Juneau: Whales, Glaciers, and Alaska’s Capital City
In 1880, Joe Juneau and Richard Harris were led by their guide to what is now known as Gold Creek, where they found (you guessed it…) gold! This discovery eventually led to the founding of this beautiful city called Juneau, which is nestled between Mount Juneau, Mount Roberts, and Gastineau Channel.
Your first impression of Juneau is wonder at the busy port, where most summer visitors arrive by boat. Between large cruise ships, you will also see the lively traffic of seaplanes coming and going. There are no roads connecting Juneau to the rest of the state: you must travel via air or sea.
Your experience of Juneau is influenced by how walkable the entire city is. My husband and I spent several hours exploring the winding streets of downtown Juneau, where we visited a locally owned wood carving shop, several gift stores (I found my perfect t-shirt!) as well as settling down for a smoothie and a recap of our visit. The entire city is decorated with art of all kinds, like the student-painted murals decorating otherwise blank walls, or the historic statues and monuments dotted among the tourist attractions.
Our day included a shuttle ride to our whale watching tour, which we booked through our cruise line. The tour took us through Auke Bay, where we got to enjoy the rocky shoreline passing by from our boat. June is prime whale watching time, as all of the Humpback whales have returned from their tropical migration spots to the food-rich waters of Alaska. The majesty of watching a mom and her calf meander through their home in the cold waters of the channel is something that sticks with you forever. We saw more whales than I managed to count, and our tour was a highlight of our trip.
On our visit to Juneau, we made sure to make a quick visit to see the Mendenhall Glacier. This glacier has receded hundreds of feet in the last several decades, and it won’t be here forever. The Glacier is 12 miles from downtown Juneau, and has some of the best road access of any glaciers in Alaska. Additionally, I got to see the massive Nugget Falls, which pours into Mendenhall Lake.
