Juneau Sightseeing: Top Tours You Can’t Miss!
Juneau, Alaska’s capital, is that amazing spot where wild country and civilization bump right up against each other. There is some seriously awesome sightseeing on offer! Picking just how to take it all in could be a tricky spot, yet there is a wide selection to suit many kinds of explorer. From soaring over glaciers in a helicopter to getting up close and personal with whales on a boat tour, the options for adventure just call to you! I wanted to jot down five of the very best tours, each offering a unique glimpse into what makes this place amazing. Check it out on what sort of animal viewing is in your area when thinking of things in that park!
1. Mendenhall Glacier Helicopter & Guided Icefield Walk
Want something way beyond your average bus tour? It seems like this is absolutely it! It’s the Mendenhall Glacier Helicopter & Guided Icefield Walk. I’m pretty serious when I tell you that words just might not do it justice, yet I’ll try. The very idea is you’re hopping into a helicopter, soaring into the sky and getting some unreal views as you swoop toward the Mendenhall Glacier. The adventure starts with a breathtaking flight over the Tongass National Forest. Its lush, ancient forests stretch towards those horizon for as long as you can imagine. That green canopy, untouched by development, looks completely different from above, you might find.
Once you land on that glacier, so, it’s almost like stepping onto a different planet! Picture yourself walking across this seemingly limitless sheet of old ice. The light sort of glints and refracts off the surface in strange ways. A local guide gives that walking trip, that way they share some really interesting details on glacier formation. They show some of the area geology, not to mention its delicate ecosystem. I swear, just imagine standing on a mass of ice thousands of years old, feeling a bit like you are the only person on the planet in a certain respect! Tours might need an overview on what is inside to think through a tour of one’s castle!
It sounds like a real splurge, it’s very worth the extra expense. This is, truly, that trip of a lifetime type experience. That bird’s-eye perspective? You just cannot compare it to anything else, apparently! All in all, if you really want that crazy and wild Juneau memory? You’ll pick this, obviously. You should probably consider a tour with high ratings! This trip is often a great tour because there are many high review options to try and check.
2. Whale Watching & Wildlife Quest
Okay, really. If there is any tour people associate with Alaska? That is whale watching! It is kind of like seeing these ocean giants up close will be pretty impressive! This is so awesome! I like to think you are sailing on one of those custom-designed boats. These things get pretty close, too, like to give everyone these wonderful, unobstructed viewing points. And, yeah, of course, a knowledgeable naturalist on board will give a complete picture. Hear some tales about their behavior as you start your search for humpback whales.
Picture that water. The spout shoots way, way into the air when those giant humpbacks show up, very likely just meters from your boat! This is pretty awesome, believe me! That feeling that surges when one of these massive creatures breaches? You might feel totally overcome! Now picture more stuff, that being like seals playing on ice floes, eagles soaring overhead, not to mention the random porpoise swimming! With that backdrop including amazing, snowy peaks? Very epic! Getting a bit lost and seeing wonderful places by the highest points!
It doesn’t matter if you are some wildlife lover. Perhaps that amateur photographer looking for the killer photo. Honestly, the Whale Watching & Wildlife Quest should become your go to option. It will show you everything Juneau has to showcase with respect to aquatic splendor! Seeing the sea animals on top with some tour types can change one’s vision about things from the world and sea.
3. Mendenhall Glacier Canoe Adventure
Are you on the prowl to do some adventuring up close? It sounds like The Mendenhall Glacier Canoe Adventure does exactly that. Not just for extreme types. It sounds just amazing! Starting out with some basic instruction that leads into that canoe tour over Mendenhall Lake! That canoe is where you just may go past icebergs towards that magnificent Mendenhall Glacier itself.
Paddling in these crisp, Alaskan waters offers a view of that surroundings totally unrelated to any other I know of. I feel it is like you and the glacier are meeting at that calm, peaceful level, very dissimilar to that hustle of the viewing spots! When you row very, very near these shimmering icebergs? Those colors range from a vibrant blue to that snowy white. The reflections are pretty much to die for, in that case. Don’t fret if you’ve not spent a ton of time in a canoe before, as a matter of fact! Such trips are generally set up to fit varying degrees. This tour can teach on basic touring before you go check out certain attractions with tours!
Basically, you are in pursuit of hands-on adventure? Some way to feel really involved? The Mendenhall Glacier Canoe Adventure presents some chance at doing just that. And yeah, this one has special perspective too, I think.
4. Gold Creek Salmon Bake
Here is that kind of tour for anyone loving awesome eats or wants some feel for Gold Rush history, alright! This is one special dinner out! It occurs near those historic Wagner gold mine structures. At the Salmon Bake? Not only do you taste that wonderfully grilled salmon (which really will come with side stuff like baked beans or cornbread). There is tons more, believe me!
And beyond feasting? Visitors pan to come check out the gold in Gold Creek for real. Plus people can wander that rainforest spots or see those roaring waterfalls for the camera, alright. Maybe learn a touch about that local mining era, too. With an old timey photograph stop! The falls can lead and guide tourists for that special view inside those gold minds during this touring action to take gold checking to the place.
For great grub that is served to bring this area history that shines too! Definitely make room inside your plan book!
5. Mount Roberts Tramway
Want unbelievable sightlines and an ease factor to suit varying physical condition ranges? Hop a trip inside that Mount Roberts Tramway spot. One is so, too it’s almost lifted near those clouds inside rainforest environment!
From top? Those panoramas of that Juneau vicinity below? These are super fantastic alright. You will easily explore alpine trails just here. Get information at the Nature Center, plus enjoy some eagle viewing zones plus local Tlingit cultural stuff too. Then? Eat at the restaurant on premises if that makes life a touch easier, arguably. These hikes can teach folks about that tramways spot inside this world inside an adventurous trip through these clouds.
Those wanting big lookouts and wanting zero hiking too? Mount Roberts provides some chance for all level ranges. Plus easy access for that perfect Juneau scene!