Hoonah, the largest community on Chichagof Island, is the epicenter of Tlingit Indian culture. Their home since time immemorial. Chichagof Island is the 5th largest island in North America, 2,200 square miles of the 17 million acres that is the Tongass National Forest.
Hoonah is located across the Alaskan Inside Passage from Juneau, the Alaskan State Capital. The most recent census shows the permanent population to be slightly under 1000, it increases substantially during the summer months, depending on fishing, boating, hiking and hunting conditions. Hoonah is the approximate pronunciation of the Tlingit language name X'unaa, which means "lee of the north wind".
Hoonah has been visited by many cruise ships over the past several years. The town is located about 35 miles west of Juneau, Alaska, and is an enjoyable destination for many cruise ship passengers. There are 2 cruise ship piers in the area, with the newest being Wilderness Landing pier at Icy Strait , opened in August 2021. Cruise ships refer to the name "Icy Strait " when talking about visiting the town of Hoonah, Alaska, although that is the dock area and not the actual town.
Visitors to Hoonah have many choices of group activities, including whale watching, ATV rentals and more.
We at Jeep Rentals Hoonah wanted to offer a more private experience so that visitors can simply rent one of our jeeps for the entire day, and explore the wonders of the Chicagof Island at their own pace.
What might you see on a drive::
We love Hoonah and the beauty of Chichagof island. The island holds many mysteries. It’s on the ring of fire and has numerous natural hot springs. The ancient forest is covered in Sitka Spruce, Western Hemlock, Yellow Cedar, Coastal Pine and alder.
The rivers, streams, ponds and drainage provide habitat for countless migratory ducks, geese, swans and cranes. They in turn feed the raptors of the island, eagles, falcons, hawks and a dozen varieties of owls. Mice, shrews, voles and squirrels hide from the weasel and Pine Marten while the Sitka blacktail deer are pursued by big brown bear whenever the fish aren’t plentiful in the streams.
Chichagof Island is home to the densest concentration of brown bears on earth. Biologists estimate that there are about 5,000 bears on the island, five times the human population. We frequently see deer and bear along the roadside on even short drives out of town, but all of the wildlife mentioned is possible to see.
