Juneau, Alaska- State Capital Among Mountains and Glaciers
by Paul H. Green
Juneau is the capital of Alaska and also a major tourist attraction. It's easy to see why, since its geography is remarkable, being between two mountains and a glacier. The steep mountains around it, Mount Juneau and Mount Roberts are about 3,500 to 4,000 feet high. From the mountains flow huge glaciers from which dozens of smaller glaciers flow. One of them, the Mendenhall Glacier, is accessible by road, making it a unique tourist attraction. The glacier is often mentioned as a must see sight if you go to Alaska. Juneau is larger in area than the state of Delaware and is the only U.S. state capital that is on the Canadian border.
On your first day touring Juneau, a good place to start is the Mount Roberts Tramway, which leaves right from the cruise ship docks. This steep and quick ride will take you up two thousand feet in only a few minutes. There you can check out a huge souvenir shop run by Native Alaskans, and a restaurant. Often there are native Alaskan performances of dance, and also other demonstrations of crafts, and a film is shown about Native Alaskans. You can take a short hike up on the mountain, with many stunning alpine views in store, or hike the entire two-and one-half miles back to town. Also consider combining this trip up the mountain with a Juneau trolley car-pass that will take you to all the historic spots in town, such as the Governor's Mansion, the State Museum, and more.
The Alaska State Museum is home to thousands of works of fine art and natural history. Permanent exhibits include a life-sized eagle that is nesting in a tree, and a copy of the stern of Capt. George Vancouver's ship that first discovered the region, and was called Discovery. Among its most popular exhibits are clothing, weapons, tools from the Alaska Natives plus icons and other objects from the days of Russian colonization. The Museum is located in downtown Juneau within walking distance from the cruise ship docks. For more information on the museum and its current exhibits visit the Alaska State Museum web site at www.museums.state.ak.us .
Another museum worth stopping at is the Juneau-Douglas City Museum, which has exhibits on Juneau's past as a gold rush town and on the local natives, the Tlingits. A couple of miles out of downtown there is the Last Chance Mining Museum. Here there are old mining buildings preserved along Gold Creek. There is a huge air compressor here that was used in operating a large hard rock mine here. The Juneau gold fields produced over 6.5 million ounces of gold up until 1944.
It is best to spend the whole next day touring the Mendelhall Glacier. It is a large field of ice, but very accessible to the town of Juneau, just 13 miles from downtown. If that is not enough for you, Juneau is also the sending off point to Glacier Bay National Park. The Mendelhall Glacier is actually a 12 mile long finger of the 1,500 square-mile Juneau Ice Field. A series of nature trails go around the glacier where visitors can get the best views of the glacier and the forest. The East Glacier Loop trail goes for over three miles and passes by a beautiful waterfall. This trail has some steep spots but is not overwhelming. More challenging is the West Glacier Trail. This one also provides access for experienced climbers with equipment who want to and are able to travel on the glacier itself. This glacier is a must see site, and actually is one of the most popular sites to see in the State of Alaska. A spectacular way to view the Mendelhall Glacier is to rent a helicopter to do it. You can rent a helicopter for a four-hour trip, which includes equipment and training to be able to walk on the ice face of the glacier, pick axe and all. Tourists may also ride dog sleds after landing on the glacier or ice cap. For more on specific helicopter and other tours, see www.traveljuneau.com .
Juneau is reachable via sea or air. Cars and trucks are transported by barge or ferry on the State-owned ferry, called the Alaska Marine Highway System. Nearly one million passengers arrive each summer on cruise ships. About 40 miles of paved road exist in town, but without the state ferry, you can't go anywhere.
Local government operates Capital Transit that provides local bus service. Tour buses also take many cruise ship visitors to local sights and excursions. Alaska Airlines is now the only commercial jet passenger operator here, with service to the outside world. Due to the huge expanses of Alaska, small planes and float planes are the only practical means of transportation, though they can often be delayed in Southeast Alaska because of clouds and rain or snow.