The Ultimate Guide to Juneau, Alaska : What to Do and How to Do It

Juneau, Alaska, is the state’s capital, but fortunately, life here doesn’t revolve around politics. This beautiful, diverse coastal gem in Alaska is one of the state’s most popular tourism hubs, inspiring play over work. Juneau’s big-time adventures and attractions, breathtaking landscapes and waterways, and a fascinating mix of Southeast Alaska history, culture and art, food and fun captivate visitors.

The unique appeal of Juneau, Alaska, is grounded in its unique and isolated location combined with its diverse year-round activities and attractions including grand glaciers, massive mountains, dense rainforests, and wonderful waterways, fantastic fishing, thrilling hiking and skiing, impressive museums and Alaska Native celebrations, and wildlife. These “only-in-Alaska” adventures make Juneau a must-visit destination.

Juneau’s Top 4 Highlights

The best things to do in Juneau, Alaska include visits to Juneau’s landmarks, natural sites, and popular spots. Visitors will love exciting adventures on land and water, in the air, and on ice.

Here are some four of the most popular highlights in Juneau, Alaska:

#1: Mendenhall Glacier

Surrounded by trees, mountains and the glacier-packed Juneau Icefield, Mendenhall Glacier stands out. It’s among the most popular Alaska glaciers and Juneau destination. Known for both its magnificence and its accessibility, visitors can drive just 13 miles from downtown to the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center where experienced staff greet explorers with options to marvel in the glacier’s grandeur. During the summer, visitors can hike down easy trails that lead to multiple glacier viewpoints – as well as to waterfalls, wildlife and wildflowers – and also join guided walks into ice caves within the glacier itself. More adventurous travelers might also enjoy kayaking through icy Mendenhall Lake where you can paddle around icebergs on your way to Mendenhall Glacier. Others might like an aerial perspective which is easily planned via a flightseeing tour. And during the winter season, visitors can even walk, ski or fat-tire bike across the frozen lake right to the glacier.

#2: Mendenhall Lake

Mendenhall Lake is a sweet site and sight. To get to Mendenhall Lake, visitors can either drive themselves or take a shuttle to the Lake. Surrounded by Alaska’s wilderness and hosting a variety of outdoor activities, visitors are treated to breathtaking views of Mendenhall Glacier reflected in the lake’s iceberg-dotted waters. The lake and its surrounding landscapes are a photographer’s dream. Nearby hiking trails and camping options add to this great lake’s fun.

#3: Juneau Icefield

Carving an impressive path from British Columbia to Alaska, the Juneau Icefield is a magnificent collection of glaciers and mountains, including Mendenhall Glacier, which is easily accessible from Juneau. The Juneau Icefield includes Taku Glacier and is surrounded by Coast Mountain Range peaks like Devil’s Paw and Mendenhall Towers. Helicopter operators land passengers among these mountainous giants on a glacier before guiding them on glacier treks. Because of the Juneau Icefield’s easy of access and large glacial mass, scientists have long studied this glacial formation and its changing features to better understand the impact of climate change.

#4: Tracy Arm Fjords and Sawyer Glaciers

Just 45 miles south of Juneau is Tracy Arm Fjords, a popular Alaska paradise hosting icebergs and glaciers, deep blue waters, and Alaska marine wildlife surrounded by craggy peaks, forests and steep cliffs and more land-based wildlife. Tracy Arm Fjords is so spectacular, even naturalist John Muir called it “one of the most dramatically stunning fjords of Southeast Alaska.” The twin Sawyer Glaciers are the area’s top destination, fittingly set at the end of a journey into the fjords. Both originate in Canada. While South Sawyer is rugged, North Sawyer is more visible and welcoming, making it a draw for explorers and boat tours. 

