Juneau Alaska shore excursion ideas

Sharon and I recently spent 2 days in Juneau prior to embarking on an Un-Cruise Adventures small-ship adventure.  We were fortunate to have great weather and we found some activities that would make excellent shore excursions for someone visiting Juneau on a conventional cruise ship.

Mendenhall Glacier: the glacier is easily visited by taking a shuttle bus from the cruise terminal.  There are two buses that seem to be on a similar schedule.  We took the 'blue bus' that leaves every half hour on the hour and half hour with a round-trip fare of $16 (cash only if purchased from the driver).  The ride to the park takes just under 30 minutes and our driver provided a commentary on the outbound direction.  By visiting the glacier independently you can spend as little or as much time as you like (within the limits of the ship's departure time and the bus's last return time). 

The park has two walking trails that can be accomplished by anyone and several hiking trails that require a reasonable degree of fitness.  The bus drops you off in a parking area that is close to the Steep Creek Salmon Viewing Trail.  This is a half-mile well maintained boardwalk trail that offers the chance to see salmon and black bear in the summer season.  We were too early in the season for this wildlife but we did manage to see a porcupine in the bush.  Another short trail, the Photo Point Trail, is about 0.3 miles and sets out from near the visitor center and provides great views of the glacier..


Mendenhall Glacier from Photo Point Trail

We also did one of the more adventurous hikes, the East Glacier Loop Trail.  This trail can be accomplished by someone with a moderate level of fitness and provides great views of the glacier and waterfalls.  It can be done as a 2-3 hour loop or as an 'out-and-back' (our approach).  The trail passes through a beautiful wooded area with lots of ferns and huge rocks along the path.  

along East Glacier Trail

 

Mendenhall Glacier from East Glacier Trail

We heard good things about the displays at the Visitor Center (small entry charge) but we didn't have enough time to visit it.

Mt. Roberts Tram:  If the weather is clear the tram is a fun excursion.  There is no reason to book this as a ship excursion as the tram station is right at the cruise port.  The $31 fare includes unlimited rides for the day.  We rode up and enjoyed the cultural presentation before heading out to explore some of the trails departing from the upper tram station.  A recent heavy snowfall prevented us from exploring too far but we had a great time at the top.   It is also possible to hike up to the top but the visitor center advised that recent heavy rains had made the trail up very muddy. 


panoramic view from the upper tram station

 

Tracy's King Crab Shack:  skip lunch on the ship and find Tracy's near the north end of the cruise port.  Good king crab is not cheap, even in Alaska, and Tracy's is a bit pricy.  But the crab is great and the $34 combo includes 10-12 oz. of crab, four small crabcakes and a cup of crab bisque.  This was enough for a light dinner for the two of us and could be augmented with a few additional items for a larger meal.  http://www.kingcrabshack.com/

Crab Combo at Tracy's

In conclusion we had a great time in Juneau.  It is a very walkable city.  The weather was so good that we didn't make it to the state museum but I'm sure that we will be back.