Alaska 2026: Icy Strait Point

While I have visited Alaska a number of times, this is a place I've never been. I wasn't expecting to see the enormous zip line with 5 or 6 people flying down the mountain all at once, as if in a race. It is one of the first things you see when you arrive. The starting point was so high in the mountain you could barely see there were people up there getting ready to fly. We were already scheduled for whale watching so a zip line ride was out of the question. Honestly, it was likely out of the question no matter what! 

I was immediately impressed by the modern technology of the gondolas at Icey Strait Point where there are two cruise ship piers. The Green Gondola takes you from one cruise ship pier to the other. We were docked at the pier without much there except the zip-line, so we immediately got on the Green Gondola to the other pier where there were stores, bars, restaurants, and the shore excursion hub. 

As we made our way to the hub where all the excursions were leaving from, we were amused by a group gathering to go search for bears. We learned there are more than 5,000 brown coastal bears on Chichagof Island (aka. Bear Island) so my next visit will absolutely include searching for bears. We learned the only difference between grizzly bears and Alaskan Brown bears is that grizzly bears have no access to coastal waters.

We had about 30 people on our whale watching boat. The boat was well equipped and provided for inside or outside viewing. It was almost an hour ride to the best whale watching area but we did see a whale or two along the way. We actually pulled in near shore to see a bear strolling along the shore. 

Whale watching was a hit as we saw a number of them, along with sea lions, sea otters, and eagles.