Jutting out of the massive Juneau Icefield, the Mendenhall Glacier is one of the city’s biggest attractions. But this quick stroll into Alaska’s gold-fever-influ­enced past offers a fun his­to­ry les­son, as well as a pleas­ant­ly short turn at pan­ning in that icy water your­self — with a guar­an­tee that you’ll score a lit­tle gold to take home. Two lefts past the Alas­ka Marine High­way Juneau Ter­mi­nus is the road to Auke Bay Recre­ation­al Area. There’s plenty to see and do right off the boat in the state capital, but the port also serves as a jumping-off point for excursions … Go with Wings Air­ways and you’ll take off from Juneau in a 10-pas­sen­ger DeHav­il­land Otter float­plane and get a lush view of the city as well as the sur­round­ing moun­tains and ice fields. The shuttle costs about $45 per person. What are the top attractions to visit in Juneau? Enjoy fresh unfiltered ales and delicious pub fare. 1 review.  ...more. Learn about the flora of Alaska’s lush Tongass National Forest on the fascinating Glacier Gardens Rainforest Adventure, located just a mile from the airport. (And there’s extreme avalanche dan­ger in win­ter.) Check out the wildlife view­ing plat­forms and fol­low the self-guid­ed trail marked by Native totemic carv­ings for access to upper alpine hiking Not to be missed: uniquely designed flower “towers”: showy and colorful displays cascade down 15-foot-tall upside-down trees. A side trail from Per­se­ver­ance that breaks off 2 miles into the hike, this trail is gen­er­al­ly mud­dy because…, A side trail from Per­se­ver­ance that breaks off 2 miles into the hike, this trail is gen­er­al­ly mud­dy because of the beau­ti­ful water­falls and snow that resides on the moun­tains until ear­ly sum­mer. The oth­er trail leads to the reservoir. Hop on a TEM­SCO heli­copter for an Alaskan adven­ture com­bin­ing avi­a­tion, sled dogs and mas­sive glac­i­ers. Wind­ing through old-growth for­est, this trail is main­tained for hik­ing year-round and cross-coun­try ski­ing when there is enough snow. The trail begins in the for­est, ris­es abrupt­ly, then drops into Sheep Creek Val­ley. Juneau Guid­ed Tours will not be oper­at­ing in 2020. Glide along the ice­berg-stud­ded lake and scope out the glac­i­er, get­ting up-close views of hang­ing glac­i­ers and tow­er­ing peaks. Take time to enjoy the upper canopy of the Ton­gass Nation­al For­est on a zipline tour that offers the excite­ment of fly­ing through old-growth for­est, walk­ing across a sky-bridge, and a tea break to soak up the moment. This trail was built to pro­vide access to the John Muir Cab­in. It pass­es through incred­i­ble chasms to above the tim­ber­line. It…. Alaska’s capital may look small during your arrival (Juneau is only accessible by taking a flight or boat), but there are so many things to do in Juneau, Alaksa that … Just a short drive from downtown is one of the state’s most visited sites: Mendenhall Glacier sitting within the Tongass National Forest, the largest in the U.S. A tongue of ice stretches 12 miles from the Juneau Icefield to Mendenhall Lake. It’s easy to do — just go with North­Star Trekking on their Juneau Glac­i­er Dog Sled Adven­ture. Visitors can enjoy gourmet coffee, some of the freshest seafood in the country, and local craft beer followed by a free pipe organ concert or historic walking tour. This allowed for easy min­ing of the ore and then the hole could be blast­ed a lay­er deep­er. The trail then switch­backs up. Top things to do in Juneau, Alaska. Glide across 7 zips on this course locat­ed in the Eagle­crest Ski Area on Dou­glas Island and fin­ish up your tour with some axe throw­ing. On this whale tour you’ll not only watch orcas and hump­backs breach and spout, but you’ll also lis­ten in…, Plen­ty of whale tours let you watch the orcas and hump­backs as they breach and spout from the water — but not many also let you eaves­drop on the big mam­mals’ con­ver­sa­tions. You’ll gain ele­va­tion as you hike the edge of the