cooking and cracking rather than doing it yourself, so this suits anyone who wants to learn the local process and eat exceptional crab without the hands-on work. The tour is shared, not private, and runs with a live guide in English or Thai.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Thai.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Infant (under 3): free.

What's the difference between fresh crab cooked this way and what you get at a crab shack?

Most crab shacks serve pre-cooked, frozen and reheated crab, even the ones that advertise "fresh." The Hoonah tour cooks the crab you picked at the dock the same day, a few hours later, so the meat is sweeter and more tender than anything that has been frozen and reheated.

Will I actually catch the crab myself, or just pick from what's already been caught?

You pick your fresh crab from the morning catch at the dock and watch a demonstration of the commercial fishing gear on the boat, but you're not going out on the water to fish. The operator handles the actual crabbing. Your role is selecting which crab you want to eat and learning how the process works.

What happens if I don't see bears at the foraging spot?

Coastal brown bears occasionally appear in the forested area where the operator forages for wild berries, so there's no guarantee you'll see one. Bring a camera and keep your eyes open, but the foraging and the talk about surviving in a remote location happen whether or not bears show up.

How long is the whole experience from start to finish?

The tour runs three hours total, from the dock visit through the crab feast at the end.