Photos: Southeast Alaska offers beauty by plane or sea

Flying a Cessna 180 on floats, it should take less than 20 minutes, going the scenic route, to land at the Hoonah floatplane dock. (Wheeled aircraft can use the 3,000-foot paved runway located about a mile from town.) The walk from Hoonah to Icy Strait Point* is about a mile, along the water on a concrete path. At Icy Strait there are several ways to spend your morning, depending on your interest and bravery.

The original 1912 Hoonah Packing Co. cannery is now full of local shops and a free museum. Guided tours of the facility, providing visitors with a slice of Alaska history, are also available. (In 1914 alone the facility produced 2.4 million cans of salmon according to the Icy Strait website.) The Heritage Center Native Theater also offers a one-hour interactive performance by a group of Huna Tlingit performers.

The big draw for thrill seekers will be the ZipRider, the world's longest zip line ride with a staggering 1,320-foot drop and top speed of 65 mph. With six cables running side by side, you can race to the bottom after the 45-minute bus ride up to the top of the mountain.

MORE: AIRPLANE DAYTRIP TO SOUTHEAST ALASKA | TOURING SOUTHEAST

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