Menden­hall Glac­i­er down on your left. ...more, Just before Echo Cove is Brid­get Point State Park, where you’ll find this well-main­tained trail. Eagle­crest is one of the few com­mu­ni­ty-owned ski areas in the US — and the only one that can boast of being on an island, which gives it the unique perk of hav­ing ski slopes with ocean views. Boutique, small ship adventure cruises in Alaska's Inside Passage, Cruises depart from Whittier, a 1 hr drive from Anchorage. The mine pro­duced mil­lions of dol­lars in gold dur­ing its oper­a­tional life. The first part of the trail fol­lows an old tram­line where there are many berries. Please check your email to verify your subscription. Vibrant hang­ing gar­dens spill from 15-foot-tall upside down tree ​“Flower Tow­ers” and ele­gant­ly designed land­scapes com­pli­ment the nat­ur­al beau­ty of the rain­for­est. You’ll travel in a small group of five, which ensures an uncrowded bear viewing experience. This 3000-year-old glacier is found 12 miles east of downtown Juneau. The most popular things to do in Juneau with kids according to Tripadvisor travellers are: Hotels near (EXI) Excursion Inlet Seaplane Base Airport, Hotels near University of Alaska Southeast, Zipline & Aerial Adventure Parks in Juneau, Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center: Tickets & Tours‎, Goldbelt Mount Roberts Tramway: Tickets & Tours‎, Glacier Gardens Rainforest Adventure: Tickets & Tours‎, DIPAC's Macaulay Salmon Hatchery: Tickets & Tours‎, Alaskan Brewery and Bottling Company: Tickets & Tours‎, Juneau-Douglas City Museum: Tickets & Tours‎, Last Chance Mining Museum: Tickets & Tours‎, Alaska Governor’s Mansion: Tickets & Tours‎, Things to do near Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center, Things to do near Harv and Marvs Outback Alaska, Things to do near Juneau Intl Airport (JNU), See all attractions in Juneau on Tripadvisor, See all outdoor activities in Juneau on Tripadvisor, Juneau Shore Excursion: Exclusive Pack Creek Bear Viewing from Juneau, Exclusive Pack Creek Bear Viewing from Juneau, Juneau Shore Excursion: Paddle with Whales! If you’re inter­est­ed, find out more infor­ma­tion about Cowee Mead­ow Cab­in, Blue Mus­sel Cab­in, and Camp­ing Cove Cab­in. The three-mile out and back Mount Juneau climb is a local favorite, with steep slopes and multiple creek crossings. Watch for grouse, marmots and black bear on the way. There are beau­ti­ful alpine lakes and wild­flow­ers along the way as you gain over 1,200… The trail takes you to Treadwell Glory Hole, once the entrance to a network of mineshafts under the Gastineau Channel. Book entire boat for your family or group, or opt to bunk with other guests. Hik­ers must access Mt Roberts via the Basin Road trail head. Keep going. Moun­tain goats are often seen along this route. Look out on alpine lakes, moraines, and crevass­es before you land and check out the Juneau Ice­field for yourself. This trail was named for a local forester and is an unde­vel­oped route. Choose from sev­er­al options, includ­ing a…, Take a spin through Juneau on a fun bike tour. With native and non-native plants, there’s something to admire year round. Drive north of Juneau on the Old Glacier Highway, where about 40 miles of paved road, lead to beaches, coves, gardens, hiking trails and the peaceful Shrine of St. Therese (22 miles north). Juneau’s glac­i­ers pro­duce nutri­ent-dense waters mak­ing the waters a prime feed­ing ground for hump­back whales. Fly to the ice­field sur­round­ing Juneau with North­star Trekking an expe­ri­ence a sim­ple glac­i­er ​“walk­a­bout” or a rugged climb on…, North­star Trekking oper­ates out of Juneau and caters to all styles of explo­ration. After cross­ing Jor­dan Creek, the steep ascent begins. This trail was named for a local forester and is an unde­vel­oped route. Updated 09/11/19. Visit September to April to see the Northern Lights, Best Northern Lights Viewing Spots Near Anchorage, How to Travel to Alaska in January and February, The Best Large Family & Group Vacations in Alaska, How to Get from Anchorage to Your Cruise Port in Whittier or Seward (or the reverse!). Other features include the discovery room, with a climb-aboard replica of a sailing ship, fine art gallery, gift shop and café. Several nearby trails provide additional viewpoints, from a short jaunt to Photo Point to the challenging 3.5-mile East Glacier loop. From Juneau, a 3.5-hour boat ride brings you to the action.  ...more, The path to the Per­se­ver­ance trail­head, Basin Road, show­cas­es a dra­mat­ic change from urban to wilder­ness, lead­ing from down­town Juneau to a spec­tac­u­lar canyon. The name is Tlin­git for ​“going back clear­wa­ter trail.” Expect a lot of traf­fic. Written by. Above the tree­line there are many wild­flow­ers and small pools of water.  ...more, This side trail leads to the edge of the AJ Glo­ry Hole, a mas­sive chasm with 800 foott deep…, This side trail leads to the edge of the AJ Glo­ry Hole, a mas­sive chasm with 800 foott deep walls. There’s plen­ty to see along the way, includ­ing old mine shafts that blow cool winds, and a stretch of trail where the Hit the slopes at Eaglecrest Ski Area, located on Douglas Island, across Gastineau Channel from Juneau.  ...more, This South­east Alas­ka-based tour oper­a­tor will leave you with a new def­i­n­i­tion of what it means to have a…. The popular Nugget Falls Trail (2 miles round trip) brings you to the base of a roaring high volume waterfall. You’re dis­patched from your hotel and brought to a cor­ner of the South­east Alas­ka rain­for­est, which saw lots of activ­i­ty dur­ing Alaska’s Gold Rush. No experience…, Glac­i­erview Sea Kayak­ing with Alas­ka Trav­el Adven­tures offers the oppor­tu­ni­ty to kayak through Auke Bay while enjoy­ing views of Menden­hall Glac­i­er. The Taiya River (also known as the Dyea River) flows for 17 miles near Skagway, Alaska. The trail, some of which is planked, fol­lows the Her­bert Riv­er through the for­est. Bears and moun­tain goats are often seen here and there are min­ing ruins along­side the trail. This trail was named after John Lemon, one of the first prospec­tors to cross the Chilkoot Trail. How many times do we get to see beluga whales playing in the ocean during a train ride?? Downhill aficionados will find several levels of difficulty for downhill skiing and snowboarding, with a vertical drop up to 1620 feet. Get an amaz­ing view of the gor­geous land­scape sur­round­ing Juneau, and then ride along as an ener­getic team of huskies tours you around the ancient, snow-packed Menden­hall glacier. 7-10 days is the most common. Also nearby is the Juneau Convention & Visitors Bureau with visitor information, displays and walking tour maps of the cit… In sum­mer, enjoy hik­ing, moun­tain bik­ing, and berry picking. With your back to the water, it’s to the right of Sheep Creek and the hatch­ery build­ings, to the left of the first house, and at the top of the embank­ment that leads up to the road. Kayak­ing offers a much more inti­mate and qui­et expe­ri­ence than oth­er boat tours; at the same time, it is per­fect for trav­el­ers who want an adven­ture. Let us simplify it for you, How much does an Alaska summer vacation cost? You’ll fly over the Juneau Ice­field for about 35 min­utes and land in a sled camp on the snow-cov­ered mid­dle branch of the Nor­ris Glacier. If you’re very adven­tur­ous, you can even learn how to climb on the ice walls. Rent a car and travel independently on a set itinerary, with lodging and tours booked in advance. For magnificent views, take a flightseeing trip (as short as 40 minutes) that can be paired with a glacier landing/walk. Mush across the Juneau Icefield ©Kerry Howard, Fly 30 minutes to view bears in their natural habitat. Find what to do today, this weekend, or in January. The hills past this trail offer many more ski­ing oppor­tu­ni­ties. Covered vehicles transport you through the temperate rainforest, leading to excellent views of Juneau.