Nine must-do highlights of Juneau, Alaska
The vibrant shopping district in Downtown Juneau, Alaska.Credit: iStock
The self-guided stroll
For the first-time visitor, Juneau feels like one big neighbourhood. As Alaska’s capital, with a population of only 33,000, this compact city is accessible on foot. First, head along the waterfront on the “Kooteeyaa Deiyi”, Totem Pole Trail, and view the stunning collection of 13 carved totem poles (of a planned 30). Then wander through the historic district, where buildings date to the 19th century gold rush, and on to the Governor’s Mansion, a beautiful home built in 1899. Beyond the centre, pretty houses spill down a steep hillside. Their gardens drip with greenery, a reminder that you’re within the Tongass National Forest. From here, a series of staircases provide short-cuts through centrally-located residential streets, as well as some of the city’s best views over Gastineau Channel. See traveljuneau.com
The hotel
Jorgenson House: six luxurious suites are spread throughout a restored vintage home.
“Boutique” is not bandied about in unpretentious Juneau where accommodation ranges from chain motels to frills-free B&Bs. That is, with the exception of Jorgenson House, where six luxurious suites are spread throughout a restored vintage home and an adjacent modern building. Rooms, including the salon and library, blend modern and traditional styles, and feature accessories from Juneau’s past, like miner’s lamps and sealskin drums. An on-site chef whips up three-course gourmet breakfasts and other meals. After a day’s hiking, you can sit on a verandah with a champagne and sweeping vistas of the snow-covered mountains and harbour. See jorgensonhouse.com
The brewery
Choose from over 20 Alaskan beers on tap, at the Alaskan.
The famous rite of passage in Juneau is to “have an Alaskan with an Alaskan at the Alaskan”. Alaskan Brewing started in 1986 – the first Alaskan brewery since Prohibition – with an Alaskan amber that used a recipe from the gold mining days. Juneau now has six breweries and distilleries, but locals flock to this one, nine kilometres north-west of town. Why? There are 20-plus Alaskan beers on tap, some of which feature regional ingredients like Sitka spruce tips and alder smoke. The community-minded owners produce “beer-powered beer” where they use spent grain to power the brew house. See alaskanbeer.com
The adventure
Glacial flightseeing with Wings Airways lets you soar over the region’s five glaciers.
Of the most thrilling of Juneau’s many activities, including wildlife spotting, glacial flightseeing with Wings Airways in a classic de Havilland Otter floatplane is a must. You take off from the Gastineau Channel and then soar over the region’s five glaciers – including the remarkable Taku Glacier – that comprise the 3884 square kilometre Juneau Icefield. An alternative option lands at Taku Glacier Lodge where, after the glacier flight, you munch on a meal of wild Alaska salmon while gazing at the Hole-In-The-Wall Glacier. See wingsairways.com
The gardens
Pretty Glacier Gardens flies under the radar. And it shouldn’t. About 10 kilometres from downtown and located within lush rainforest, this beautiful botanic garden is the passion project of a local landscaper who created both natural surrounds and manicured beds after a landslide. The “flower towers” – the hollowed-out stumps of massive upturned Sitka spruce and Western hemlock trees – drip with fuchsias, begonias and petunias along with cascading vines. A shuttle transports you 180 metres uphill to Thunder Mountain, for panoramic views of Juneau and the Chilkat Mountains. See glaciergardens.com
The museum
Reopened in 2016 to design acclaim, Alaska State Museum (or SLAM – State Library, Archives and Museum) is devoted to art and artefacts covering the entire state. The chronologically arranged exhibits – canoes, totem poles and clan houses – provide excellent context to the First Peoples of Alaska. Displays transition to the gold rush and oil discoveries covering the impact of the west, while changing displays feature Alaskan artists, both modern and historic. The Chilkat blankets are superb. See museums.alaska.gov
The food truck
Try blackened rockfish, salmon ’n chips and beer-battered fish tacos at Deckhand Dave’s food truck.Credit: Travel Juneau
Juneau is blessed with excellent food trucks, but Deckhand Dave’s stands out for its approach to seafood. Owner Dave McCasland worked for years as a cook and deckhand on a fishing vessel in the Alaskan waters. He opened his truck in 2016, keen to combine his ocean knowledge, chemistry degree, and passion for sustainable fishing. These days, his converted trailer-cum-kitchen whips up excellent sustainably caught seafood snacks: blackened rockfish, salmon ’n chips and tacos stuffed with fresh beer-battered halibut. Local oysters may be on the menu, too. See deckhanddaves.com
The cafe
As Juneau’s only authentic Indigenous cafe, Sacred Grounds is owned and operated by Tlingit and Haida tribal citizens. And they sure make a good coffee, from a doppio to a latte, using beans roasted regionally. Also on the menu? Fresh fruit smoothies plus good breakfast and lunch options, ranging from halibut fish ’n chips to a daily “sacred soup”. The cafe is small, but airy, and the perfect place to converse with a friendly local or two – there’s plenty of them here. See sacredgroundsak.com
The capital is only accessible by air or by water along the Gastineau Channel.Credit: iStock
The tour
Touted as the “tour with taste”, Juneau Food Tours guides visitors to foodie businesses in Juneau, while telling the story of Alaska through its products. It’s seafood-centric so the likes of halibut and ceviche are on the menu, and you’ll also try local drinks: the ice-cave tea of Harbor Tea & Spice pays homage to ice caves of the nearby Mendenhall Glacier. It’s perfect for time-pressed visitors who want to experience famous locations, too, such as Tracy’s Crab Shack and Alaskan Brewing. See juneaufoodtours.com
One more thing
Juneau is one of the world’s few capital cities without road access; you must get here by air or by water along the Gastineau Channel.
Kate Armstrong visited Juneau as a guest of Cunard aboard Queen Elizabeth.
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