Things to do in  Juneau

Rising 1,800 feet (550 meters) above sea level from the Juneau waterfront, the Mt. Roberts Tramway—aka the Goldbelt Tram—is a favorite for those visiting the Alaska state capital. The ride itself provides views of the Chilkat Range, the Gastineau Channel, downtown Juneau, and Douglas Island, while the summit area features outdoorsy and cultural things to do.

No visit to Juneau is complete without a close-up look at the Mendenhall Glacier, one of Alaska’s most popular attractions. The 13-mile-long (19-kilometer-long) glacier ends at Mendenhall Lake and is easily viewed from the historic Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center. The glacier is beautiful on sunny days, but arguably even more impressive on cloudy, drizzly afternoons when the ice takes on a deeper shade of blue.

The city of Juneau shines a spotlight on its rich cultural heritage and history at the Juneau-Douglas City Museum. Exhibits are entertaining and hands-on, with displays including a full-scale replica fish trap, interactive mining gallery, totem poles, Tlingit artifacts, historic photographs, and a detailed relief map of Juneau.

Herbert Glacier’s white-blue ice fields and dramatic walls offer an accessible yet secluded glacier viewing opportunity in the expansive Juneau Icefield. Reachable on helicopter tours and via a scenic hiking trail, the Herbert Glacier is set against the backdrop of majestic peaks, giving visitors a quintessential Alaska glacier experience.

Artifacts and documents detailing Alaska's history—its original inhabitants, natural history, occupation by Russia, and eventual purchase and statehood—have a home in the striking and lofty Father Andrew P. Kashevaroff building in downtown Juneau. The expansive Alaska Native collection features items from the region's major cultural groups.

Alaska’s red-brick state capitol in Juneau is atypically austere, lacking a dome or sprawling grounds. Yet the building does feature porticos of marble from Prince Wales Island, and inside, two murals depict the harvest from both land and sea, while carvings highlight the industries Alaska relies on for its livelihood.

The thunderous splash of calving glaciers is a common sound in Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve. A UNESCO World Heritage Site on the border between Alaska and Canada, the massive park gets its name from the huge number of glaciers that creep from snowcapped mountains into the bay, creating spectacular displays of ice and iceberg formation.

The Juneau Cruise Port sits right alongside the historic downtown area, within walking distance of seafood restaurants and frontier-themed shops. 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 to Mendenhall Glacier and the Alaskan wilderness.

Juneau’s Glacier Gardens makes the journey through Alaska’s temperate rainforest fun, easy, and accessible. Aboard one of their rainforest vehicles, you’ll ride through the property’s verdant botanical gardens and the lush greenery of Tongass National Forest, climbing Thunder Mountain for views of Alaska’s capital city. Always guided, it’s an immersive look at the wildest flora of the Last Frontier.

Visitors to Alaska’s Mendenhall Glacier are in for a second, less-icy surprise: Nugget Falls. About a mile (1.6 kilometers) from the glacier’s visitor center on an easy, gravel path, Nugget Falls cascades 377 feet (115 meters) down a cliffside and into the meltwater below. It’s wide and thunderous, and visitors can stand right below it to catch the action.

Admiralty Island, known by the native Tlingit people as the Fortress of the Bears, is home to an estimated 1,500 brown bears. Pack Creek flats, where the creek emerges to the sea, ranks among the best places on the island to see them. Visiting wildlife watchers can also spot bald eagles, Sitka black-tailed deer, mink, and otters.

Alaskan Brewing Company has been brewing craft beers since 1986, and winning plenty of awards along the way. The brewery still operates out of its original Juneau location, though the facilities have since expanded to include a spacious tasting area, where visitors can sample among 20 Alaskan beers on tap.

Mining cars, railroad lines, train repair sheds, and other artifacts tell the story of Juneau’s Gold Rush history at the Last Chance Mining Museum and Historic Park. The collection is housed in the former compressor building of the Alaska Juneau Gold Mining Company, which operated here from 1916 to 1944. Old mining shafts surround the site.

Juneau’s waterfront is a hub of activity, and Franklin Street is its most famous thoroughfare. This historic heart of the Alaskan capital comprises a collection of Gold Rush–themed restaurants, old-time saloons, clapboard balconies, and Victorian architecture, making you feel like you’re stepping into another era.

Set 2,000 feet (610 meters) above Downtown Juneau, the 1,500-square-mile (3,885-square-kilometer) Juneau Icefield is the fifth largest in North America and feeds 38 major glaciers, including Mendenhall Glacier. Visitors come from around the world to trek on the 3,000-year-old icefield itself or tour one of its many glaciers.