A tour of town

Juneau is the only state capitol that has no road access. We are surrounded by ice fields, mountains and ocean. We are the largest capitol in terms of area at 3,255 square miles (larger than Rhode Island!), but in that area we only have around 28,000 people, most of which are in the Mendenhall Valley. Juneau has more restaurants per capita than any other place in the US! We see more visitors each year, 1.65 million of which arrived by cruiseship in 2023 (we have far fewer indepedent travelers arriving by plane or other boats). Behind Juneau are extremely steep 3800' mountains, making it picturesque. We are the only state capitol to border another country.

We have an astonishing diversity of wildlife, particularly as you get away from down - though even right downtown you can see mountain goats with a pair of binoculars. We have black bear and brown bear, five species of salmon, almost 300 species of bird (including an estimated 15,000 to 30,000 bald eagles), lots of marine mammals including humpback whale, orca, two kinds of porpoise, steller sea lion, harbor seal, otter and visitors like northern fur seal.

Behind the giant mountains is an expansive ice field feeding 218 glaciers, receivng 100 feet of snow each year and covering 1500 square miles! The ice is melting quite rapidly, reducing our density, making Southeast Alaska the fastest-rising land on earth. We once had the largest gold mine operation on earth.

Juneau has at least 60 hiking trails covering more than 250 miles.

When people say 'Juneau', they may be referring the entire city and borough of Juneau, but here in town they are often referring to downtown. We have more information about the various regions below.

Downtown

The city of Juneau is quite small, easily walkabout at a size of approximately half a mile by half a mile. The area contains about 5000 year-round residents, and is the site where cruise ships dock from April through October. It is the area that most of the 1.7 million visitors see. There are great restaurants and a variety of shopping downtown, and as well as access to some incredible hiking in the mountainous hinterlands.

The Valley

The majority of the population lives in the Mendenhall Valley. Only recently accessible as the glacier receded in the last hundred years, the valley is a suburb with tall and imposing mountains and quick access to Mendenhall Glacier (locally referred to as 'the' glacier, though we have many more glaciers around!) Much of our local restaurants and shopping are in this area..

Back Loop is the western and less-developed part, situated somewhat between the Valley and Auke Bay, and much of the hiking and outdoor activities, such as fishing, are accessible along it.

Auke Bay and Out-the-road

Because there's essentially just the one road, which we call Glacier Highway, as you get away from town you eventually end up 'out-the-road'. This pretty much starts past Auke Bay.

Auke Bay is a small area that is the site of some harbors you'll probably end up at to go on a boat - whether for whale watching, fishing or just sightseeing. There are some cute breweries, restaurants and a minimart.

As you head further out-the-road, Auke Rec and Lena are the first places you'll see. Auke Rec is a beach with many shelters, and a probably your best bet to see harbor porpoise, who are frequently seen in the waters just offshore year-round! Highly recommend you walk to Point Louisa if you're there. Lena is a peninsula with houses, and a cove that has easy beach access with shelters. Lena is one of our favorite beaches, and is a great place to watch the sunset around solstice as it faces right into the sun. It has an active salmon run starting mid-July.

Tee Harbor is the next region after the road turns from west to North. The launch is a common place to kayak or just hangout at the beach with a fishing pole, hoping for that trophy king salmon. On the north side of Tee Harbor is the Tongass Treehouse, along the breadline - so-named because it contained salmon year-round.

Keep going out the road, and you'll come upon the Shrine of St. Therese. This is just three minutes beyond the treehouse, and a must-stop. A jetty to an island provides an incredible view, and marmot and weasels are commonly seen in the rocks on your way there. The 30-foot tidal swings create many tide pools, and bear are frequently seen eating salmon in the stream. This is a favorite freedive spot of ours due to the abundant marine life, such as giant pacific octopus. Scuba divers also frequent here, and it has been recognized as one of the top 10 dive destinations on earth!

Amalga Harbor is the next easy beach access along the road system, just a few minutes north of the shrine. The boat launch is a place you can rent kayaks (highly recommended!) and you can walk around the rocky beach. If you take the trail, you'll end up at the salt chuck and weir, a common bear-watching spot, and a good place to have a picnic.

Continuing further out the road, you'll pass quite a few hiking trails that provide access to glaciers, and end up at Eagle Beach - the result of millions of years of glaciers grinding the rocky mountains and their melt carrying the silt to the ocean. At low tide the beach can extend out for a mile or more, and lots of clams and young flatfish can be seen in the tidepools, along with lots of bird life. It's a picturestque spot, as there are lots of wildflowers like lupine and fireweed overlooking the Chilkat Mountains.

There is plenty of road beyond Eagle Beach, with lots of trails (some marked, some hidden) until you reach Sunshine Cove, another must-visit. Beyond sunshine cove, more hiking trails abound, including lots of good fishing along Kowee Creek (bring bear spray, brown bear are known to forage along this stretch of the creek) and eventually Berner's Bay, where you can see the impressive Lion's Head mountains.

Douglas and nearby areas

Douglas, or "West Juneau" as it's sometimes called, is the developed part of Douglas Island. It's accessible by bridge from downtown, and has a similar road system - starting in the south at sandy beach, and extending around to North Douglas. There is a ski resort that doubles as a popular hiking destination in summer. One of our favorite hikes is Mount Jumbo, the top of Douglas Island, providing a view of most of the east side of Admiralty Island, all of downtown, much of the valley and ice fields, and Lynn Canal to the north.

Beyond Douglas, some areas are considered 'Juneau' despite only being accessible by sea or air. The Taku Inlet contains vast wilderness and glaciers, and is worth a fly-over. A bit beyond the Taku Inlet are local fishing grounds like Sweeetheart Creek, or the Tracy Arm Fjord (one of the 'touristy' things we highly recommend!).

Southeast Alaska

Alaska is massive - it could split in two and still be bigger than Texas. Southeast Alaska is 400 miles long and about a hundred miles wide, with countless islands in the Alexander Archipelago - and this part only represents 4% of the state, despite that you could spend lifetimes exploring it and still not see it all.

Sitka and Ketchikan are the other big cities (by Alaska standards), each containing more than 8000 residents. Petersburg is the next biggest town, at around 2000 year-round residents. All three cities have large airports that can accomodate Alaska Airlines planes. Closer to Juneau, Haines is a popular destination, as is Skagway, as they offer access to the road systems. Haines can take you to south central Alaska, and Skagway is a common route to the AlCan (Alaska-Canada highway) or Cassiar highway through the Canadian rockies, where most eventually end up in Seattle. In winter, Haines has a late salmon run which attracts astonishing numbers of bald eagles.

There are many villages around the islands, such as Angoon, Tenakee, Gustavus, and Pelican. Most of these are accessible via float plane or the marine highway, but you need to plan ahead to visit them.

Right next to Juneau is Admiralty Island - the densest brown bear population on earth, supported by the abundant salmon. Most Juneauites have never been to Admiralty, but some of our more adventurous guests have booked charter flights to the fortress of brown bear to see them up close! Admiralty is quite large, in fact it's bigger than Long Island in New York!

Baranof and Chichagof islands are just west of Admiralty, full of canals and

Alaska Natives

Southeast Alaska has been inhabited for thousands of years by the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian peoples.

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