Veetravels
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Posts posted by Veetravels
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14 hours ago, Anita Latte said:
A second welcome to Cruise Critic.
Icy Strait Point is like a resort port, meaning...it's like the ship pulls up to the dock and basically functions like a high rise hotel building with lodging by the common grounds of a typical resort, THAT's ISP. And like any typical, well appointed and somewhat sprawling but highly walkable resort, where you would never, ever think to rent a vehicle to walk from your hotel room to the main building...if you decide to power walk, you can get from one end to the other in a matter of minutes. Here's a map:
https://icystraitpoint.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Icy-Strait-Point-Map.pdf
Notice the map says 1.5 miles to the town of Hoonah. It's a trail that is along the coastline, following the one and only road that connects ISP to town. The town of Hoonah has a population of under 1000 people...when we went there and spoke with our local tour provider for whale watching, IIRC we're talking about something like a graduating class of 11 from the local high school? If you go to the tourism website for Hoonah, you will see that many things are "coming soon" because quite frankly there's just not much there that is aimed at tourists...what is there is very much geared toward local needs. It's one of the reasons why ISP is so very charming to go to, because it is the LEAST touristy town on most cruise itineraries.
https://www.alaska.org/destination/hoonah-icy-strait
If you frame your ISP day more as the Alaska equivalent of going to a private Caribbean Island, where you can choose to do any number of additional add on activities, then you will have a better approach to ISP.
As Northern Aurora brings up, whale watching is an extremely popular tour in ISP. The resort is waterfront with gorgeous mountain views all around and the ease of smaller boat excursions is second to no other port, first because the port is so small, getting to your small boat involves little time or effort, and second, the waters where you will be touring are also RIGHT THERE...you are not having much, if any, tour time on the boat traveling to where you really want to be for the majority of your excursion time.
However, that said, you can have a completely leisurely day in ISP. It's not necessarily a beach where you can more easily be at your leisure to just hang out, find a lounge chair, and soak up the atmosphere and relax...but that attitude is the kind of day that you could easily have in ISP. Though some will argue that that approach to ISP, without getting out on the water or deeper into the wilderness on the island, is something of a missed opportunity.
Thank you for all the info. I have a better picture of what to expect.
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20 hours ago, Northern Aurora said:
Welcome to Cruise Critic.
As someone who actually lives in Alaska I am not aware of car rentals in ISP/Hoonah. This is a very small community and, as typical in Alaska, most folks have their own vehicles and know how to drive.
The gondola to the top of the hilltop/mountain is lovely. The flat walk from the ISP compound to the community of Hoonah is nice on a good weather day. The displays in the old cannery are interesting but you will not spend 12 hours looking at them.
ISP is an excellent port for whale watching. Our OP may want to reconsider and book a whale watching tour there.
Thank you! I was a bit clueless about this. Thanks for all the information.
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1 hour ago, Ferry_Watcher said:
Who did you rent from? Where were able to pick up the car? Any other tips to share?
Thanks!
We rented our car from Budget.
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5 hours ago, wolfie11 said:
The good portion of the trail ends several miles short of the glacier. If you want to go to the glacier I'd recommend a guide. There's a lot of scrambling and the dense alders in some areas make it easy to get lost (and to find a napping bear). To the glacier and back is around 8 miles and plan on around 6 hours.
Good to know! Thank you so much!
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7 hours ago, Glaciers said:
Look at the West Glacier Trail for a hike. It affords fantastic views of Mendenhall Glacier from obove it and you don't need to hike the entire trail for the views.
Great tip! Thank you!
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8 hours ago, no1racefan1 said:
Maybe it's a cold weather state thing....lol. Drive thru coffee huts are normal here in WY and I've seen them in MT too.
I'll keep in eye out for them. I'm sure I'll be needing a coffee break.
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8 hours ago, dfilpus said:
We rented a car for the day in Juneau. Our day’s itinerary was:
Get to Mendenhall before the excursion buses.
Lunch at the Sand Bar.
The Shrine of Sainte Theresa.
Eagle Beach.
Echo Cove (north end of the road).
Cross over to Douglas Island.
North to boat launch with the long view of Mendenhall.South to Savikko Beach.
Back to Juneau proper.
The Whale Sculpture.
Up to the heights above the state capitol building overlooking the city.
Refuel and drop off the car.
This is a great itinerary! Thank you so much!
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13 hours ago, Anita Latte said:
On Douglas Island, you could visit Fish Creek Park. You can hike around there, including walking to the shore where you can get a distant view of Mendenhall Glacier. You can also experience how crazy the difference between low tide and high tide is there...be sure to bring bug repellent or even better a head net to ward off the attack by the shore. It wasn't so bad closer to the park entrance and across the bridge and around the pond. When we were there, we saw eagles nesting around that pond and many fisherman.
Very cool! Thank you so much! I'll make sure to pack the bug spray.
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13 hours ago, wolfie11 said:
Drive to Eagle Beach and Mendenhall. Find a nice local restaurant (I recommend the Sandbar) for halibut and chips. Explore Douglas Island. Visit the Shrine of St Theresa. If you like books, stop at the friends of the library used book store.
Thank you for the recommendation! 🙂
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20 hours ago, Veetravels said:
Thank you for the recommendation, specially the fish and chips one. 🙂
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Hello,
What do you recommend in terms of hikes, viewpoints, or scenic walk if you have 12 hours and are not renting a car? I don't want to spend money of the shore excursions.
Many thanks!
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Hello,
Rented a car in Juneau. What do you recommend that are must hikes or viewpoints near Juneau.
Many thanks!
Icy Strait Point - free hikes, walks, viewpoints w/out a car
in Alaska
Posted
Great blog! Thank you!