Things to Do in Juneau: Tours, Tickets & Boat Trips

Ranked by traveller reviews: 1) whale watching in Auke Bay and Stephens Passage, 2) Mendenhall Glacier and the walk to Nugget Falls, 3) the whale-watching and Mendenhall Glacier combination tour, 4) a helicopter flight with a guided walk on the Juneau Icefield, 5) the Mount Roberts Tramway, 6) the whale and lighthouse combo cruise, 7) a Segway or e-bike rainforest tour, 8) the underground gold-mine tour and gold panning, 9) the Musher’s Camp sled-dog experience and 10) the Tracy Arm fjord and glacier cruise.

Plan two to three days. Day one: whale watching from Auke Bay in the morning (the 3.5-hour trips see humpbacks almost every time from May to September), Mendenhall Glacier, Nugget Falls and the Steep Creek bear-viewing platform in the afternoon, and the Gold Creek salmon bake in the evening. Day two: a helicopter glacier landing or dog-sledding on the icefield if the weather allows; otherwise the Mount Roberts Tramway, the Alaska State Museum and the gold-mine tour. Day three: the all-day Tracy Arm–Fords Terror cruise past Sawyer Glacier’s icebergs.

The Mount Roberts Trail (four miles round trip to the tram station and alpine meadows), the Perseverance Trail and Ebner Falls, the salmon run in Gold Creek and at the Macaulay hatchery viewing windows, the Shrine of St. Therese, the State Capitol and Governor’s Mansion exterior, Sealaska Heritage’s totems and murals, the Wickersham House grounds, Sandy Beach and the Treadwell mine ruins on Douglas Island, eagle-spotting at Eagle Beach and Auke Bay’s Point Louisa. Mendenhall’s trails need a $5 day pass at the visitor centre.

Juneau has no roads out, so day trips go by water and air: Tracy Arm Fjord and Sawyer Glacier by catamaran (a full day; about $329), Taku Glacier Lodge by floatplane with a salmon feast, the five-glacier seaplane exploration ($368), a helicopter landing on the Juneau Icefield or Mendenhall Glacier ($484 with a guided walk), bear viewing at Pack Creek on Admiralty Island (permit required, July–August) and a flight over Glacier Bay. Mendenhall Glacier itself is 20 minutes from downtown.

In summer it stays light until 10pm or later, so hike Mount Roberts after dinner, sit on the deck at the Gold Creek salmon bake, or drink at the Red Dog Saloon with its sawdust floor and the Alaskan Brewing Company’s tasting room. Devil’s Club Brewing and the Crystal Saloon have live music, the Gold Town Nickelodeon shows films, and the Juneau brewery and sightseeing tour combines craft beer with the viewpoints. From September the northern lights appear on clear nights away from the harbour glow.

Juneau is quiet from October to April — the cruise ships and most tours stop, but Eaglecrest ski area on Douglas Island opens, the northern lights appear on clear nights, bald eagles gather along the Chilkat, and Mendenhall Glacier can be viewed from the frozen lakeside trails (its ice caves are unstable and not recommended). The Alaska State Museum, the Sealaska Heritage Center and the Red Dog Saloon stay open; the Mount Roberts Tramway closes for the season.

Whale watching (children spot the blows first), the easy paved Nugget Falls trail at Mendenhall Glacier, the Mount Roberts Tramway and its nature centre, the Musher’s Camp sled-dog camp with puppies, gold panning at the mine tour, the Macaulay Salmon Hatchery, Glacier Gardens’ upside-down trees, the Alaska State Museum’s eagle tree and the salmon bake with marshmallows over the fire. A helicopter glacier landing is unforgettable for older children.

May to September — the only months most tours run. June to August is best for whales, salmon and long daylight; May and September are quieter and often drier, with bears at Steep Creek in late July and August. Juneau is a rainforest city: expect rain at any time and pack layers. October to April is the off-season with limited tours.

Yes — Juneau’s summer humpback population is so reliable that operators guarantee sightings, and the wildlife whale-watching tour is the most-reviewed experience in Alaska, often adding orcas, sea lions and eagles. Book a morning departure for calmer water, choose a smaller boat for closer views, and combine it with Mendenhall Glacier if you are in port for only a day.