At the base of grand mountain peaks and at the pristine waterfront of the Gastineau Channel, Juneau, Alaska's capital city lies on a small strip of land between sea level and 3800 feet peaks with a “back yard” of a 1,500 square mile glacial icefield bordering Canada.
Little wonder then, that the “Rivers of Ice” are one of Juneau’s main attractions.
Located just 13 miles from downtown, the Mendenhall Glacier is one of Juneau's most popular attractions, with over 350,000 visitors each year. It is also one of Alaska's most accessible glaciers. The glacier visitor center is a short 4 mile drive from the Juneau airport or 13 miles from downtown Juneau.
The Mendenhall is part of the Juneau Icefield, an expanse of interconnected glaciers that sit just behind the mountains behind Juneau, covering over 1,500 square miles from the Taku River east of town to Berners Bay at the extreme northwestern end of town. There are a number of ways to see and experience the Mendenhall Glacier and Juneau Icefield. Ground tour companies offer trips to the Mendenhall Glacier where the Forest Service operates a walk-up visitors center. From May through September, the Visitor Center charges a $3.00 admission fee.
Flightseeing companies offer aerial tours of the Icefield and helicopters land on the ice for a short walk or a two-hour hike. Day boat tour companies offer tours of the twin Sawyer Glaciers, located in Tracy Arm Fjord, southeast of Juneau.
World famous Glacier Bay National Park is located just 65 miles northwest of Juneau. This 3.3 million acre park is home to spectacular tidewater glaciers and a unique array of flora and fauna including humpback and orca whales, black and brown bear, puffins and bald eagles.
Juneau has some of the most spectacular wildlife viewing in the world. The viewing of whales, brown bear and eagles is just minutes away. A variety of wildlife tours take visitors up close to black bear, Dall porpoise, sea lions, harbor seals, sea otters, mountain goats and Sitka black tail deer.
From April to November, approximately 600 humpback whales inhabit the waters of the northern Inside Passage. Whale watching tours are offered in Juneau and near Glacier Bay, and daily boat tours to Tracy Arm rarely return without whale sightings.
The world’s largest concentration of brown bear lives on Admiralty Island, located just 10 minutes from Juneau, with 2.34 bears per square mile, and nearby Admiralty Island National Monument and the Kootznoowoo Wilderness Area (Kootznoowoo is a Tlingit word meaning "Fortress of the Bears") is home to the largest concentration of brown bear in North America -some 1,600 brown bear, one for every square mile of the island.
Admiralty Island can be accessed only by kayak, boat or float plane. Prime viewing of the bears follows the salmon run which varies from year to year, but traditionally includes most of July and August. A limited number of permits per day are issued to enter the Pack Creek area. Call USFS 907-586-8751 for information.
There is a bear sanctuary and viewing area at Pack Creek. Entry to Pack Creek is restricted by permit from June 1 to September 10.
And to top the natural spectacles of Juneau, visitors during August, September, March and April sometimes see stunning displays of the Aurora Borealis. Best viewing opportunities will occur on clear cold nights and frequently the Aurora Borealis can be seen above Mt. Juneau, right behind the city and over the Mendenhall Glacier.
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