As your ship docks at the Juneau cruise port and excitement builds at your first glimpse of those magnificent glaciers, you may wonder what kind of Juneau shore excursions are offered that will capture the awesomely beautiful scenery. Well, just to be clear, that awesomely beautiful scenery will be part of every excursion you care to book, and that’s a very good start, indeed.
Juneau’s unique positioning at the midpoint of the Inside Passage gives Alaska’s capital city an unparalleled array of vistas that include mountains, glaciers, rainforests, fjords, waterfalls, and sea. These, in turn, afford visitors a wealth of opportunities to delve into, discover, and delight in the natural world that is the heart of Juneau.
For a scenic overview of the area, make the first of your Juneau shore excursions the Mount Roberts Tramway, located right at the port. Ascending 1,800 feet up in a tramcar, you’re treated to breathtaking views of Juneau, including Gastineau Channel, Stephens Passage, and the Silver Bow Basin, where gold was discovered in 1880.
And if gold is your game, there are tours to pan for gold, alone or in combination with other family-fun activities like an authentic salmon bake, a flightseeing tour of glaciers, or a whale-watching cruise. Whale-watching rates five-stars for fun and fascinating Juneau cruise excursions. It’s simply thrilling to see a humpback or orca make that leaping arc out of the water and come splashing down before your eyes. Guided excursions range from day to evening, from combo tours that include other activities like wildlife hikes or glacier walks, and from multi-passenger cruisers to smaller crafts.
For those who revel in heights, nothing rivals the up-close views of the area’s magnificent glaciers, whether you choose a helicopter tour that lands atop Mendenhall Glacier or walking, hiking, or canoeing trips that take you right alongside. For a double-dose of outdoor adventure, book an over-glacier helicopter ride to a dog-sled-musher’s camp.
There’s no shortage of active adventures to explore while in port. You can book Juneau shore excursions offering ziplining over rainforests, canoeing downriver around ice floes, biking in the shadow of a glacier with a break for beer tasting, or sport fishing for an opportunity to finally reel in the big one.
If laid back and leisurely are more your style, Mendenhall Gardens is an oasis of colorful beauty, and for food lovers there are restaurant excursions that seek out Juneau’s tastiest tidbits.
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