whales Archives - Pacific Northwest Explorer

Whale Watch Week

In early winter every year approximately 18,000 gray whales migrate south from their feeding grounds in Alaska to their breeding grounds in Baja California. At the peak of this migration, about 30 whales per hour pass any given point along their route.

Adult gray whales are huge: 40-50 feet long and up to 90,000 pounds in weight – as big and heavy as a loaded semi-truck. They are also a long-lived species, 55-70 years is not uncommon, and some have been estimated to be as much as 80 years old. Gray whales are simply magnificent creatures, and they draw thousands of people to the Pacific coast in hopes of seeing them pass by. And because they migrate close to the shore, the many headlands along the Oregon coast are prime whale watching viewpoints.

Every year, the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department sponsors two Whale Watch Week events, one in the winter and another in the spring when the whales make their return trip to Alaska. The 2023 winter event ran from December 27 to December 31. The 2024 spring dates are March 23-31. During the event, fifteen sites along the Oregon coast will be manned by volunteers to assist whale watchers in seeing these amazing creatures. You can also tune in to a live video feed during the event. For more information, go to the Oregon Whale Watch website or the Oregon State Parks whale watch website.

Photo by Marc Webber, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

The spring migration north is spread out over several months, so there are fewer whales per hour to see, but the weather is often better and the calves born in Baja can be seen making their way north to Alaska with their mothers. The mothers and calves also migrate closer to shore than the whales in their winter migration south.

Gray whale sculpture in Puerto Adolfo Lopez Mateos, Baja California Sur, Mexico

The majority of the world’s gray whales spend their summers feeding in the waters around Alaska (a few spend their summers along the coast of the U.S. and Canada) and migrate to Baja California to breed and give birth in the winter months. A smaller, and endangered, population migrates south along the northeast Asian coast. In the past, gray whales also ranged along both the European and North American Atlantic coastlines, and migrated to North Africa and possibly as far as South America to breed. But the Atlantic population has been almost totally extirpated by the whaling industry. In recent years, though, a few gray whales have been sighted in the Mediterranean and along the Atlantic coastlines of Africa and South America.

Whale watching at Depoe Bay, Oregon. Photo from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

If you’re a resident of the Pacific Northwest, or are planning a visit over the holidays or in the spring, consider adding a trip to the Oregon coast to see these wonderful creatures. In addition to the on shore whale watching sites, you can also take whale watching cruises out of Depoe Bay, Oregon and other coastal ports. There’s no guarantee, of course, that you’ll see whales on any given day, but if you do, you won’t be sorry that you made the trip. And you or your children may remember it for the rest of you lives.

Photo by Merrill Gosho, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Even if you don’t see any whales on your trip, the Oregon coast has much else to offer the visitor. Check out my posts linked below for more on the Oregon coast:

Wreck of the Peter Iredale. Photo © Alan K. Lee.

Fort Stevens State Park

Hug Point State Park

Oswald West State Park

Haystack Rock, Cannon Beach, Oregon. Photo © Alan K. Lee.

Four charming Northern Oregon Coast Towns

Bandon, Oregon

Natural Bridges, Boardman State Scenic Corridor, Oregon. Photo © Alan K. Lee.

The magnificent Southern Oregon Coast

Posted December 22, 2023 by Alan K. Lee. Updated March 20, 2024.

Photo Notes:

The featured image at the top of this post is by Merrill Gosho, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. All photos except those by the author were sourced from Wikimedia Commons.

Oswald West State Park

Located between the small towns of Manzanita and Cannon Beach on the north Oregon coast, Oswald West State Park offers a beautiful secluded beach, a prime example of spruce-hemlock temperate rain forest, and some of the most spectacular scenery on the entire coast. The park stretches from Arch Cape in the north to the south slopes of Neahkahnie Mountain, with Smugglers Cove and Short Sand Beach nestled in between Cape Falcon and the north flank of Neahkahnie Mountain.

Oswald West State Park has long been one of my favorite destinations on the Oregon coast. On one of my recent visits, a few days before the spring equinox, the sun was shining, there was an off shore breeze blowing, and the temperature on the beach was about 75 degrees. It was one of those beautiful late winter/early spring breakout days that signal the end of winter – a near perfect day for hiking, sight seeing, and just relaxing on the beach.

The park, originally called Short Sand Beach State Park, was created in 1931 through the efforts of Oregon’s first State Parks Superintendent, Samuel H. Boardman. Boardman was a fervent believer that of as much of the coast should be preserved in public ownership as possible. Many of the state parks along the coast were created under his stewardship. Short Sand Beach State Park was renamed in 1958 to honor former Oregon Governor Oswald West (1873-1960). West was instrumental in preserving public ownership of all Oregon beaches during his term in office (1911-1915) .

