Hoonah Alaska, Icy Straits, Cross Sound, Glacier Bay National Park, Lynn Canal, Juneau

Passengers will board Snow Goose in the largely Tlingit community on Chichgof Island named Hoonah.  Surrounded by the Tongass National Forest and coastal mountains, this community is rich in culture and tradition.  Accessing by boat or plane into Hoonah a few hours prior to departure will give guests a chance to explore this area and appreciate what it has to offer.   

Our first major confluence of waters of Icy Strait is an excellent location to spot the blows of Orca and/or Humpback whales. Northward toward Glacier Bay you’ll immediately notice a change of forest succession.

Anxious to explore further, we make the journey into Glacier Bay National Park.  Since Glacier Bay has just recently emerged from the ice, it is considered a geologically young area. A trip up Glacier Bay is like a trip back in time. Old growth forests give way to bare rock as we make our way back into the upper reaches of the bay. Here, the tidewater glaciers still rumble and roar as they make their slow retreat back, dropping huge icebergs into the sea. Magnificent granite cliffs tower above our small ship as we wind our way up the fjord through the ice floes towards the faces of these massive glaciers. Along the way, our expert naturalist and guide will point out the finer points of plant succession, glaciation, local geology, and the interconnectedness of the animals that call this area home. The biodiversity of this place is simply amazing.

After spending time in the rich waters of Glacier Bay, our voyage will exit the “bay” and transit east in Icy Straits to Lynn Canal.  An area frequented by transient Orca and local humpbacks, we will watch for blows as we make our way toward the Capitol of Alaska.  Guests will debark and have a chance to explore the largest Alaska City in SE.

Evenings will bring secluded anchorages with time to reflect and share a delicious meal prepared by our Chef in the galley. Many evenings will offer time to quietly explore the shores by kayak or slowly motoring along in the skiff. It's amazing how much can be seen and heard along the shores in the quiet evening time. Before bed, the Captain will bring out the charts to review the happenings of the day, and to make a plan for the following day. We keep the schedule incredibly flexible to allow for adaptation to the multitude of variables that can be encountered along the way.