Thread: Juneau AK

Juneau ... what will you be doing in Juneau? We docked within blocks of the town.

Bunti has been so kind as to meet us at the pier and give us a private tour of her town. Space of course is limited so it's first come first served.

Reggie

Reggie ... How nice of her to do this. I'm sure there will be interest within the group.

MAPS:

Downtown Juneau
http://www.frommers.com/images/desti...ttractions.jpg

Beyond Downtown Juneau
http://www.frommers.com/images/desti...ttractions.jpg

You can also do a walking tour of Juneau:
Juneau : Walking Tours | Frommers.com

The best thing we did last year in Juneau was to go on the Adventure Bound boat up the Tracy Arm all the way to both Sawyer Glaciers, North & South. This is a 9 hr trip though but it was so worth it. It was absolutely fantastic and we would definitely do it again. Here's their site:

Tracy Arm Glacier Cruise, Adventure Bound Alaska

WOW .. Glenda, it does look amazing. Thanks for the link.

Originally Posted by MilliesMom

WOW .. Glenda, it does look amazing. Thanks for the link.

You are very welcome!

Mendehall Glacier:

Frommer's Review

At the head of Mendenhall Valley, the Mendenhall Glacier glows bluish white, looming above the suburbs like an ice-age monster that missed the general extinction. Besides being a truly impressive sight, Mendenhall is the most easily accessible glacier in Alaska and the state's third-most visited attraction. The parking and an adjacent shelter have a great view across the lake to the glacier's face, and a wheelchair-accessible trail leads close to the water's edge. The land near the parking lot shows signs of the glacier's recent passage, with little topsoil, stunted vegetation, and, in many places, bare rock that shows the scratch marks of the glacier's movement. Atop a bedrock hill, reached by stairs, a ramp, or an elevator, the Forest Service visitor center contains a glacier museum with excellent explanatory models, computerized displays, spotting scopes, and ranger talks. Admission is $3 for adults, free for children under 16. In late summer, you can watch red and silver salmon spawning in Steep Creek, just short of the visitor center on the road.
There are several trails at the glacier, ranging from a half-mile nature trail loop to two fairly steep, 3.5-mile hikes approaching each side of the glacier. At the visitor center and a booth near the parking lot the Forest Service distributes a brochure which includes a trail map. The East Glacier Loop Trail is a beautiful day hike leading through the forest to a view of a waterfall near the glacier's face and to parts of an abandoned rail tram and an abandoned dam on Nugget Creek; the trail has steep parts but is doable for school-age children. You can park at the visitor center and start from there. The West Glacier Trail is more challenging, leaving from 300 yards beyond the Skater's Cabin and following the edge of the lake and glacier, providing access to the ice itself for experienced climbers with the right equipment. You will need wheels to get to the trail head. Take the Mendenhall Loop Road to Montana Creek Road, turn right, and then turn right again on Skater's Cabin Road.
The Skater's Cabin is also the starting point for a groomed cross-country-ski loop on Mendenhall Lake in front of the glacier. Don't go beyond the orange safety markers near the glacier's face. Other trails weave through the pothole lakes across from the glacier


Mendenhall Glacier | Museum/Attraction Review | Juneau | Frommers.com

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Tongass Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center
Mendenhall GlacierVisitor's Center

From May through September, you'll pay a $3 admission fee to go into the visitor center to view the exhibits and see audio visual presentations. Funds collected here stay here to help pay for additional staffing, extended hours, and utilities. Activities outside the center building itself are free of charge, and visitors may use the restrooms and visit the bookstore without paying the fee.
Picture yourself a short drive away from the state capital, trees at your back, and in front of you, across an iceberg-dotted lake, an enormous ice field flowing down the valley in a glacier that ends at lake's edge. Welcome to the Mendenhall Glacier, 13 miles from downtown Juneau, Alaska. If you've taken the paved trail to a glacier overlook, you can glance to your right and see the visitor center, set in a cliff above the valley floor. The huge windows that make up the curving wall of the center offer an uninterrupted view of the glacier.

We invite you to Alaska to see Mendenhall Glacier, the visitor center and the rest of the exhibits. And we won't be disappointed if you are more impressed with the glacier than with the exhibits. That is as it should be.

LOTS more information on the link above with photos too.