Short Sand Beach (also known as Short Sands Beach or just Shorty’s) is popular with local surfers, and is also a popular family destination. The three paved parking lots along Hwy 101 are often full on summer weekends. The short trail to the beach takes you through through the temperate rain forest along Short Sand Creek. There was a walk-in campground located in the forest adjacent to the south end of the beach until 2008 when a large Sitka spruce fell without warning, crushing two fortunately unoccupied campsites. The campground was permanently closed after examination of other trees revealed that several more were in danger of falling.

There are many miles of hiking trails within the park, including thirteen miles of the iconic Oregon Coast Trail. The Oswald West State Park trail guide is a good reference for hikers. Cape Falcon and the north slopes of Neahkahnie Mountain both offer truly spectacular scenery, and can be accessed from Short Sand Beach. The Cape Falcon trail is a personal favorite of mine. Most people don’t venture beyond Short Sand Beach, so you are likely to find yourself with little company, particularly on the section of trail between Cape Falcon and Arch Cape. The trail winds through the spruce-hemlock forest and over Cape Falcon with numerous viewpoints looking south across Smugglers Cove to Neahkahnie Mountain. North of Cape Falcon the trail passes through more spruce-hemlock forest to the small community of Arch Cape, just north of the Arch Cape headland.

Devils Cauldron is a spectacularly beautiful little cove on the north side of Neahkahnie Mountain. It can be reached by either a one mile hike from Short Sand Beach or a much shorter hike from where the Coast Trail crosses Hwy 101. To access the shorter route, drive south on Hwy 101 from the Short Sand Beach parking lots and look for a gravel parking area on the ocean side of the highway. Follow the Coast Trail north a short ways to a signed junction. The Devils Cauldron viewpoint is just a quarter mile walk from the parking area.

On your way back to the trailhead look for another trail branching off to the south. The junction here is unsigned and the trail is sometimes overgrown and impassable. But if it’s open, the trail leads to a narrow shelf of rock that falls away on three sides to the ocean below, and the cliffs of Neahkahnie Mountain tower over the viewpoint to both the north and south. It may not be a place for people with a fear of heights, but it’s one of the most awesome places on the entire coast.

If you’re not a hiker, Hwy 101 has numerous turnouts along the stretch that traverses the face of Neahkahnie Mountain. Here the highway is literally carved into the cliff high above the sea. The views of the ocean and coastline are truly spectacular, and Neahkahnie is one of the best places to spot gray whales.

In the spring, about 18,000 gray whales make the annual trek from their breeding grounds in Baja California to feed in the nutrient rich waters off Alaska. At the peak of the migration in late March about 30 whales per hour pass any given spot on the Oregon coast. Oregon State Parks sponsors Whale Watch Week twice each year, in late March and again in late December when the whales are returning to Baja. Volunteers can be found at 17 spots along the coast, including Neahkahnie Mountain, to help you spot migrating whales. Check the Oregon State Parks Whale Watching website for more information.

After visiting Oswald West, I like to stop at Cannon Beach or Manzanita for a bite to eat and/or a brew or two. In Cannon Beach try Oro’s Fireside Restaurant, Corbin’s, Castaways Global Cuisine, or Pizza A’ Fetta. Cannon Beach brew pubs worth visiting include Pelican Brewing, Bill’s Tavern and Brewhouse, and Public Coast Brewing. If you’re looking for fine dining and cost is not an issue, try the Stephanie Inn or Newmans At 988.

If you’re heading south, Big Wave Cafe, Left Coast Siesta (Mexican), Neah-kah-nie Bistro (fine dining), Marzano’s Pizza Pie, and San Dune Pub (that’s not a typo) in Manzanita are all good places to stop, as is Riverside Fish and Chips in nearby Nehalem. A good breakfast before heading to the park can be had at Lazy Susan Cafe in Cannon Beach, Yolk in Manzanita, or Wanda’s Cafe in Nehalem.

Oswald West State Park is about a two hour drive from Portland, so it’s easily doable as a day trip if you’re from the Portland area or are visiting Portland. But if you want to make a weekend of it, there are plenty of other attractions on the north Oregon coast beyond Oswald West. Hug Point is another spot that my wife and I visit frequently. Both Manzanita and Cannon Beach are interesting towns worth exploring in their own right, have nice beaches, and have many resorts, motels, B&Bs, and other accommodations, as well as their many fine eating and drinking establishments. Seaside, Gearhart, and the Astoria area are other options to the north. Public campgrounds can be found at Nehalem Bay State Park near Manzanita (265 camp sites and 18 yurts), and Fort Stevens State Park (almost 500 campsites, 15 yurts and 11 cabins) at the mouth of the Columbia River about 30 miles north of Oswald West.

If you’re an art lover, Cannon Beach has many fine art galleries, including White Bird, DragonFire, Bronze Coast, Jeffrey Hull, North By Northwest, Imprint, and Icefire Glassworks. Look for a future Pacific Northwest Explorer post on the Cannon Beach art scene.

Originally posted March 27, 2019 by Alan K. Lee. Updated and re-posted June 26, 2021 and November 4, 2023.

