Things to do in Juneau
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Hangar on the Wharf
A waterfront restaurant in Merchant's Wharf with tables perched right over a seaplane dock. The view of the channel and all the activity buzzing and floating around greatly improves whatever you ordered. Better than the food is the restaurant's large selection of imported beers and microbrews.
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Bullwinkle's
Okay, they have this strange fascination with a moose and his friend, Rocky the flying squirrel. But they're doing something right at Bullwinkle's - it's Juneau's oldest pizza parlor. No doubt it's the cheap pitchers of beer (around US$8 to $13.75).
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Perseverance Trail
Perseverance Trail off Basin Rd is Juneau's most popular city center trail and provides access to two other popular treks: Mt Juneau Trail and Granite Creek Trail. Together, this system of trails can be combined into a rugged 10-hour walk for hardy hikers, or an overnight excursion into the mountains surrounding Alaska's capital city.
To reach Perseverance Trail, take 6th St one block southwest to Gold St, which turns into Basin Rd, a dirt road that curves away from the city into the mountains as it follows Gold Creek. The trailhead is at the road's end, at the parking lot for Last Chance Mining Museum. The trail leads into Silverbow Basin, an old mining area that still h…
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Mt Roberts Trail
Mt Roberts Trail is a 4-mile climb up Mt Roberts that begins at a marked wooden staircase at the northeast end of 6th St. It starts with a series of switchbacks, then breaks out of the trees at Gastineau Peak and comes to the tram station. From here it's a half-mile to the Cross, where you'll have good views of Juneau, Douglas and the entire Gastineau Channel. The Mt Roberts summit (3819ft) is still a steep climb away through the alpine brush.
If you hike up, you can ride down the Mt Roberts Tramway to S Franklin St for only around US$5. And if you purchase around US$5 worth of food or drink at the visitors center on top, the ride down is free.
This trail near the internat…
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West Glacier Trail
West Glacier Trail is one of the most spectacular hikes in the Juneau area. The 3.4-mile trail begins off Montana Creek Rd past Mendenhall Lake Campground and hugs the mountainside along the glacier, providing exceptional views of the icefalls and other glacial features. It ends at a rocky outcropping, but a rough route continues from there to the summit of Mt McGinnis (4228ft), another 2 miles away.
Allow five hours for the West Glacier Trail, or plan on a long day if you want to tackle the difficult Mt McGinnis route.
The moderate West Glacier Trail begins off Montana Creek Rd and hugs the mountainside along the glacier. With incredible blue-ice views, it is one very spe…
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Oliver Inlet
On Admiralty Island's northeast coast is Oliver Inlet State Marine Park. A 0.8-mile portage tramway connects the inlet to scenic Seymour Canal, known for one of the world's greatest concentrations of nesting bald eagles and a large population of brown bears. Seals, sea lions and whales also spend the summer feeding in the canal. The paddle to Oliver Inlet is 18 miles and involves crossing Stephens Passage, a challenging open-water crossing (for experienced kayakers only).
At the south end of the portage tram from Oliver Inlet is the state's Seymour Canal Cabin, which rents for around US$25 a night and can be reserved through the DNR Public Information Center. To avoid the…
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St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church
Built in 1894 against the backdrop of Mt Juneau, the onion-domed church is a photographer's delight. Inside are Russian icons, original vestments and religious relics, while adjacent to the church is a small gift shop filled with books, matreshkas (nestling dolls) and other handcrafted items from Russia.
This church, named for a saint known as the protector of mariners, probably hears more camera clicks than any other building in Juneau. The octagon-shaped structure was built in 1894 and wins the prize for being the oldest Russian Orthodox Church in the southeastern region. There are exhibits of Russian icons within, as well as original vestments and religious relics. Tou…
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Marine Park
Between the cruise ships and Willoughby Ave, Marine Park is an open space where kids practice their skateboard tricks, state workers enjoy a snack lunch and tired tourists occasionally take a nap in the sun.
Free binoculars let you search Mt Juneau for mountain goats while on the dock is a sculpture of Patsy Ann, the late faithful Bull Terrier who became known as the 'Official Greeter of Juneau' for her tendency to rush down to the docks to meet arriving cruise ships.
A block inland from the waterfront is South Franklin St, a refurbished historical district where many buildings date from the early 1900s and have since been turned into bars, gift shops and restaurants.
