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| View of the city of Juneau from Douglas Island |
JUNEAU,
ALASKA
When traveling to Alaska, the first
thing you need to consider is timing! Literally timing is everything. Most
people recommend anywhere from May-September for visiting Alaska, especially if
you’re from one of the warmer lower 48 states. Not only is this because the
weather is much better during this time, but also many of the touristy towns
shut half-way down during the off season. My point: don’t go in April, like I
did. I went in April because I was “off” school for that month, and it was the best
time that worked for my hubby and I.
Some of you know my man, Matt, has
a pretty awesome job underneath the mountains outside of Juneau, Alaska. As an
underground miner, he has the opportunity to work some pretty amazing places. When
he decided on the job in Juneau, I knew that I needed to check it out ASAP! So,
I took my first plane ride ever, over 4000 miles away, to visit him in that northern
rainforest.
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| Yes those are mountain and the Pacific Ocean all in one pic! |
Y’ALL! I was not disappointed! Alaska
is quite literally the most beautiful place I’ve ever visited, and I’m saying
that after having a view of my beloved smokies my entire life! I know all the
seasoned Alaskans may say Juneau isn’t a true Alaska experience due to being so
far south, but if it gets any prettier I may pitch a tent and never leave
(figuratively—I’m much too delicate to live in a tent that far north).
I joined
Matt for 7 days exploring Juneau. We rented a car and stayed in an AirBnb. The
link to the AirBnb we stayed in is here. It was amazingly clean and comfortable
(can you move into an AirBnb?!) To date: it’s my favorite AirBnb. If you
do not have an account, feel free to create one with my link here! You will get
$40 off your first stay (I’ll get a little something too)!
Things
to REMEMBER!
It rains almost every day in Juneau. I recommend bringing appropriate shoes, especially if you plan on traveling during the colder
months! I was most thankful for my Muck boots!
Enjoy the scenery. Such a simple recommendation, but
probably the most accurate one I can make. The enormity of the mountains is
indescribable. Pictures truly do not do it justice. It amazed me that you can
look from the ocean to the mountains without turning your head. I could go on
and on about how pretty it is, but you will never fully appreciate it until you
see it yourself!
Things
you HAVE to do in JUNEAU!
Juneau is a tourist town during the summer, and there is an
abundance of things you can do during your time there.
Mendenhall Glacier
This was #1 on my list when I was researching ways to spend our daylight in Juneau. I was not disappointed at all. We visited two separate days. On the first day, we viewed the glacier from the visitor’s center that is accessible to anyone at any age and fitness level. The second day, we took some trails out to the waterfall that sits near the base of the glacier for some closer views. The trails were very easy to follow and you do not need to be in “good shape” to travel them; however, if you need to make a speedy getaway due to potential bear encounters, you may want to be able to move a little fast (haha, we didn’t see any bears but in AK its always possible!) I believe there are guided hikes you can take out to the actual glacier that are supposed to be more strenuous, but we didn’t look into those (the elliptical and I haven’t spent enough time together for that yet!)
I recommend visiting Treadwell Mine Historic Park. The mining
camp itself wasn’t open until the week after I visited, but we were still able
to hike and see some old mining equipment. The wildlife is amazing in Juneau and you will get to see some beautiful nature like in the picture here! Treadwell Mine and hiking more of the trails are of the top things on my list
when I visit again!
Downtown
Downtown Juneau has a really good coffee shop called
Heritage Coffee Roasting Company. The coffee was really great, and there are
other locations around town! You need to try a cup while you are visiting!
The downtown area has really great shops and touristy
locations to visit. Unfortunately, when I was there in April, about half of the
shops weren’t open. Of course, I had to check out Juneau Drug, the local pharmacy!
Since many attractions were closed, I didn’t get to try
everything. I would have loved to check out the Mount Roberts Tramway and the
Twisted Fish Co.
Food and Drinks!
There is a local bar call Squirez Bar that we went to. The
bartenders were really great, the atmosphere was nice, and we overall had a
great time. See the picture to the right where I beat Matt for the first time at
Cricket!
My favorite restaurant was called The Hanger on the Warf. We were told it got its name because it use to be a hanger for sea planes. Their catch phrase is “where the
locals go,” and I now know why! It is right on the water, and if you get lucky,
you may actually get to see a sea plane land right outside the window. We ate
here twice during our visit. The first time I had the halibut fish tacos. They were so
great and are my husband’s go to when dining out in Juneau. The second time
Matt got Roasted Duck À L'Orange and I got the combination platter. I can’t
remember the exact name of the dish (I feel horrible), but it is pictured below
and was priced via market price. To say it was the best seafood feels like an
understatement as to how good it really was. Highly recommend fresh caught
seafood when visiting Juneau!
Traveling to Juneau isn't hard, but you have to either boat or fly in. Juneau has a decent size airport with flights traveling all day long, especially during tourist season. If you are flying from the lower 48, you will most likely have to fly from Seattle to Juneau. Most of the time, you can get a direct flight; however, you may have to take a multi-stop flight. I arrived in Juneau late at night and my plane landed in Ketchikan for about 45 minutes before continuing on to Juneau. The plane was normal size and the flight wasn't scary! Overall, the trip from TN to Juneau was pretty easy, just long.
I can't wait to travel to Alaska again soon. Let me know your favorite places and things to do in Alaska, so I can add them to my bucket list!
-XOXO Racheal
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