Top 10 Juneau Shore Excursions
The majority heading to Alaska for a cruise holiday will sail the inside passage in the southwest of the state and one of the most popular cruise ports of call in the region is the stunning port of Juneau.
The city is the capital of Alaska and is located in the Gastineau Channel on the Alaskan panhandle, so no matter what you want to do whilst in the city, you can be assured of seeing stunning natural beauty, incredible wildlife and whilst you can have a great day ashore simply strolling around the downtown area, there are lots of incredible experiences awaiting cruisers.
But just what are the top 10 Juneau shore excursions? That is just what we answer in this list, which is based on our experience of visiting the city on a cruise holiday and the research we did before visiting there.
Our Shore Excursions In Juneau
Mendenhall Glacier Helicopter Experience
There can only be one number 1 for this list for us as not only was it the excursion that we were fortunate enough to do on our visit to the city, but it is one of the best adventures we have ever been fortunate to have experienced.
After taking off from the Juneau airport, we would take a flight over the unimaginably large Juneau Icefield before landing on the Mendenhall Glacier itself.
If that wasn’t enough, we would get the chance to walk around the glacier with an expert guide before taking off for a flight over the city and back to the airport.
It is impossible to describe how impressive and vast the Icefield and Glacier is and whilst it is one of the more expensive excursions you can do, if it is at all possible for you, we would highly recommend doing it.
Glacier Sea Plane Adventure
The region around the city is full of incredible glacier and what better way to see them than onboard a seaplane.
Known locally as a floatplane, cruisers can set off from the Juneau waterfront, fly through the Juneau Valley where you will be able to see waterfalls and beautiful rainforest before heading up to the Juneau Icefield and to see several incredible glaciers.
You will get great views over the city as you return to the waterfront as not only can you see the city and the mountains surrounding it, but you will often see incredible wildlife including mountain goats and even eagles.
Mendenhall Glacier Viewing
The Mendenhall Glacier is arguably the most famous attraction in Juneau but sadly it is too far of a walk from the cruise port to the foot of the glacier but thankfully, it can be easily reached via a shore excursion.
Most excursions will simply drive you to the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Centre and leave you with plenty of spare time to explore the foot of the glacier, the Nugget Creek Falls and the visitor centre before taking you back to downtown Juneau and to your cruise ship.
It’s a great chance to get up close to a mammoth glacier and is one of the cheaper options in the city.
Salmon Bake
If you want to try a traditional Alaskan meal, why not do as the locals do and have a Salmon barbecue?
You start with a bus ride to Salmon Creek before taking your seat in a heated dome to enjoy a variety of barbecue food which the highlight is some locally caught salmon.
Glacier Gardens
When you think of Alaska, there are plenty of things that come to mind including mountains, waterfalls and whales.
One thing that probably doesn’t come to mind in a botanical garden, but not only do they exist, but the Glacier Gardens Rainforest is an incredible place to visit.
Nestled in the Tongass National Forest, the gardens feature incredible colours, beautiful flowers and all with an Alaskan twist.
Gold Panning
Everybody with even a little interest in the history of Alaska knowns all about the Klondike Goldrush but the city of Juneau also has a long gold history which can be explored a mine tour at the Alaska Gastineau Mill.
After heading underground, you can explore the historic buildings on site and even try your hand at panning for gold!
Zipline Adventure
Alaska is a great place for adventure and if you are wanting a more white-knuckle experience, why not take a trip to the Eaglecrest Lodge ski area and ‘fly’ through the rainforest whilst enjoying spectacular views.
Dog Sledding
If you have ever wanted to try dogsledding but don’t want to visit a region such as Alaska in winter, don’t worry, you can also enjoy the experience throughout the summer.
Upon arriving at the beautiful Sheep Creek Valley, you will be greeted by a real-life Iditarod musher and his team of dogs.
You will get to know the dogs, meet some puppies, be taken on a trip of the camp and then head onto a wheeled sled for a 1.5 mile long ride along a trail through the rainforest.
Goldbelt Tram
This is one of the best experiences you can enjoy in the city and is something we would recommend everybody visiting there should do, but it features relatively lowly on this list of shore excursions as it is just as easy to do on your own.
The cable car starts just a short walk from the main cruise dock and takes you straight up the steeply sided Mount Juneau to the upper terminal at 1,800ft.
There is lots waiting for you at the top including a restaurant, a small theatre, a museum, a gift shop and a variety of walking trails but the main reason to go on the cable car is to take in the incredible views over the Gastineau Channel and your cruise ship.
You will often see plenty of wildlife from the top station as well including eagles whilst there is always a chance of spotting whales in the channel below, so don’t forget your binoculars!
Whale Watching
The chance to see the incredible wildlife of Alaska is one of the big draws of a cruise in the region for many holidaymakers and the chances are that if you spent any amount of time looking out to sea whilst on your cruise ship, you will see plenty of it.
That can often just wet your whistle however and you want to get up close to the whales, seals and birds that you see.
There are a variety of boats rides from downtown Juneau that allow you to get closer to wildlife including whales.
Juneau ShoreEx
Despite been a relatively small city for a day of exploring, there is a great variety to the excursions available to those visit Juneau on a cruise holiday.
The central cruise dock does mean that you can simply stroll from your cruise ship to many of the ports attractions and there is no need to take an excursion to have a great time in Juneau.
One of the things we really enjoyed about our visit to the city was the opportunity to explore the city and have a walk around it before heading off on an excursion and with most shore ex’s been only for a few hours, most visitors will be able to split their time in the city exploring on their own and on their excursion.
