Juneau Travel Forum

We are visiting on a cruise ship for a day. Can anyone suggest what we should do, not miss, etc? I am not too keen on being railroaded onto organised mass excursions unless it's the only way to see an area.

Many thanks for any help.

Hi - we had a long day in Juneau so we were able to see quite a bit. We took the Mt. Roberts Tramway from the docks up 1800 feet for great views of Juneau/harbor. There are many trails to explore but they were closed while we were there (still a lot of snow and possibility of avalanches).

We also did a Pilot's Choice trip to the glaciers with Temsco Helicopters. (I highly recommend that!) If you don't view any glaciers by air at least take a trip out to Mendenhall to view the glacier (I believe there are shuttles from town).

We also took a whale watching cruise with Orca Enterprises. There weren't many people on then (early in the year) so we didn't feel crowded but the boats do hold about 40 people. I would still recommend doing a whale watching trip - just check out organizers that have smaller number of people per boat if you don't want to deal with the crowds. Some boats hold only 6-8 people. (I had done the trip with Orca before - with a full boat - and it was still great. Both times saw alot of whales, eagles, sea lions, etc.)

We stopped in the Red Dog Saloon (yes, very touristy/food not so good) and walked around town. Beware, there hundreds of stores in the Alaskan ports (many the same from port to port) and you will probably get sick of them.

Happy Travels!

I agree with Donna on her activity tips for Juneau.
To expound a little since you sound like you have an aversion to crowds like me, downtown Juneau is very touristy and crowded when the ships are in. I had been often during the legislative sessions and downtown was a pleasant spot. But when we went to visit our daughter a few years back during the summer, I was amazed at how those few blocks around the cruise docks was paked with people and all those stores that are usually shuttered close are open and selling every kind of trinket.

The Mt. Robert's tram leaves right from the cruise ship docks - you can't miss the bright red cable cars. But it is effeciently run and folks move through fairly quickly.

A walking tour of the rest of downtown can be pleasant. Staright up Franklin Street will take you to the State Capital. A modest 4 storey building built in the early 60's but packed with lots of historical photos and displays. The State Museum is worth a visit - perhaps the nicest in Alaska besides the main one in Anchorage. The Governor's Mansion is right on the sidewalk so you can get very close. Past the Mansion is a nice park that leads back into Propectors Creek with some nice trails in the trees and an old gold mine.

If you rent a car you can drive out north of Juneau. St. Therese's Shrine is a wonderful spot to walk around. Some nice beaches further north.

Best restaurants during the summer are the Twisted Fish and the Hanger, both right down by the cruise ships.

Can't speak to the helicopter rides. But the whale watching boats are usually successful and you can save a few bucks by booking online instead of going thru the cruise line. Get away from their vertical integration and keep some money in your pocket.

There is a bus from the docks to Mendenhall Glacier for $7.50 OW. I've seen a lot of glaciers in my time and this is one of the more accessible and scenic. Nice visitors center and there is a trail that takes you close to the actual ice. Easy walk if the water level in the lake is low. Can't go past the waterfall.

Hope that helps.

I spent six nights in Juneau during August 2008. A brisk ten minutes' walk will get you away from the cruise ship crowds and the downtown shopping area; there is a lot more than those to see in Juneau and it was interesting just walking around and climbing up into the residential areas above downtown.

Hearthside Books on Frontier Street has an array of maps and books about Alaska, as well as general reading selections. Across Frontier Street is a Post Office outlet/gift shop, where it is possible to mail souvenirs home relatively inexpensively in Flat Rate Priority boxes (about $10 and up within the U.S., according to size, not weight).

Sourdough pancakes are a specialty in Alaska. Pizza Verona on Frontier Street has them, and is open for breakfast, as is the coffee shop at the historic Westmark Baranof Hotel, which also offers gourmet dining in the Gold Room or more casual dinner menu choices after 5PM in the friendly Bubble Room Bar.

Walk north from the cruise docks along the water to The Wharf (2 Marine Way). The Hangar Restaurant is there; you can sit at the bar overlooking the water and watch sea planes take off and land, with a view of the town of Douglas on the island across the Gastineau Channel. The Wharf also houses a few gift shops with lovely merchandise and Pizzeria Roma.