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Waterfront Area
Between the cruise ships and Willoughby Ave, Marine Park is an open space where kids practice their skateboard tricks, state workers enjoy a sack lunch and tired tourists occasionally take a nap in the sun. Free binoculars let you search Mt Juneau for mountain goats while on the dock is a sculpture of Patsy Ann, the late faithful Fido who became known as the 'Official Greeter of Juneau' for her tendency to rush down to the docks to meet arriving cruise ships.
A block inland from the waterfront is S Franklin St, a refurbished historical district where many buildings date from the early 1900s and have since been turned into bars, gift shops and restaurants.
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NorthStar Trekking
The hottest tour in Juneau is a helicopter ride to the Juneau Ice Field for a 20-minute ride in the basket of a dogsled. These tours last less than two hours and are around US$400 a pop but when the weather is nice people - primarily cruise-ship passengers - are waiting to hand over their money. On the NorthStar Trekking tour you can skip the dogsled and strap on the crampons. NorthStar offers several glacier treks that first begin with a helicopter ride and includes all equipment and training.
On its four-hour glacier trek (around US$340), you cross two miles of frozen landscape riddled with crevasses and the hike is as stunning as it gets.
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Windfall Lake Trail
Montana Creek Trail and Windfall Lake Trail connect at Windfall Lake and can be combined for an interesting 11½-mile overnight hiking trip. It is easier to begin at the trailhead at Montana Creek and follow the Windfall Lake Trail out to the Glacier Hwy. The 3½-mile Windfall Lake Trail begins off a gravel spur that leaves the Glacier Hwy just before it crosses Herbert River, 27 miles northwest of Juneau.
The trail has been improved considerably in recent years and now features the newest USFS cabin in the Juneau area. Windfall Lake Cabin sleeps six and is open as a warming shelter during the day.
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Taku Glacier Lodge
Juneau has several salmon bakes. Though aimed primarily at tourists, they provide great food (hard to go wrong with fresh salmon) with an experience conveying the flavor of frontier Alaska. Taku Glacier Lodge is reached via a 15-minute floatplane flight up Taku Inlet, and allows you to combine flightseeing, glacier viewing and a salmon bake in one excursion.
The tour lasts three hours and is a little pricey for a salmon dinner, but a much better experience and cheaper than taking a helicopter to the ice field. Sign up at the lodge's booth on Juneau's waterfront, behind Merchant's Wharf.
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Temsco Helicopters
The hottest tour in Juneau is a helicopter ride to the Juneau Ice Field for a 20-minute ride in the basket of a dogsled. These tours last less than two hours and are around US$400 a pop but when the weather is nice people - primarily cruise-ship passengers - are waiting to hand over their money. Temsco Helicopters has a mushing and glacier flightseeing tour (around US$410) which lasts 1½ hours and lands at a dog camp on Denver Glacier.
The company also has a 55-minute Mendenhall Glacier tour (around US$200) that includes 25 minutes' walking around high up on the glacier.
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Alaska Travel Adventures
Offers a 1½-hour tour to Last Chance Mining Museum with gold panning in Gold Creek but you don't have to join a tour to pan, not even in Gold Creek. Recreational panning is easy and any hardware store in Juneau will sell you a gold pan for far less (black plastic ones are the cheapest and easiest to see the flecks of gold).
The best public creeks to pan are Bullion Creek in the Treadwell Mine area, Gold Creek up by the Last Chance Basin, Sheep Creek on Thane Rd, and Salmon, Nugget and Eagle Creeks off Egan Dr and Glacier Hwy north of downtown.
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Era Helicopters
The hottest tour in Juneau is a helicopter ride to the Juneau Ice Field for a 20-minute ride in the basket of a dogsled. These tours last less than two hours and are around US$400 a pop but when the weather is nice people - primarily cruise-ship passengers - are waiting to hand over their money. On the Era Helicopters tour you spend an hour on Middle Branch Glacier as part of its glacier dogsled adventure (around US$410).
For something more affordable, book its hourlong, four-glacier tour (around US$230) that includes a 20-minute glacier landing.
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Sheep Creek Trail
SE of Juneau along Thane Rd, is a scenic 3-mile walk into the valley south of Mt Roberts. The trailhead is 4 miles from Juneau, at a staircase on the gravel spur to a Snettisham Power Plant substation. The trail is fairly flat in the Valley, from where you scramble up forested hillsides to the alpine zone. Once above tree line, many hikers follow the power line to reach the ridge to Sheep Mountain (4238ft).
You can continue from Sheep Mountain over Mt Roberts, returning to Juneau along the Mt Roberts Trail. This is a 10- to 12-hour day hike.
