Juneau Travel Forum

I am coming to Juneau in September for a 4 Hour stop .I don't want an expensive cruise ship tour, what should I do?
Also is the Red dog saloon still in business I can't get into the web site.

You can just walk to Mount Roberts (probably within a mile of where the cruise ship pulls in, but I'm not certain) and go for a hike. There's a "tramway" that will take you partway up (still a good hike to the top from there - maybe 90 minutes or so), or just start walking from the bottom. With 4 hours I'd recommend hopping a ride. It overlooks the water and is absolutely beautiful. Will you see glaciers elsewhere on your trip? If not, you may want to rent a car and drive to Mendenhall, but it's quite far from where you view it at the Visitor's Center. A website showing the tramway: http://www.goldbelttours.com/travel/day_trips/juneau/tram.html

I just saw a not to favorable review posted about the Red Dog dated October 16, 2007, so I assume they are still open.

The Red Dog is good to stop in for one drink, post a business card, and take a photograph.

I enjoyed the Alaska Hotel just up the street better. That is usually where the crew hangs out.

The State Capitol building has a free tour led by student guides. Very informative and takes about an hour.

The Red Dog is a bit of a tourist trap. If the weather is good, go up Mount Roberts. If not, take a bus from the cruise ship docks out to Mendenhall Glacier, which is about 20 minutes from the docks and worth seeing. The buses run about every 1/2 hour and the drivers will tell you about Juneau along the way. If you like History, the Alaska State Museum has some interesting displays and is only about a 15 minute walk from the ships.

Most of Juneau is a "tourist trap"... but I don't see that as a bad thing, per se.
The Red Dog has a great deal of very authentic Alaskan history and a good number of artifacts which were donated for public viewing when the Territorial Museum closed...
Sure, there's a piano player who makes rude and wise-cracking jokes, and yes, the staff is often too busy to sit and have a chat with the thousands of people who walk in every day in the summer, but why is that necessarily a bad thing?

The business is currently closed, as are most businesses (except smokey local bars) this time of year. There is an application to the State ABC regarding a transfer of their liquor license, so I would assume a sale or some sort of change in management is taking place over the winter. I can't imagine them NOT being open on April 30 when the first cruise ship of the 2008 season arrives, however...

-Case

Red Dog is close to the cruise ship dock. Touristy. Alaska Hotel is more authentic and even a few locals venture down there during cruise season. The hike up Mt Roberts is a good one. Steep but great views.
Buses run out to Mendenhall Glacier for $5 from the cruise ship dock. Old school buses but a good price. Can take a city bus, but it stops a mile short of the visitor center. Give your self an extra hour to hike closer to the glacier.
Hike up to the capital and then just past it is the governor mansion. Also gets you away from the crowds. Over a million cruise ship visitors in 2007.

The MGT shuttle from the docks to Mendenhall Glacier hasn't been $5 in at least 4 or 5 years... They're up to either $7 or $8 this year, depending who you get for a driver. No stops in between, but a good way to get to/from the one attraction.

City buses don't go past Auke Bay, so the ride to the Shrine of St. Therese is out... hire a taxi, rent a car or take a tour that stops there.