Page 304 - Vacation Country Travel Guide

Juneau service Gustavus.
The community lies on the outwash plain and
beautiful beach created by ancient glaciers that
filled the bay. Surrounded by towering mountains,
lush temperate rainforest and giant old growth trees
reaching heights of two hundred feet, Gustavus
lies amid some of the most untouched and majestic
scenery left in the world, supporting an immense
and diversified array of Alaskan wildlife including
brown bears, whales and moose. The town faces
Icy Straits, known as one of Alaska’s richest marine
environments.
Gustavus was once known as Strawberry Point for
ICY STRAITS ZIPLINE PIC the abundance of berries. Historically, the Tlingit
frequented the location to fish and pick berries.
Today, the berries grow everywhere in and around
the town and are free to pick.
Charming country inns and scenic wilderness
lodges provide a base to experience exceptional
kayaking, whale watching, fishing and hiking in
addition to glacier cruises. Guests are treated to
wonderful gourmet meals and find the service to be
outstanding in Gustavus.
Hoonah
Location: The northeast shore of Chichagof
Island, 40 air miles west of Juneau and 80 air
miles north of Sitka. Population: 735.
Publisher filming whales
photo by:
Misty Bay Lodge Hoonah has been the home of the Huna Tlingit
since the last advance of the great ice masses into
Glacier Bay, their ancestral homeland. Because
the area was used each summer for subsistence
harvesting, it was a natural place for settlement.
Hoonah (“the place where the north wind doesn’t
See Video blow”) is a small, rural community with a rich
heritage.
Hoonah is the largest Tlingit village in Alaska.
Approximately 70% of the population is Alaska
Native or part Native. Most residents maintain
a subsistence lifestyle, which is an important
component of Hoonah’s culture. Salmon (king,
silver, sockeye, chum and pink), halibut, shellfish,
deer, waterfowl and berries are harvested.
The maritime climate is characterized by cool
summers and mild winters. Summer temperatures
average 52 to 63 degrees Fahrenheit; in winter the
range is 26 to 39 degrees. Precipitation averages 100
inches annually with 71 inches of snowfall.
The Northwest Trading Company built the first
store in Hoonah in 1880. In 1881, the Presbyterian
Home Mission and school were constructed. Nearly
500 people were wintering in the village by 1887.
In 1912, the Hoonah Packing Company built a large
cannery one mile north of town, which is now the
site of Icy Strait Point, the city’s tourism destination.
In 1944, a fire destroyed much of the town and
many priceless Tlingit cultural objects. The federal
government assisted in rebuilding the community.
Fishing, local government and the tourism industry
are mainstays of the Hoonah economy.
The State of Alaska owns and operates the airport
and a seaplane base that is served by regularly
scheduled small aircraft from Juneau. A State ferry
terminal provides regular ferry service. A trip to
Juneau takes approximately 20 minutes by air and
three hours by ferry. Hoonah owns and maintains
one of southeast Alaska’s best small boat harbors,
ideal for fishing.
Hoonah provides many opportunities for outdoor
recreation. There is an extensive logging road system
with approximately 250 miles of roads providing
access for such diverse activities as photography,
hunting, fishing, hiking and berry picking.
The Alaskan brown bear population is a very

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