Port of Call, Juneau Alaska
Our first port of call into Alaska is at Juneau. The largest city in the USA in terms of land size, Juneau has no roads in or out of the city. A cruise ship is one of two obvious ways to reach Juneau.
Juneau is a beautiful city surrounded by mountains and glaciers. The main attraction can be said to be The Mendenhall Glacier. Approximately 12 miles out of town the glacier is an awesome sight upon first entering the area. The ice fields tower above the trees making it visible from the road coming in. Just the view of the ice floating in the lake preceding the glacier is fantastic. Some colored deep blue next to the typical white ice bergs are an amazing site.
We were a little too early for the salmon spawning season which would have included viewing platforms by the river to observe the bear feeding. We did get to view a porcupine eating in a bush right next to us so you need to be aware of wildlife all the time around you.
Juneau may be isolated from the rest of the world but there is still plenty to see driving the 200 miles of paved road (Wikipedia estimate) that is available. There is a 2nd glacier Lemon Creek, that is also visible from the road. The city has a shopping area full of shops with “The Red Dog Saloon” as a major attraction.
You can take the bridge across to Douglas Island and walk or drive to the top of the residential area where you can get an awesome view of Juneau and the cruise ships which always seem to be in port.
Back on the Juneau downtown side you can take the Mt. Roberts Tramway to the top and receive another fantastic view from high above. Near the downtown area is the fish hatchery which is a must see when the salmon are returning. Of course we were a little too early.
Our port of call in Juneau was 10 hours long and we only were able to get a sampling of what there is to do. That makes it easier for me to consider a second cruise to Alaska as all Alaska Cruise Ships lead to Juneau.