Patient shoppers who take the time can find many interesting souvenirs in Juneau. Gold in quartz jewelry is something I had never seen before and found uniquely attractive. It is true that there are many gift shops throughout Alaska in all the areas frequented by tourists, but if you browse discriminately, it is possible to find nifty little treasures, stunning Native art objects and lots of stuff in between. I took photos (without flash) of beautiful sculptures and totems, items too large or too expensive for me to bring home.

If you have developed a taste for Alaskan Amber or another of the tasty local brews and want to know more about how the ales are made, you can enjoy a short free "tour" and samples if you go out of town a ways to the Alaskan Brewery.

The Mount Roberts Tramway is worthwhile for the aerial view of Juneau and the Gastineau Channel. A moderate hike on the trail beyond the cute little gift shop passes several overlooks before turning into a bit more strenuous and rocky switchback trail up to the Cross. Watch for birds and wildlife and enjoy the changing mountain scenery with snow clinging to the rock above the spruce and hemlock trees. The plants/ecosystems are different as you climb higher, from rainforest, to meadow, to tundra. There are informational signs along the trail. I was hiking in the late afternoon until twilight and should mention that the most persistent mosquitoes I met in Alaska were here, although I was told that they were even worse at Wonder Lake in Denali. Cover your face with a scarf and walk briskly, the mosquitoes disappeared as I gained altitude and the views were really great. It is possible to hike back down to town or along the mountain ridge above town, but I would suggest doing so with the Juneau Trails map that I should have picked up at the bookstore, lol.

The Mendenhall Glacier is supremely beautiful, with chunks of ice of various shapes and sizes from the glacier gently floating away on Mendenhall Lake. If you are short on time, walk past the Visitor Center out to the Photo Point to get the closest view of the glacier's edge in the shortest time. The "dirt" on top of the white snow of the half-mile wide glacier is actually the grit from the rocks ground up by the action of the continuously moving river of ice.

The city bus stop is a mile and a half from the park, so I would recommend taking one of the shuttle buses that go between the base of the Tramway and the parking lots near the Glacier. I went with Glacier Shuttle, the pale blue bus, $7 one way, departs every half hour. Purchase tickets from one of the little stands near the Tramway entrance. The Visitor Center is worth the time and the $3 to enter; it has an informative short film, high-powered telescopes for viewing, wildlife exhibits, friendly and helpful Park Rangers, and a gift shop. There are a couple trails that start from the parking lot area and more hiking trails start nearer to, and also from above and behind the Visitor Center.

Although I was too chicken to try this myself, if you are looking for thrills, Alaska Zipline Adventures in Douglas offers tours where you are harnessed and clipped to a cable line that runs over streams, between the treetops. I took a city bus across the bridge to Douglas and saw zip line tour participants riding in a shuttle bus as I was walking on a trail that passed ruins of a goldmine and the waterfall where the gold mine had been. The bus driver had pointed out the Island Pub along the way, where I had a snack and refreshing beverage before returning on the bus to downtown Juneau.

The single most exciting adventure for me was the TEMSCO Helicopter and Dog Sledding tour. From liftoff to landing, it was gorgeous, flying above the massive Mendenhall Glacier to the dog sled camp. We were divided into small groups, instructed about sledding skills and got to ask questions of the young mushers, before we boarded the sleds, held on tight, and raced across the huge expanse of snow.

At brief rest stops, we were introduced and allowed to pet the dogs, and take plenty of pictures. Two sleds were roped together, so each of us had the opportunity to ride standing behind the rear sled for a thrilling time, bumping over icy snow, balancing on turns and braking to a stop. Riding in the seats of the sleds was the opportune time to take pictures of the mountain peaks surrounding us and the team of Alaskan Husky dogs barking joyously as they pulled us across the snow. Back at the camp, we saw puppies and could hold a warm, sweet, licking bundle of fur, before we regrouped and returned to our seats in the copter for more awesome views over the mountains, blue ice crevasses, the great serpentine river of ice, and evergreen forests as we returned to Juneau.

From the website description, I expected a lot from this tour and it delivered everything promised and was operated very efficiently. Like all air tours in Alaska, they only go when the weather conditions are good enough. My tour was canceled on the day which had been reserved months in advance, but I was able to telephone early in the morning three days later and reschedule.