Southcentral Interior Southeast Southwest Far North

Juneau, Alaska: Travel, Hotels, Tours, & Day Trip Information

At the base of grand mountain peaks and at the pristine waterfront of the Gastineau Channel is Juneau.

Alaska's capital city, Juneau is located in Southeast Alaska. The Tongass Rainforest climate provides Juneau with lush terrain and vibrant wildflowers. Early settlers included miners during Alaska's gold rush and Russian fur traders. The Tlingit and Haida Indians were the first settlers to our area. Native Alaska influence is prominent today in Juneau.

The Alaska Legislature meets in the Alaska State Capitol (formerly the Territorial Building) in Juneau, which is the only mainland state capital in the US which cannot be accessed by road. Located in the Alaska Panhandle, it is not easily accessible from most of the rest of the state. The only way to reach Juneau is via sea or air; (cars and trucks being transported by barge or ferry). Currently the State of Alaska is considering a number of ways to improve transportation to and from Juneau, with a connecting road to Skagway being a main alternative. Local opinion on the matter is decidedly mixed, with some seeing the road as a needed link between Juneau and the rest of Alaska, and others having concerns about the environmental, social, and economic impacts a road would have.

There are several glaciers near hiking trails (including the Mendenhall Glacier), one bridge to Douglas Island, and five main road termini. The Mount Roberts Tramway is an aerial tramway constructed with its base terminal on the cruise ship docks and its upper terminal on the southwestern ridge of Mount Roberts. Scheduled airline service is provided at Juneau International Airport. Seaplanes also offer regular service to most other Southeast Alaska communities, and Juneau is a central port for the Alaska Marine Highway and the port of registry for some of its ships.

Juneau is a major cruise ship destination with approximately 900,000 visitors arriving by cruise ship each summer.

Juneau Vacation Packages, Tours & Day Trip Options:

Juneau offers unparalleled glacier viewing tours from Tracy Arm Fjord, Mendenhall Glacier, the Juneau Icefield and Glacier Bay National Park. Outdoor enthusiasts will love Juneau's extraordinary kayaking, dogsledding, rafting, biking, hiking and glacier hiking. Winter enthusiasts will enjoy snowboarding and downhill, cross-country and heli-skiing.

Abundant salmon and halibut fishing is also available minutes from our downtown. Wilderness cabins and fishing lodges cater to anglers seeking the remote Alaska fishing experience.

Juneau flightseeing tours feature spectacular scenery. Incredible wildlife inhabits areas in and around Juneau. Juneau's downtown area is served by tramway up Mt. Roberts, where wilderness is instantly accessible. Nearby Admiralty Island National Monument, features one of the largest concentrations of brown bear in the world. Icy Strait offers unprecedented whale watching tours.