Eric Benshetler

While not as large as Anchorage, Juneau is one of the larger cities in Alaska. Actually, I’d describe it more as a large town. The cruise ships dock about a 10-minute walk from the edge of town. There’s a staffed information booth with downtown maps at the Marine Park Kiosk along Marine Way on your left as you head into town. Juneau still has its share of older wooden buildings, and unfortunately a major part of one downtown block suffered a major fire just a few days before our cruise started.

We decided that I would have some time on my own in the morning to see the city. I wanted to tour the state capitol building, but found after I walked there (about 20 minutes) that it wasn’t open on weekends! The city museum is across the street, but since I wanted to be back by lunchtime I decided to walk a few more blocks to the Alaska State Museum. I went through in about an hour since I had to get back, although I’d recommend 1-1/2 to 2 hours at a more leisurely pace. The two-floor museum’s galleries focus on Alaska Natives, Natural History, and Alaska History. Note the Abraham Lincoln-like totem carving, since you might see the copy (and hear a different story) in Ketchikan. Bring a camera since photography is allowed.

We bought the 2 PM Juneau City & Mendenhall Glacier tour from Carnival. I thought it was worthwhile since Mendenhall Glacier is about 15 miles away. Our Gray Line bus driver, Julia, and her bus, Big Mama (she advised us not to confuse the two!), took “The Road” north to a salmon hatchery and then to the Mendenhall Glacier visitor center. On the way back, she drove through the incredibly scenic campus of the University of Alaska Southeast.

We bought tickets on our own at the Mount Roberts Tramway, which is only a few minutes walk from the ship. The tram goes 1,800 feet up the steep mountain that’s next to the cruise ship dock. At the top, after taking in the outstanding views, we watched a movie about Alaska’s native Tlingit. While my wife went through the gift shop, the boys and I went for a hike on the loop trail. Be sure to stop in at the smaller gift shop near the trail since it also has information on the plants and animals in the area. The trail itself has several scenic overlooks, including one that looked down on our ship. There is a small restaurant at the top if you want to eat away from the ship. The tram ticket allows unlimited trips during the day, but once was fine for us. It would have been interesting to go back up to see the sunset, but that was too close to our late dinner seating.

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