An Alaska Port City Vignette – Juneau

Juneau – which has been called America’s most beautiful state capital – became Alaska’s capital city in 1906 when the administration of the then-District of Alaska moved from Sitka to the site of Alaska’s first major gold strike. Prospectors Joe Juneau and Richard Harris had, under the prodding guidance of a Tlingit Indian chief named Kowee, discovered gold there in 1880. Juneau historian Robert De Armond, in his book “The Founding of Juneau,” quotes Harris as having later described the strike in Silver Bow Basin in these words: “We knew it was gold, but so much and not in particles; streaks running through the rock and little lumps as large as peas or beans…”

<- The Historic Juneau District

The author hiking near Juneau ->

The camp quickly became a town that became a city that soon became Alaska’s biggest, busiest, most bustling community. All of the major cruiselines serving Alaska call at the hub city of the northern panhandle. History buffs should not fail to visit at least one of three rewarding museums there – Last Chance Mining Museum (in Last Chance Basin not far from the site of the initial discovery), the City Museum across Main Street from Alaska’s State Capitol, and the Alaska State Museum on Whittier Street, a 10-15 minute walk from Juneau’s cruiseship wharf where some of the largest cruiseships on the Pacific Coast tie up or anchor out.

Other must-see attractions: Mt. Roberts Tram which rises from sea level on the wharf to an upper station at the 1,800 foot level, and Mendenhall Glacier about 13 miles “out the road,” one of only a handful of massive ice rivers in Alaska you can drive to. Time to spare? Hike the beach and woods of the Treadwell Historic Trail on Douglas Island and photograph skeletal remains of mining buildings and equipment. Glacier Gardens Rainforest Adventure, also “out the road” on Glacier Highway, offers 50 acres of extraordinary color and horticulture. For libations, don’t miss the famous Red Dog Saloon downtown.

<- An adventurer rides the zip line on Douglas Island

For collectors of zipline adventures – where you ride suspended from cables in parachute-like harness while “zipping” through lush Alaska forests – Juneau boasts not one but two splendid opportunities. Both lie across the bridge on Douglas Island. Along the beach and within the old Treadwell Mine diggin’s there’s Alaska Canopy Adventures. In the alpine forest adjacent to Eaglecrest Ski Area you’ll find Alaska Zipline Adventures. More Juneau information at www.traveljuneau.com.

Copyright © 2008 Mike Miller All Rights Reserved
Alaskan travel writer Mike Miller lives in Juneau where his current passion is publishing an information-packed website about Alaska cruising and ferry travel: http://www.AlaskaCruisingReport.com. Miller has authored a number of books (Fodors, Sierra Club Books, Globe Pequot, and others), and contributes to The Milepost, TravelAge West (for travel agents) and frequently writes for major newspapers and magazines.