The water works just as hard. Humpback whales feed the length of Stephens Passage and Auke Bay — summer whale watching here is close to a guarantee — the Macaulay Salmon Hatchery walks visitors through the run, and bald eagles crowd the channel like gulls. Downtown, the Mount Roberts Tramway climbs from the cruise docks to the alpine, Perseverance Trail follows the old mining road up Gold Creek, the Red Dog Saloon pours under sawdust and swinging doors, and Eaglecrest — the city's own ski area on Douglas Island — turns the capital into a ski town every winter.
Juneau today is a capital of about thirty-two thousand that hosts well over a million cruise visitors a summer, a government town and a Tlingit cultural center at once — every two years, Celebration fills the streets with Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian dance in one of the largest Native gatherings in Alaska. The borough sprawls over three thousand square miles of ice, forest, and channel; the town itself is a few steep blocks you can walk in an afternoon.
Why People Visit Juneau Alaska
- Walk to the ice at Mendenhall Glacier — visitor center, Nugget Falls trail, and berg-dotted Mendenhall Lake, with guided treks and the ever-shifting ice caves for the ambitious.
- Ride the Mount Roberts Tramway from the cruise docks to the alpine, then hike higher.
- Cruise Tracy Arm Fjord's tidewater glaciers, or go whale watching on Stephens Passage and Auke Bay — summer humpbacks are close to a guarantee.
- Tour the Alaska State Capitol, pass the 1912 Governor's Mansion, and visit the Alaska State Museum and the 1894 St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church.
- Hike Perseverance Trail up Gold Creek past the mining ruins, or cross to Douglas Island for the Treadwell remains and Eaglecrest.
- See the salmon run at Macaulay Salmon Hatchery, find quiet at the Shrine of St. Thérèse, and end at the Red Dog Saloon.
- Fly the Juneau Icefield — flightseeing over 1,500 square miles of ice.
