Wilderness Island Tours updates its 2026 Hoonah Coastal Brown Bear Tour with expanded wildlife viewing standards focused on conservation, education, and safety.
HOONAH, AK, UNITED STATES, January 23, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Wilderness Island Tours, LLC announced expanded sustainable wildlife viewing standards for the 2026 season of its Hoonah Coastal Brown Bear Tour at Icy Strait, aligning operations with best practices in responsible wildlife tourism, Indigenous-led interpretation, and education-forward guiding on Chichagof Island. The locally owned, Tlingit-operated company continues to emphasize minimal disturbance, clear standoff distances, route design using established viewing areas, and pre-tour briefings that prioritize conservation and guest safety.
For scheduling information and reservations for the Hoonah Coastal Brown Bear Tour, visit https://wildernessislandtours.com/.
The tour operator, which provides land-based, 2–3-hour driving excursions that depart directly from Icy Strait Point, has guided visitors to Hoonah’s surrounding habitats for over 28 years and maintains a 100% on-time return rate for cruise passengers. The 2026 updates build on the company’s existing approach to responsible viewing and formalize standards highlighted in recent coverage of sustainable shore excursions and bear viewing in Alaska.
What’s new for 2026
The expanded standards reflect a wildlife-first philosophy for the Hoonah Coastal Brown Bear Tour:
– Reinforced safe-viewing distances and site selection are intended to reduce stress on wildlife during peak activity periods.
– Education-forward guiding that addresses bear behavior, salmon-run dynamics, photography ethics, and respectful viewing etiquette.
– Route planning that relies on designated pullouts and established viewing areas to avoid habitat intrusion.
– Pre-tour briefings that encourage Leave No Trace principles and cultural respect across the Icy Strait area.
Local expertise and responsible access
Tours are guided by lifelong residents of Hoonah (Icy Strait), with itineraries designed to provide opportunities to observe brown bears, bald eagles, otters, Sitka black-tailed deer, and other wildlife within coastal ecosystems. Pick-up is provided at the Icy Strait Excursion Hub, with drop-off at the front gate at tour completion. While sightings are common, wildlife behavior is unscripted; bear sightings cannot be guaranteed, in line with responsible viewing principles and communicated in advance to guests.
As Alaska Natives of the Tlingit tribe, the guiding team integrates cultural interpretation—sharing place knowledge, language, and stories that provide context for the land and its communities. The operator emphasizes that this cultural lens is inseparable from safe, respectful wildlife viewing and is central to the experience.
Context and recent coverage
The emphasis on reinforced viewing distances, education-first guiding, and conservation-aligned route planning reflects emerging norms in Alaska’s sustainable shore excursions and bear-viewing tours. Recent travel trade and environmental coverage have highlighted enhanced protocols and Indigenous-led interpretation as differentiators in the Icy Strait region.
About Wilderness Island Tours, LLC
Wilderness Island Tours, LLC is a Tlingit-owned, locally operated tour company based in Hoonah, Alaska, serving Icy Strait Point. The company offers land-based, small-group wildlife excursions on Chichagof Island, emphasizing responsible brown bear viewing, multi-species observation, and Indigenous cultural interpretation. With 28+ years of guiding experience and a 100% on-time return record for cruise passengers, the operator focuses on minimal-disturbance viewing, route planning through established viewing areas, and education-forward guiding that helps guests understand local ecology and cultural context.
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Wilderness Island Tours, LLC
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