A local guide to Juneau Alaska
Places to stay:
Baranof Hotel : A pretty standard hotel, but with a great location right in downtownJuneau. This is ually one of the more reasonably priced downtown hotels. The rooms have recently been renovated and are clean, nice and spacious. It is easy to walk to restaurants, shops, and many of the downtown Juneau attractions.
Silver Bow Inn: A small boutique hotel right in the heart of downtown. The rooms are small, but modern and clean. But the best part is probably the nice rooftop lounge area with a hot tub. They also have great breakfast.
Aspen Suites: A clean hotel with spacious rooms, located in the Mendenhall Valley and close to the airport. There is not a whole lot to do and see in walking distance, but if you are wanting a good base for being in the middle of everything and closer to getting out the road for hikes, the valley is a good location to be.
Grandma’s Feather Bed: Part of the Best Western, but a smaller building made more like a bed and breakfast with old school decor, you truly feel like you are at Grandma’s house. Its a nice alternative to the standard hotel room, while still having the services of a big hotel chain. The hotel is located in the Mendenhall Valley and close to the airport.
Mendenhall Campground: A campground located on Mendenhall Lake, its a pretty spot, but also conveniently located close to town and services, so if you want to camp, but still be able to go out to eat and have access to town amenities this is a great option. Making reservations online is important in the summer, it can be full.
The Shrine: At the Saint Therese Shring located out Glacier Highway there is a small lodge, which is available to rent for large groups. The are simple rooms with bunk beds and shared bathrooms/showers. There is also a large commercial style kitchen to use. It is a beautiful location and a great place to rent if you a traveling as a large party. You do not have to be associated with the shrine or church to rent it.
Vacation Rentals: There are lots of fun rental houses and guest houses with great views along the water as you head out Glacier Highway and on Douglas Island. You will definitely want your own rental car to access these places though, bus and taxi services outside of downtown and the valley are pretty limited.
Public Use Cabins: Many available through the forest service and reserve america. Two drive up cabins and 7 cabins you hike into. See the number 8 of things to do for more information below.
Campgrounds: The Eagle Beach and Echo Cove Campgrounds out the road are both great options if you are looking for a remote experience without having to hike into a cabin.
Where to eat/drink in “the Valley”
Zerelda's: A simple shop just off a parking lot the venue is nothing special, but the food is fantastic. They have a great variety of salads and bowls, incredible sweets, and unique teas and other fun beverages.
Forbidden Peak Brewery: A great venue right aross the road from Auke Bay Harbor. There is a big outdoor space equipped with firepits for even the cooler temp days and evenings. They have a large variety of beer and other draft beverages. They usually have a nonalcoholic option. There is also a little food stand in the back, so you can pick up dinner, lunch or a snack while you are there.
Suwana: A thai restaurant in a little commercial building near the airport. There is nothing special about the venue, but the food is good. There are places to eat there or you can grab your food to go.
Breeze Inn: Just a great takeout spot, stop here to grab a sandwich, a bagel and cream cheese of almost any flavor, or delicious donuts. Its a great place to stock up if you are headed out to a vacation rental, camping or just out for a long day of adventuring. There are several locations around Juneau including one right by the airport.
Where to eat/drink in Downtown & Douglas Island:
The Rookery: A sit down cafe downtown with quite a bit of seating. They have great coffee, tea, and food. Stop by for a brunch or lunch.
Dave’s Taco Shop: A little taco stand downtown, which is part of a little group of dining options with outdoor seating in the middle. Order food here and they will bring it out to you, there is a bar stand as well you can get a wide variety of local and out of town brews from.
Spice: An Indian Restaurant in downtown Juneau, probably not where you would expect to get in Alaska, but the owner is from India and
The Hangar: A pub style food place downtown with a large menu and great water views. They have a large tap list if you are looking for something fun to drink.
Devil Club Brewing: One of the local breweries, their tasting room downtown also serves up good food. They have sandwiches, snack foods, and other goodies.
Amalga Distillery: The tasting room for the local distillery, they have a great selection of cocktails showcasing their gin. There is no food here and a two drink limit because of local liquor laws, but come here and enjoy your two drinks before heading out for dinner somewhere else.
The Pub: Located on Douglas Island, this is the best pizza in Juneau. They have lots of fun topping combinations and great crust. They also have other menu items and a great selection of draft beer.