The Best Adventure Tours in Juneau, Alaska

Juneau is a destination that offers many unique Alaska attractions and adventures that rank high on every traveler’s dream list. Multiday tours and day tours both feature adventures ideal for those from casual sightseers to the more adventurous. Glaciers are top draws for viewing from a boat or trekking across. Wildlife viewing is also huge – huge whales and bears! Kayaking and other outdoor explorations pack exciting thrills. Fjord cruises bring passengers to Southeast Alaska’s most dramatic landscapes – glaciers and mountains, wildlife on land, in the water, and flying high. And the capital city itself offers a fascinating and fun community embracing native art, culture, cuisine and history that charms all Juneau’s visitors.

Here are our top six most popular day tours in Juneau:

Hike Mendenhall Glacier 

Among many amazing hiking tours across Alaska, the Mendenhall Glacier Hike is a classic, a perfect adventure for visitors planning what to do in Juneau, Alaska, in one day. A guided three-mile stroll through the Tongass National Forest along Mendenhall Lake brings hikers to breathtaking views of Mendenhall Glacier. The trip includes time to admire the glacier’s deep blue crevasses and cascading icefalls, the surrounding mountains, and mighty Nugget Falls. 

Trek Through Juneau’s Icefields

Feel the Alaska ice on a Helicopter Glacier Trek that literally lands on a Juneau-area glacier in the Juneau Icefield. Dreamy day trips start with flightseeing over dense forests and glaciers. After touching down, a two-hour guided glacier trek adventurers through mountaineering gear, glacier features and hazards for safety, and engaging educational tips from an Alaska outdoor guide about glacier topology, geology, and surrounding features.

Go Whale Watching

When it comes to whale watching in Alaska, Juneau whale tours pack big-time wow! A Whale Watching Cruise in Juneau is awesome, as pods of these massive mammals put on a breaching-and-feeding shows delighting all boat passengers. Day trippers head to Auke Bay aboard a state-of-the-art jet boat, custom designed for Juneau whale watching, with large windows and an outside viewing deck. Humpback whales are the region’s stars, returning to Juneau’s nutrient-rich waters each summer. The trip’s bonus is the other wildlife (bald eagles, seals and seabirds) you will see while you learn all about them from the onboard naturalist. Whale watching in Juneau is the ultimate marine wildlife day trip!

Kayak Around Icebergs

Kayaking in Alaska gives visitors special proximity to the state’s natural marine wonders. That’s especially true for kayaking in Juneau, a region with exciting on-water adventures, from area lakes and open waters of Gastineau Channel and beyond (Auke Bay, Tracy Arm Fjords, and more!). One favorite Mendenhall Lake Kayaking Tour, is a kayaking day trip to nearby Mendenhall Lake also featuring stunning up close views of Mendenhall Glacier. This tour takes paddlers across the scenic lake, around icebergs, and as close to the glacier’s face as the U.S. Forest Service allows. The ride may also include sightings of beautiful birds, eagles, goats, salmon and bears, and Nugget Falls.

Admiralty Island Bear Viewing

Bear viewing in Alaska is one of the state’s wildest wildlife experiences and there’s a bevy of bears around Juneau, making it a prime bear viewing destination. Admiralty Island Bear Viewing Tours are especially exciting. The full-day bear-viewing trip flies wildlife seekers to Pack Creek, part of Admiralty Island National Monument, a federally protected wilderness area. This rainforest is prime habitat for brown bears, bald eagles, and Sitka black-tailed deer. The 25-minute scenic flight from Juneau includes a tour orientation with window-seat views of the island’s natural features – perhaps even a whale or bears on the beach. After landing, you’ll spend five hours in Alaska bear country, walking to the viewing estuary where bears are likely foraging and fishing for salmon. What could possibly be better?