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Alaska-Juneau Mine
What's in them thar hills? Many visitors passing through the Southeast are fascinated with gold-rush history. Two of the Juneau area's most successful historic mines were the Alaska-Juneau Mine, on the side of Mt Roberts, and the Treadwell Mine, across Gastineau Channel near Douglas. The Alaska-Juneau Mine closed in 1944 after producing more than around US$80 million in gold, then valued at around US$20 to around US$35 an ounce.
For more information about these mines and what you can see of them today, stop by the Juneau-Douglas City Museum.
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Amalga Trail
Amalga Trail, also known as the Eagle Glacier Trail, is a level route that winds 7½ miles to the lake formed by Eagle Glacier and the Eagle Glacier Cabin. Less than a mile from the glacier's face, the view from the cabin is well worth the effort of reserving it in advance. The trailhead is beyond the Glacier Hwy bridge, across Eagle River, 0.4 miles past the trailhead for the Herbert Glacier Trail.
Plan on a round-trip of seven to eight hours to reach the impressive Eagle Glacier and return to the trailhead, a round-trip of 15 miles.
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Treadwell Mine
Two of the Juneau area's most successful historic mines were the Alaska-Juneau Mine, on the side of Mt Roberts, and the Treadwell Mine, across Gastineau Channel near Douglas. The Treadwell Mine closed in 1922 after a 1917 cave-in caused the company's financial collapse. During its heyday at the turn of the 20th century, the Treadwell made Douglas the channel's major city, with a population of 15,000.
For more information about these mines and what you can see of them today, stop by the Juneau-Douglas City Museum.
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Blue Mussel Cabin
This is one of three rental cabins in Point Bridget State Park. Blue Mussel Cabin is a 3.4-mile walk, overlooks the shoreline and would make a great destination for kayakers. Make a reservation through the DNR Public Information Center (www.dnr.state.ak.us/parks/cabins).
The cabin is within 30 minutes' flying time from Juneau; air charters such as Alaska Seaplane Service and Wings of Alaska will cost around US$500 round-trip from Juneau, split among a planeload of up to five passengers.
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Camping Cove Cabin
This is one of three rental cabins in Point Bridget State Park. Camping Cove Cabin is a 4-mile trek, overlooks the shoreline and would make a great destination for kayakers. Make a reservation through the DNR Public Information Center (www.dnr.state.ak.us/parks/cabins).
The cabin is within 30 minutes' flying time from Juneau; air charters such as Alaska Seaplane Service and Wings of Alaska will cost around US$500 round-trip from Juneau, split among a planeload of up to five passengers.
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Berners Bay
At the western end of Glacier Hwy, 40 miles from Juneau, is Echo Cove, where kayakers put in for paddles in the protected waters of Berners Bay. The bay, which extends 12 miles north to the outlets of the Antler, Lace and Berners Rivers, is ideal for an overnight trip or longer excursions up Berners River. The delightful USFS Berners Bay Cabin (NRRS: 877-444-6777) is an 8-mile paddle from Echo Cove. Alaska Boat & Kayak charges around US$120 for kayak transportation out to Echo Cove.
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Princess Tours
Offers a 1½-hour tour to Mendenhall Glacier (around US$19) and a three-hour Mendenhall Glacier & Salmon Hatchery Tour (adult/child around US$37/around US$27). Another offering from Princess is its unique Historic Juneau Gold Mine Tour, which visits the remains of the Alaska Gastineau Mine and its mill (adult/child around US$59/around US$35). The three-hour tour heads underground via a conveyer tunnel to explore the mill ruins and ends with a little gold panning.
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West Turner Lake Cabin
West Turner Lake Cabin is one of the most scenic and is by far the Juneau area's most popular cabin. It's 18 miles east of Juneau on the west end of Turner Lake, where the fishing is good for trout, Dolly Varden and salmon. A skiff is provided.
The cabin is within 30 minutes' flying time from Juneau; air charters such as Alaska Seaplane Service and Wings of Alaska will cost around US$500 round-trip from Juneau, split among a planeload of up to five passengers.
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Alaska State Capitol
Next to the City Museum is the Alaska State Capitol. Built in 1929-31 as the territorial Federal Building, the capitol looks like an overgrown high school. Stuffed inside are legislative chambers, the governor's office, and offices for the hundreds of staff members who arrive in Juneau for the winter legislative session. Free 30-minute tours are held every half-hour and start from the visitor desk in the lobby; a self-guided tour pamphlet is also available.
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