The ten best things to do in Juneau from a local perspective:
1.Visit A Glacier:
There are many options for visiting a glacier in or near Juneau, depending on how much time you have. For something quick and easy the Mendenhall Glacier is located right outside town and is seen from a visitors center you can drive right up to. There are several hikes nearby too of different lengths that will give you different views of the Mendenhall Glacier. If you are up for a little more of an adventure head out to the Herbert Glacier trail and do the nine mile out and back hike that takes you right below the Hebert Glacier. There are also daily boat trips to Tracy Arm for glacier viewing and overnight trips to Glacier Bay from Juneau.
2. Go up Mount Roberts:
Mount Roberts located right above downtown is accessible by hiking or taking a tram and gives great views of Juneau, Gastineau Channel and the surrounding mountains. If you wanted something to do a little more off the beaten path you could go up one of the other mountains around town, but the views from Mount Roberts are really incredible and it is possible and made more accessible for good reason.
3. Do the Totem Pole Trail downtown:
A recent addition to the Juneau waterfront is the Totem Pole Trail. There is now a short walk that will take you past twelve Totem Poles along the Juneau waterfront and dock. Each pole has a story board next to explaining the meaning, clan and carver of each amazing piece of art. It is an incredible sight to have so many poles in one place and so accessible with its downtown location.
4. Visit the hatchery:
The DIPAC hatchery is located right outside downtown Juneau and has a whole area for visitors to learn about their process. Walk around the hatchery learning about how the raise small salmon before releasing them into the ocean as a part of a fisheries enhancement program. There is a fish ladder you can see the returning salmon swim up during the summer and early fall and poles to rent so you can try fishing on the dock nearby. Although these are probably not great fish to bring home and cook, once the fish goes to spawn it loses much of its meat color and flavor.
5. Drink A Locally Brewed Beer or Liquor:
There are several breweries in Juneau and a distillery in Juneau that utilize local ingredients to make unique brews that showcase many of the local flavors, like spruce tips and local berries. Stop by Alaskan Brewing, Devils Club Brewery, Barnaby Brewing or Forbidden Peaks Brewing for some local beer. Alaskan Brewing is also making hard seltzers and canned cocktails now that you can try at their tasting room or pick up a pack of at a local shop. If you aren’t a beer person, stop by the Amalga Distillery tasting room downtown, where they make gin and whiskey. They also have a large variety of canned cocktails that are always delicious and a little dangerous.
6. Stay at a public use cabin:
Juneau has so many great and accessible cabins for rent through the Forest Service and Reserve America, this is a must for anyone looking for a real nature experience in Alaska. There are five cabins through the forest service, that you can simply drive to the trailhead from Juneau to access. If you want to fly or boat in that list at least doubles, for a full list and map view check out the website here. There are also two cabins at the Eagle Beach Recreation Area that can be driven right up to for rent on Reserve America. As well as two hike in cabins at Point Bridget State Park that can be rented on Reserve America. It is a truly Alaskan experience to stay at one of the cabins and an affordable way to really get out in the Alaska wild.
7. Wander the coastline:
The coastline in Juneau is beautiful and unique with large snow capped mountains coming rising above the water, no trip here is complete without taking some time to wander one of the beach or waterfront trails. Do a little beach coming looking for sea glass and pretty rocks or just take in the scenery. The beaches on North Douglas Island or at Auke Recreational Site are great places to access the coast.
8. Visit the local museum:
The Alaska State Museum located in downtown Juneau provides some excellent history and showcases great art from across the state of Alaska.It is just 14 dollars to get in and it is open seven days a week in summer, with more limited hours on Mondays. It is worth a visit and a great spot to spend a couple hours wandering. It isn’t huge, so it is not a giant time commitment to get through it all.
9. Explore Douglas Island:
Douglas Island is a large island directly across Gastineau Channel from downtown Juneau. It has its own cute little downtown area and lots of great hiking and nature. Its a fun spot to spend part of the day exploring. Walk around Sandy Beach and do the Treadwell mine loop to learn about the history of the mining in the area. Head to one of the best restaurants in Juneau, the pub for some great pizza. If you want to venture further you can head up to the Ski area at Eagle Crest where you can ski if it is winter or walk the runs in the summer. Further out the road there are also numerous trails on the north part of the island along the coast.
10. Wildlife Viewing:
With so many wild areas and Juneau being located on the mainland of Alaska, plus on the water it is a great spot for a variety of wildlife viewing. There are many places to spot bears including a short boardwalk trail near the Mendenhall visitors center. There are lots of whale watching tours, where you can see multiple types of whales, sea lions, seals and many sea birds. There are also lots of Bald Eagles in Juneau, you can see many of them on the flats in Gastineau Channel when the salmon are returning. Do any hike and you may come across bears, moose, porcupines, Eagles, marmots and a large variety of birds.
