North of town, the ice does the advertising. Mendenhall Glacier flows thirteen miles down from the 1,500-square-mile Juneau Icefield to a lake dotted with bergs, with Nugget Falls thundering beside it — close enough to walk to from a visitor center that was, in 1962, the first the U.S. Forest Service ever built. The glacier is retreating, and the blue ice caves that form and collapse along its edge have become their own pilgrimage. South of town, Tracy Arm's fjord walls and tidewater glaciers make the day-boat run; overhead, flightseeing planes trace the icefield itself.
Government arrived while the stamps were still falling. In 1906 the capital of the District of Alaska moved from Sitka — the old Russian capital — to booming Juneau; the Governor's Mansion rose in 1912, the first territorial legislature met here in 1913, and the marble-columned Capitol opened in 1931. When statehood came on January 3, 1959, Juneau became a state capital — still without a road to anywhere, a distinction it keeps on purpose and by geography alike.
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.
