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Juneau serves as a hub to numerous Southeast communities; it is host to legislators from across America´s largest state; it is home to more than 30,000 residents; and it will welcome close to a million adventure-seeking visitors this year. The city sits on the rugged shores of Gastineau Channel, its skyline dominated by immediate mountains. The famous Mendenhall Glacier rests in Juneau´s back yard. Area waters are home to humpbacks, halibut and an array of salmon. The national bird, the eagle, flies local skies.
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Ample adventures await outdoor enthusiasts who take on camping, hiking, skiing, kayaking, rafting and fishing, just to name a few. Other popular activities include whale watching and sight-seeing. A zip up the Mount Roberts Tramway or a tour of Glacier Gardens offer panoramic views. Local attractions and spectacular scenery can be further observed via helicopter tours, floatplane rides, bus travels, boat trips or by simply walking around town.
Mendenhall Glacier:
The Mendenhall Glacier is a tongue of ice, stretching 12 miles and reaching 1-1/2 miles across the Mendenhall Valley, with ice 400-800 feet deep. Twelve miles is about the same distance as cruise ship passengers travel from the dock up to the glacier. Although it's only minutes from downtown Juneau, a trip to the glacier transports visitors to a primordial past, when much of North America was buried under ice.
Glacier Gardens: A colorful adventure in the rainforest:
For most of the Glacier Gardens tour, visitors sit in small golf carts, winding their way through a largely untouched forest. Small landscaping touches such as log borders on the path are visible along the way. "Flower towers," upturned trees whose sprawling root structures have been transformed into flower beds, are the primary attention-getter for tourists. (credit: juneaualaska.com)
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