Hoonah Harbor

Hoonah sits at the head of Port Frederick on the northeast coast of Chichagof Island, roughly 40 nautical miles west of Juneau across Icy Strait. The town is the largest Tlingit community in Alaska, with deep Huna Tlingit roots and a working waterfront that has served commercial fishermen for generations. For cruising boaters, the City of Hoonah Boat Harbor is the only meaningful services stop between Juneau and the outer coast ports of Elfin Cove or Pelican.

The harbor is a full-service municipal facility with approximately 250 slips, including over 600 feet of protected transient dockage. Maximum vessel LOA in the slip fingers runs to about 60 feet; the outer transient float can accommodate larger vessels. The harbor is operated by the City of Hoonah, with Harbormaster Andy Gray managing day-to-day operations. Reservations can be made through Dockwa.

Fuel is available at the fuel dock with both gasoline and diesel; propane has also been reported available at the dock in recent seasons. Fuel dock hours run approximately 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Shore power includes 30-amp and 50-amp service. Fresh water is available on the docks. Restrooms and showers are provided ashore. Wi-Fi is available. A pump-out station is offered at no charge. The harbor also has a travel lift and haul-out capability — a genuine rarity in this stretch of Southeast Alaska.

The harbor infrastructure is aging; the concrete floats are more than 40 years old and the city has been seeking funding for a full replacement. Staff are consistently praised in reviews as responsive and accommodating, with the harbormaster quick to reply via Dockwa messaging.

Transient rates as of 2025-26: $0.70 per foot per day for vessels up to 80 feet, $1.50 per foot per day for vessels over 81 feet, plus 6.5% sales tax. Shore power is an additional $7.50 per day for 30-amp service.

The harbor monitors VHF 16; working channel is 09 after initial contact.

Hoonah is also the access point for Icy Strait Point, a former salmon cannery converted into a cruise ship destination operated by local Huna Tlingit shareholders. Cruise ship visits bring periodic congestion during summer months, but the small boat harbor operates independently of the cruise facilities. The town has a grocery store, hardware store, and several local restaurants — a genuine provisioning stop.

For northbound Inside Passage cruisers, Hoonah is typically a one-to-two-night stop: fuel up, provision, check weather for the Icy Strait crossing, then push west toward Point Adolphus for humpback whale viewing or north toward Glacier Bay. Southbound, it is an easy morning-departure point for the run back to Auke Bay.