The waters between the villages of Hoonah and Tenakee Springs are sheltered and offer amazing paddling for kayakers of any skill level. The inlets between these two villages offer great chances for viewing wildlife on and off shore. Our trip begins in the Tlingit Village of Hoonah at the head of Port Frederick where we will paddle on the first half of our trip. Negotiating a short portage at the end of Port Frederick, we enter Tenakee Inlet and can either follow the shoreline toward our destination or explore the many bays along our way. We will arrive in the village of Tenakee Springs at the end of our journey.  Back in civilization, we can grab some local grub and even visit the local hot spring for which Tenakee is well known.

Our adventure will begin in the Tlingit village of Hoonah, located on the northern end of Chichagof Island in SE Alaska.  Located near the entrance to Port Frederck, Hoonah is the states largest community of Tlingit people. As you leave Hoonah and venture into Frederick Sound you will find a vast wilderness of coastal temperate rain forest giving way to coastal mountains, rich with wildlife, both in the marine environment and on its shores, truly a paddlers paradise.  Near the back of Frederick Sound is a portage linking it with Tenakee inlet.  No doubt this portage has been used for centuries by indigenous peoples traveling these waters trading from one community to the next and it will be our path from the first half of our trip to the second as well.

From the northwest, Tenakee Springs is only 30 or so miles by water from the portage that will lead us from Frederick Sound to Tenakee Inlet but the amount of coast line to explore and the wilderness to experienced is almost immeasurable.  In these waters whales, porpoise seals and sea otter abound and on its shores moose, wolves and brown bears roam through out the forest and sometimes venture down to the shore to forage at low tide.  Along the way we can paddle through Long Bay, Seal Bay and Crab Bay.  Depending on the season we can investigate the many streams feeding into the inlet, some full of salmon, which can bring brown bears to their shores to feed. 

Once arriving in Tenakee Springs we can spend some time in this town of 85 hearty souls, visiting the local hot springs or the small mercantile as we ease back into civilization after our week on the waters of SE Alaska