Juneau, AK
August 9th, 2022
Today we made port in Juneau Alaska. Juneau is the capital of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is a unique city as it is only accessible by plane or boat due to the extremely rugged, mountainous terrain and large ice fields surrounding it, with no roads connecting it to the rest of the state or the contiguous U.S.
My niece, Rose, is working in Juneau this summer and is joining us for the day. We booked a whale watching trip with Juneau Lighthouse Tours for the whole family. The 4.25-hour tour includes a scenic drive, a boat trip for whale watching, a short walk on Sentinel Island, and a visit inside the lighthouse tower. A stop at Brotherhood Bridge for a view of the Mendenhall Glacier is also included.
Our Catamaran for the tour.
Group picture after whale watching.
Next, we headed up to Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center. Here we saw expansive views of the Mendenhall Glacier and surrounding landscapes of the Tongass National Forest. It features exhibits, films, and ranger-led talks, along with multiple trails for viewing wildlife, Nugget Falls, and the glacier itself.
Mendenhall Glacier behind me.
After checking out the glacier, we took a tram ride on Goldbelt Trams. The Juneau tram ride is an aerial tramway that took us from the cruise ship docks in downtown Juneau to an elevation of 1,800 feet up Mount Roberts. The six-minute ride offers panoramic views of the Gastineau Channel, Douglas Island, and the Chilkat Mountains.
View of a tram heading up.
View of the cruise ship port from the tram.
