Juneau isn’t a big city but it is packed full of activities. With a day trip you can visit a glacier, explore the rainforest and learn about Alaska’s history.
Kayak around iceberg studded Mendenhall Lake with this 6.5-hour tour that includes an expert guide. Then head to the rainforest and enjoy a creative attraction with tree art and flower towers.
Mendenhall Glacier
If you are going to visit Juneau Alaska you must see the Mendenhall Glacier, it is one of the most popular attractions in Juneau. This mighty glacier is the largest in the Juneau Icefield and has a half-mile-wide face that’s often framed by blue skies. Visitors can enjoy a variety of activities at the glacier park, including boating on the lake, walking on the ice and taking a helicopter flight that overlooks the spectacular ice field.
The Mendenhall Glacier is a dynamic, constantly changing natural wonder and one of the best places to witness it. It is part of the Juneau Icefield which covers 1,500 square miles and contains 38 glaciers, or rivers of ice. Glaciers can be hundreds of years old and still flow and move down the mountainside at a slow pace, but they are also receding rapidly due to climate change. Regardless of the current state, visiting a glacier is a truly memorable experience.
Take in the views from the Mendenhall Glacier visitor center, which features a large viewing area and a short film about the glacier’s history and geology. From there, venture out on a narrated van ride that carries you deep into Tongass National Forest to the west side of Mendenhall Lake. There, after suiting up in provided gear and equipment, paddle a traditional-style canoe across the lake. View the magnificent Nugget Falls and the icy shoreline of the Mendenhall Glacier as you take in the serenity of the Alaska wilderness.
Gold prospecting is what made Juneau famous in the 1880s, and now you can take a step back in time at a historic mining camp. Set in the lush rainforest, Gold Creek allows visitors to try their hand at panning for gold while enjoying a salmon bake that’s likely similar to what was served to the original gold miners.
Glacier Gardens Rainforest Adventure
Tucked into the midst of Tongass National Forest, Glacier Gardens Rainforest Adventure offers adventurists a colorful Alaskan botanical garden experience. Vibrant hanging gardens spill from 15-foot upside-down tree Flower Tower planters (Sitka spruce and Western hemlock trees that are inverted, stuck into the ground trunk first, then planted with flowers that bloom in colorful cascades) and elegantly designed landscapes. It’s an enchanting and unique garden recognized by a 2012 Reader’s Digest poll as the Most Interesting Landmark in America!
As you ride through 50 acres of temperate rainforest on a guided tour in an accessible vehicle, you’ll learn more about the fascinating and complex ecosystem of Alaska’s lush temperate forests. Your expert guide will point out the region’s wild creatures, native plants and flora like rhododendrons, Japanese maples and ferns. At the end of your hour-long ride you’ll walk to a scenic overlook on Thunder Mountain where you can see Juneau downtown, Gastineau Channel, Douglas Island and Mendenhall Valley, Auke Bay and across Stephens Passage to Admiralty Island and the Chilkat Mountains.
Steve Bowhay and his family developed the garden, which opened in 1998, to share their passion for flowering trees. They grow the garden’s flowers in their greenhouses and supplement them with full-grown annuals that are planted each spring. It’s easy to see why the Garden is a popular Juneau attraction!
Your admission ticket to Glacier Gardens Rainforest Adventure includes entrance to the Visitor’s Center atrium adorned with mesmerizing hanging gardens and stunning floral displays. You’ll also enjoy access to the lower botanical garden and its gift shop and cafe. If you’re staying at one of our Frontier Suites hotels, a taxi ride or Capital City Transit bus trip to the garden is an excellent way to make the most of your time in Juneau. Use Moovit’s all-in-one public transportation app to get directions from your hotel and to Glacier Gardens Rainforest Adventure.
