Icy Strait Zipline — Attraction in Hoonah

In June a friend and I planned a trip to Juneau for a weekend solely for the purpose of going over to Icy Strait point to do the zipline. In April/May I started looking into the details of how to book our reservation for the zipline for Saturday, I made multiple phone calls to both the zipline company & the cruiselines, no one ever answered any of my calls, so I left multiple voicemails and sent multiple Emails. My voicemails and emails were never returned or responded to. About 2 to 3 weeks before our trip with still zero response to any of my contact attempts, I then decided to try reaching out via social media (instagram & FB) Finally, I got a response to my Instagram message. At that time I was advised since we were not part of the cruise line, we would not be allowed to book a spot on the zip line but to still come to icy Strait anyway and if there’s availability, we could then do the zipline at that time. I explained to them that we were traveling to Juneau (from Anchorage) & we would have to take Float plane to get from Juneau to icy Strait. I didn’t want to spend the money to book the plane if we were not guaranteed spots on the zipline as that was the sole purpose for us going to icy Strait. Again, I was advised that since we were not apart of the cruise ship, we would not be allowed to book & The zipline is only open when the cruise ships are in icy strait so we wouldn’t even be able to try for Sunday. This is extremely disheartening as although we are Alaska residents, we are tourist to that area and were denied registering for a tourism item But urged to spend hundreds of dollars to get there in the high chance that we wouldn’t have even been able to do the zipline in the first place. Seeing as clearly, the zipline only goes for tourists, It’s funny that they would deny tourist booking capabilities. They then advised me that I could check on availability one week out from when we plan to be there so that’s what I did. At that time, I was then advised that they would be closing the zip line at noon that day, Keep in mind our flight to Juneau from that morning. Would’ve gotten us to Juneau around 9:30 AM and then the next Float plane would only get us into icy Strait around 1145 AM So there was no possible way we would’ve been able to make the slight chance of even being able to get on the zipline. Again our sole purpose of us traveling to Juneau was to try & go do this zipline as it was a bucket liat item for us both and we were only in Juneau for the weekend as we both work Mon-Fri & couldn’t miss work, but because we were not “on a cruise ship” we were denied the access to go. Overall we are just extremely bummed that they dont have any option for non-icy strait locals to book or take advantage of this amazing fun activity… I feel they really need to revamp their processes because I am not going to book an AK cruise just so I can go on...

My husband eventually did the zip line. While he a great time when he actually got to do the zipline, which is why this is not zero stars, the whole process getting there was really horrible. We signed up through the cruise line a year in advance. We got our ticket in our cruise cabin for the time we chose. All was going well. We were with our assigned group for the 8:30am zipline as we walked from the ship to the check in area for the zipline. My husband ended up last in line for his group just out of happenstance. When he got to the front to be weighed and get his wristband, he was told there were no more wristbands for his time slot. The young employee looked for a long time before telling us what the problem was. Then she walked away, letting the line of the next time groups build up behind us. After about 20 minutes, we asked if we could just be refunded. She said we would need to go to another building to do that. I said no, he paid to go on the zipline and that's what is going to happen. It's not our fault they didn't count the right number of wristbands and we are not going to spend the whole time here trying to get our money back. She even said "we were late" but we were not. Being last in line for a group is not late. It may have seemed that way because we were waiting there so long, but we were with our assigned group. To be made to feel like it was our fault was really awful. Eventually she just ended up giving my husband another wristband. But it was for 12:30pm, not 8:30am like we had planned. We had another excursion scheduled for 1pm, so 12:30pm would not work for us. Finally, a manager saw us, and I got his attention. He changed the time on the wristband to 10:30am and apologized. It took him 30 seconds to correct something that took over 20 minutes of frustration. It worked out in the end, but it really put a damper on the whole day. As soon as the employee realized there weren't enough wristbands a manager should have been there to take care of it. It really did not need to take as...

Solid 4 Stars - Exhilarating!

You definitely need to buy tickets ahead of time, as only six people are allowed per session and spots fill up quickly. The journey to the top is part of the adventure itself, with two scenic cable car gondola rides taking you up to the summit where the zipline begins.

The zipline ride itself is absolutely incredible, fast, thrilling, and unforgettable. At 90 seconds long, it’s the tallest in the world and was, until recently, the longest as well (Dubai now holds that record by a small margin). The views and rush of flying down the mountain are worth every moment.

That said, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. The walk from the summit down to the launch point is steep and rocky, so good footwear is a must. Also, the check-in crew at the summit was surprisingly unfriendly, which did dampen the experience at first. Fortunately, the launch crew who handled the safety gear and equipment were excellent, professional, reassuring, and made me feel completely safe.

They also provide a GoPro style camera to capture the ride, and you can purchase the video afterward for $40. I went for it, and it was definitely worth it to relive the experience.

Overall, I’d highly recommend this zipline for the adventure and thrill factor alone. It’s a one-of-a-kind experience, but I can’t quite give it a full five stars due to the customer service at the top and the tricky path to the...