Cruise Around the Fjords

Juneau cruises are aplenty, but a special trip into Tracy Arm Fjords is among Alaska’s best-kept secrets. A Tracy Arm Fjord cruise experience includes navigating around icebergs and near glaciers, and spotting wildlife in the water (seals, whales), on land (bears), and in the air (bald eagles). The best way to see this area is on a day cruise where visitors will learn to appreciate the ecological significance of the fjord’s pristine environment. The Tracy Arm Fjords Glacier Cruise Tour from Juneau heads into the heart of the famous fjords for a day of glacier and wildlife viewing. Hundreds of seals and pups laze on icebergs at the face of the Sawyer Glaciers while chunks of ice to calve from glaciers with a splash! Wonderful waterfalls illustrate how glaciers carved these spectacular surroundings.

Planning A Trip to Juneau: Top Tips

Juneau Alaska is only accessible by water and air – no driving to this isolated Southeast island. That’s part of the draw and mystique of this sacred, traditional land of the Tlingit people. That also makes traveling to/from it a bit more complicated versus other places in Alaska. But not to worry, Alaska Tours can provide you with all your options for enjoying this unique destination. 

To fully experience Juneau’s charm and diverse attractions, including stunning natural landscapes, wildlife, and cultural sites, a stay of at least 3-4 days is recommended. Outdoor enthusiasts seeking extensive hiking, fishing, kayaking, camping and skiing, or those hoping to explore surrounding wilderness and glacial areas, or go wildlife viewing, should extend visits to a week.

Here are a few of our best travel tips for your visit to Juneau:

Best Time to Visit  

The summer season is the best time for most travelers to visit Juneau, Alaska, as this season offers the most diverse set of adventures and activities, while others prefer quieter off-seasons with smaller crowds and easier exploring. The best months for comfortable glacier and wildlife viewing is summer, when the weather is warmer and drier, and the ice and animals are active. Visiting Juneau in the summer is much like visiting Alaska in the summer, when daylight is bright and activities abound. In the summer, Juneau tours, attractions, activities peak, as does wildlife activity and cultural events.

From fall to spring, Juneau attractions like museums and cultural spaces, restaurants and adventure operations remain open for activities like alpine and cross-country skiing, hiking and fat-tire biking. Visiting Alaska in the winter isn’t quite the same vibe in Juneau, which mostly avoids below-zero weather and extreme darkness, making it comfy for activities. No matter the season, indoor Juneau includes engaging museums, history, art, and Alaska Native culture, and a divine dining scene. Fresh seafood and produce make it a dining in Alaska standout. No matter the season, Juneau locals offer welcome hospitality and connection.

Weather and Packing Tips

Weather is a main consideration for a Juneau trip. Temperatures are moderate for Alaska – highs of 60s from June-August, lows of 20s from December-February – but precipitation is a wildcard: August-February features snow/rain heavy; wet weather wanes in March-July.

Being located in Southeast Alaska, in a rainforest and along waterways, mean wet weather and cool breezes. It’s important to pack accordingly: most want waterproof and wind-resistant gear, all should consider layers for comfort in any conditions, especially for cruise passengers.

Getting Around Juneau

Like its isolated location, how to get around Juneau is also complicated. Downtown Juneau is walkable, with food and fun nearby, albeit up and down steep streets. The airport isn’t near downtown and many adventures require transportation. While many independent travelers love renting a car to get around Alaska, if you decide to book a Juneau Alaska day tour, we can direct you to shuttle services which can save you time, money and hassle.

Where to Stay

A hub for enthusiastic travelers, Alaska politicians and constituents, Juneau offers a wide variety of accommodations for travelers, from hotels to camping sites to everything in-between. The hotels in Juneau, Alaska, range from iconic old-school Alaska charm to modern chic. Our team at Alaska Tours knows all the options and can help guide you to the right fit for you and your travel crew, based on budget, preferences, and itinerary.

With its exciting variety of only-in-Alaska activities and attractions, its unique location and landscapes, history and culture, wildlife and wild adventures, and its warm, small town vibe, Juneau, Alaska, is a must-visit destination for travelers. If a Juneau trip – and its glaciers, wildlife, culture, and fun Juneau things to do – is in your Alaska travel plans, just get in touch. Our experienced team stands ready to assist!