Zip-Line Tours
A zip line is a cable strung between two high points from which a passenger hangs on a wheeled runner, zipping from one end to the other. Once thought the province of Special Forces training and the like, riding a zip line (with a safety harness) is now considered a cruise activity and is billed as a way of seeing the rainforest. I'm aware of four tours, in Ketchikan, Juneau, and at the Icy Strait cruise-ship stop, but only one, on Juneau's Douglas Island, caters to independent travelers: Alaska Zipline Adventures (tel. 907/790-2547; Alaska Zipline Adventures) with a tour of seven rides near the Eaglecrest Ski Area. The 3 1/2-hour tour costs $115 for adults, $95 for children 12 and under, including a snack and transfer to the site. Clients must be fit, not pregnant, and between 70 and 250 pounds.

Juneau : Active Pursuits | Frommers.com

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Alaska Zipline Adventures

A zip line tour (or as some call it “canopy tour”) is a unique adventure tour that involves being clipped into gear (consisting of a harness, lanyards, carabiners, and zip pulleys on heavy duty steel cables) and gliding from one tree-based platform to the next.

We are located at the Juneau Ski Area in the Tongass National Forest. Free round-trip transportation is provided.

This tour is locally owned and operated by a local Juneau family, and is designed for people between 70-250 lbs & ages 10 and above.

Mount Roberts Tram

Frommer's Review
The tram takes only 6 minutes to whisk passengers from tourist-clogged Franklin Street to the clear air and overwhelming views at the tree line (at 1,760 ft.), a destination that used to require a day of huffing and puffing to witness. The tram can be crowded; it's once you're up there that the beauty hits you. The Alaska Native owners seem to understand that, and they have done a good job of building a network of paths that take advantage of the views as you pass through a fascinating alpine ecosystem; the owners have even carved clan crests into the living trunks of some of the trees. If you're energetic, you can start a 6-mile round-trip hike to Mount Roberts's summit (at 3,819 ft.), or you can hike the 2.5 miles back to downtown. There's an auditorium at the top tram station showing a film on Tlingit culture, a shop where Native artisans are often at work, and a bald eagle enclosure. The bar and grill serves lunch and dinner. I would choose something else to do on a day when fog or low overcast obscures the view, especially considering the price; however, I am told it is sometimes sunny up top while rainy down on Franklin Street -- it can't hurt to ask.
Mount Roberts Tramway | Museum/Attraction Review | Juneau | Frommers.com

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Mount Roberts Tramway



This unforgettable adventure begins at the cruise ship dock in downtown Juneau where you board a tramcar adorned in colorful Tlingit artwork that provides an exhilarating ride through the Southeast Alaska rainforest to the 1800 foot level of Mount Roberts. Experience one of the most expansive and beautiful views offered in all Alaska, from the Chilkat Mountains to the north, down the Gastineau Channel to the lands and waterways of the south, west to Douglas Island, and east into Silver Bow Basin where gold was discovered near the head of Gold Creek in 1880.

Once at the top, enjoy the amenities of our multi-million dollar mountain complex. The Mountain House (Shaa Hit) is nestled among towering Sitka Spruce trees on the edge of the grasses and wildflowers of the sub-alpine. The complex houses the Chilkat Theater, Raven Eagle Gifts, the Timberline Bar & Grill (with optional outside dining) and offers access to The Nature Center, an eagle exhibit and the extensive Mount Roberts improved trail system. Visitors are introduced to the Tlingit culture through the award winning film Seeing Daylight, shown every half hour in the Chilkat Theater. There are also frequent theater performances by a local Tlingit actor sharing the story of his clan's origin. Native artists are often featured in the complex working on wood, fossilized ivory or silver carvings, making dolls, sewing garments, beading or creating large totem poles out of cedar logs.

Ticket Prices*
Adult: $27.00
Child 6-12: $13.50
Child 5 & Under: FREE
*Prices include local tax.

Tickets allow all day unlimited rides and include viewing of Seeing Daylight and the Juneau Raptor Center's live Bald Eagle exhibit. Allow a minimum of one hour for a complete tramway experience.

Season: May through September
Monday – Friday 8:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Saturday & Sunday 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM

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We've been on the Tram and yes, it is as steep as it looks. Very smooth ride, I was amazed. Wheelchairs and scooters can easily access the tram and the main building up on top (shops, restaurant, viewing area) but not the dirt paths and other outlooks.