Juneau Waterfront
Juneau offers plenty of outdoor Juneau adventures to those with an adventurous spirit, from the city’s beaches and trails to its glaciers and mountains. Embark on a tour that will teach you how to pan for gold like the prospectors did during the city’s Gold Rush days. While the chances of finding a large nugget are slim, the experience is still a fun and unique activity that’s a great way to get outside and enjoy Juneau’s natural beauty.
Explore the rocky shores and tide pools of Juneau’s many beautiful beaches. Popular activities include swimming, sunning, beachcombing and picnicking. There are also numerous cabins on Juneau’s many trails for those who want to enjoy the solitude of nature. You can find a variety of guided and self-guided hikes from the city’s trail network that is open year round.
The Alaska State Museum is a comprehensive facility that highlights the history of Alaska with exhibits on mining, fishing, forestry and tourism. It features interactive ship replicas and a film that explains the geological evolution of the state. The museum is also home to a collection of art and artifacts from the Russian tsars.
Take a ride up Mount Robert’s Tramway to see downtown Juneau from the top of one of the city’s surrounding mountains. At the top, you can enjoy a restaurant and some souvenir shopping and explore the forest on trails above and below the tree line.
Take a stroll around the streets of Downtown Juneau and learn about the city’s past from the sites and buildings that make up the historic district. Visit one of the local visitors centers to pick up a Downtown Walking Tour map and be your own guide.
Tracy Arm Ford
While Juneau’s Mendenhall Glacier steals the spotlight, the 27-mile-long Tracy Arm Fjord is one of Alaska’s best-kept secrets. This narrow inlet boasts icebergs and glaciers, towering rock walls, and abundant wildlife, from harbor seals to black bears.
The twin Sawyer Glaciers loom over the fjord’s blue waters. Their vibrant hue comes from the fact that the ice is dense and absorbs all colors but blue, leaving stunning, crystalline ice sculptures in their wake. The glaciers often put on calving shows, as chunks of ice break off the terminus and crash into the water below with a thunderous roar.
You’ll see the cliffs and mountains of the fjord from your cruise ship, but to get up close to the glaciers, you’ll need to take a shore excursion or book a private tour like this one offered by Allen Marine Tours. Your guide will scout for the best spots to see this magnificent wilderness and bring you as close to the glaciers as possible. Expect to spend more than an hour exploring the fjord, as you cruise past icebergs, watch harbor seals bask on rocks, and admire waterfalls cascading down sheer cliffs.
The fjord also offers the opportunity to spot local wildlife, including humpback whales, orcas, and brown bears. You can also expect to see mountain goats grazing on the rocky slopes and bald eagles soaring above. The fjord is home to several species of bird, too, including arctic terns and pigeon guillemots.
Celebration
A visit to Juneau puts you in close proximity to one of the nation’s most beautiful national parks, Glacier Bay. You can either book a day trip to see the highlights including the visitor’s center and a cruise into the fjord or stay at a lodge within the park and do a longer hiking and wildlife watching expedition. Either way, the scenery is jaw-dropping.
Every other June, downtown Juneau fills with Alaska Native people of all ages dressed in their signature regalia. They are celebrating at Celebration, Sealaska Heritage Institute’s biennial celebration of Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian culture. The four-day event includes dance performances, canoe welcome, parade, arts and food. It is one of the largest gatherings of Alaska Native peoples in the state, and according to a 2012 study, it brings in more than $2 million each year to the local economy.
In addition to attending the in-person event, you can also experience Celebration virtually this June. The institute is posting video of the dance performances and other content from the in-person Celebration that took place in 2018. The virtual Celebration is free to view, but the institute encourages participants to make sure they are vaccinated against COVID-19 before
attending the live in-person Celebration next June 2024.
Another fun way to get a taste of the culture is to book a tour that takes you to Juneau’s historic waterfront where they still pan for gold. During the summer, you can still find some small flecks of gold as you walk along the rocky shores like the prospectors did during the 1898 Gold Rush. The tours will even dress you up in suspenders and a hat to complete the authentic experience.