We need to tell you something upfront: before we departed on this Alaska sailing, we sent everyone in our group a detailed pre-trip guide. Port by port, we explained where free exploring made sense - where there was enough infrastructure, enough walkable character, enough to discover on your own - and where a shore excursion was genuinely the right call. Places where the depth of the experience was held by locals, and you'd only scratch the surface without them.
Klawock was on the “Book a shore excursion” list.
And then we got to Klawock, and tried to do it ourselves anyway.
This is the story of what happened. And what we'd do instead.
The Port
Klawock officially opened as a major cruise port on May 6, 2024 - less than two years before we arrived. The ribbon-cutting ceremony coincided with the arrival of the Seabourn Odyssey, and since then, a small but growing number of ships have been adding it to their itineraries.
What makes Klawock different from almost every other Alaska port isn't the scenery, though the scenery is stunning. It's the ownership structure. Port Klawock was developed by Na-Dena - a joint venture between Huna Totem Corporation and Doyon Limited - in partnership with the Klawock Heenya Corporation. It is an Indigenous-owned port, built on a former timber loading dock footprint on Klawock Island on Prince of Wales Island, and that matters. The infrastructure being built here, the tourism dollars flowing through it, the future of the port - all of it is being shaped by the community itself.
We knew this before we arrived. It was a large part of why we were so excited.
Tina and the Iced Coconut Latte I Had Been Dreaming Of
Klawock is a tender port, so you don't dock - you ride a smaller boat to shore and step off into a different kind of welcome than most Alaska ports offer.
There's a tent at the landing. Inside it: a coffee shop, a fire pit with chairs, and a small shop selling local goods. Warm, unhurried, genuinely welcoming.
The coffee shop is Skya'ana Coffee Co., run by Tina Isaacs Steffen, a local coffee wizard. The morning we arrived, the town had dealt with a local emergency earlier, and they were still finding their footing - a late start, some scrambling to get set up. Tina was there anyway, warm and generous and full of stories. She told us about the history of the town, pointed us toward things to see, and shared how she came to coffee and what she was building here.
And then she made me an iced coconut latte.
I had been thinking about an iced coconut latte for days on the ship. It wasn't on the menu anywhere. And here, at a tender port on Prince of Wales Island at a coffee stand that had barely opened for the day, I got exactly the thing I had been wanting.
It was a genuinely lovely way to start. And in retrospect, it was the high point of our DIY approach to the day - not because the rest was bad, but because what followed was a reminder that you can get more out of a place when you have someone to open it for you.
Craig and the Tribal Association
A shuttle bus from the port drops you at one of two stops: Craig's Tribal Association (near a shopping center) or a gas station in Klawock, within walking distance of the totem park.
We started with Craig.
The Tribal Association is, honestly, a space primarily for the locals - a large meeting hall with a small museum and gift shop attached. We browsed. We got a feel for the area. The items in the shop gave a sense of the community and the culture, and we appreciated having a glimpse of it.
But we were aware the whole time that we were glimpsing, not understanding. There was so much context we didn't have. History we couldn't read from a quick walk through a gift shop. We didn't know the right questions to ask or who to ask them of.
We also stopped at the grocery store, because we always do - it's one of our favorite ways to understand a place, what people eat, what things cost, what's local and what has to be shipped in. A family-size box of LIFE cereal: $17. That number tells you something real about life on Prince of Wales Island.
The Walk to the Totem Park
The ship had actually advised against walking to the Klawock Totem Park. It was mostly on the side of a busy road. We set off anyway, probably with more catastrophic expectations than the walk deserved.
It was fine. More than fine - it was beautiful. The road took us past a large lake, mountains rising behind it, the particular stillness of Southeast Alaska on a clear day. If you have mobility considerations, you'd want to think carefully before attempting it. But for us, it was a lovely walk.
The totem park itself sits on a hill above the town. We climbed up and stood among the poles.
There are more than twenty totems here - Tlingit poles, many of them restored - and standing among them, surrounded by Alaska's mountains and sky, was genuinely peaceful. The artistry is evident. The scale is impressive. The setting is extraordinary.
And we kept wishing we knew the stories.
That's the thing about a totem pole: it isn't decoration. It's a record. Every figure carved into it means something specific - a lineage, an event, a supernatural being, a relationship between families. They are narratives in wood, written in a language we hadn't been given the key to.
We could appreciate the beauty. We couldn't read the stories.
What We'd Do Differently
Here it is, plainly: book a shore excursion in Klawock. We knew this before we left. We put it in writing. We sent it to our whole group.
And then we didn't do it.
Klawock offers real, meaningful excursions - a totem park and carving shed tour where local artists explain what they're making and why, a cultural and culinary excursion that gets you into the food and traditions of the community, whale watching with local guides who know these waters, scenic air sightseeing over Prince of Wales Island. These aren't just activities. They're doors into a place that has real depth, held by people who actually live there and are genuinely invested in sharing it.
Pro Tip The best place to find your options is through your cruise line.
We DIY'd a port that rewards having a guide, in a community that has stories to tell if someone opens the conversation for you. We came away feeling like we'd stood at the edge of something remarkable without quite getting inside it.
Not every port is like this - there are plenty of Alaska stops where wandering on your own is exactly the right call. Klawock is not one of them. Not yet. Not at this stage of its development as a cruise destination, when the richest experiences are still the ones that come with a local attached.
That's on us. And it's the most useful thing we can tell you.
A Note on Expectations
Klawock is a port that opened in 2024. It is still being built - as a tourism destination, as infrastructure, as a visitor experience. Don't arrive expecting the polished ease of Icy Straight Point, which has had years and significant investment to develop its tourist-facing amenities, or the established historic depth of Sitka. What you'll find instead is something newer and rawer: a community in the early stages of deciding how it wants to welcome visitors, with extraordinary cultural heritage underneath it and local people who are genuinely worth getting to know.
That's actually a remarkable thing to be part of. You're arriving early, in the best possible sense.
Just don't arrive without a plan.
If You're Heading to Klawock
Book a shore excursion. This is not optional advice. It is the difference between standing at the edge of the experience and actually having it. The totem park and carving shed tour, the cultural and culinary excursion - these are the ones we'd put at the top of the list.
Start at Skya'ana Coffee Co. Even if you have an excursion booked, get there early, have a conversation, and let Tina and her crew orient you to the place. It sets the tone for everything that follows.
Adjust your infrastructure expectations. The port is new. The town is small. This is a feature if you come in with the right mindset.
The walk to the totem park is doable - and genuinely beautiful - but confirm current conditions with the port staff before setting out, especially if you have mobility concerns.
The grocery store is worth a stop. Not joking. It's one of the most honest windows into a community you'll find in any port town.
Sailing Alaska and wondering how to make the most of your port days? Our Southeast Alaska Approach Guide covers the ports, the excursions, and what to prioritize. And if you're still planning your Alaska cruise, our Alaska Cruise First-Timer Guide is the right place to start.
Questions about Klawock or any other Alaska port? We're always happy to help.