All photos © Alan K. Lee

British Columbia’s Gulf Islands

by Alan K. Lee

My wife and I love to explore new places, and most of our travels are to places that we have never been to before. But there are a few places that have drawn us back again and again. One of those is British Columbia’s Gulf Islands. The Covid-19 pandemic interrupted our plans to revisit the islands in 2021, but we will be back again in the near future.

The Gulf Islands are located off the southeast coast of Vancouver Island. There are six main islands in the Southern Gulf Islands: Salt Spring, Mayne, North Pender, South Pender, Saturna, and Galiano. The Northern Gulf Islands consist of Thetis, Penelakut, Valdes, and Gabriola Islands. Each island has its own particular charms, and all are well worth exploring.

The Gulf Islands Guide has a description of each island and good information on events and accommodations in the Islands. Other useful websites include Gulf Islands Tourism, and Salt Spring Island.org.

The largest, most populated, and most accessible of the Southern Gulf Islands is Salt Spring. Ganges, on Salt Spring, is the commercial and cultural heart of the Islands. It is the largest (and really the only) town in the Southern Gulf Islands. One of the charms of the Gulf Islands is that they are largely untrammeled by commercial development. There are no big resorts, no malls, nothing to draw in the masses except the natural beauty that surrounds you everywhere in the Islands. But once there, many people are captivated not only by the scenery and wildlife, but also by the people and the islands’ culture and lifestyle.

Salt Spring has an active arts community, with numerous galleries and studios in Ganges and scattered across the island. A Farmer’s Market is held in Ganges every Saturday during the summer, where you can sample artisanal cheeses and locally grown produce. Arts, crafts, and home and garden products are also available.

Salt Spring and the other Gulf Islands also offer an abundance of outdoor activities, from hiking and mountain biking to sailing and kayaking, camping, fishing, whale watching, and more.

There are no commercial airports in the Gulf Islands, but there are float plane companies that will take you to the islands. And the Victoria airport is only a few miles from the Schwartz Bay ferry terminal, so flying to Victoria and renting a car is a good option for people from outside the Northwest that want to visit the Southern Gulf Islands.

Most visitors to the Gulf Islands arrive via one of the BC Ferries. Passenger and car ferries travel from Tsawwassen on the B.C. mainland south of Vancouver to Long Harbor near Ganges, and from Schwartz Bay on Vancouver Island north of Victoria to Fulford Harbor near the southern tip of Salt Spring. There is also a smaller ferry from Crofton on Vancouver Island to Vesuvius on the northwest side of Salt Spring. The other Southern Gulf Islands are serviced by ferries departing the Long Harbor terminal.

The Northern Gulf Islands are reached by ferries from Chemainus and Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. Be sure to check the ferry schedules on the BC Ferries website. Reservations may be required, especially on summer weekends, and the ferry system is designed to serve island residents, not tourists, so island hopping can be difficult.

I’ve found that a good way to explore the Southern Gulf Islands by car is to base yourself on Salt Spring and pick an island to explore each day. North and South Pender Islands are connected by a bridge, so they can be explored in a day. Take another three days to explore Mayne, Saturna, and Galiano. That still leaves you several days to see all Salt Spring has to offer, even if you have only a week.

There is a bus system on Salt Spring Island, but public transportation is limited or nonexistent on the other islands. You can get around without a car, though. There is a unique Car Stop system, sort of an organized hitchhiking system, on all of the Southern Islands. Look for the Car Stop signs and stick out your thumb. Someone will stop to give you a ride. Drivers can be selective about who they pick up, and of course hitchhikers can be equally selective about whose car they get into. But it’s generally safe, and it’s free. It also a unique way to get to know some of the locals.

If you or one of your fellow travelers is an experience boater or sailor, you can charter a sailboat or power boat and explore the islands by sea. Full-service marinas are located at Sidney on Vancouver Island, and on Saltspring, Pender, Galiano, and Thetis Islands, and there are public docks on most of the islands. Winds and currents can be tricky and changeable in the narrow channels between the islands, so experience is essential and charter companies require proof of competence. But if you have the necessary qualifications, this is an excellent way to explore the Islands. We have done this, and I can personally recommend it.

There are a wide variety of accommodations available on the islands, from full-service resorts and hotels to traditional B&Bs to single rooms available through Airbnb. One place that I can personally recommend is Spindrift Oceanfront Cottages on Salt Spring Island near Ganges. Spindrift is located at the end of a peninsula in Ganges Harbor in a park-like setting. It has two sand beaches perfect for launching kayaks. If you’re a kayaker, this is a perfect jumping off point. Ganges Harbor and its numerous islands are well worth exploring. Prevost Island, a short paddle to the southeast of Ganges Harbor is also worth a visit. A portion of Prevost is set aside as part of the Gulf Islands National Park.

There are a number of Provincial Parks in the Islands that are worth exploring. Mount Maxwell Provincial Park on the west side of Salt Spring Island provides spectacular views of Salt Spring Island and across Saanich Inlet to Vancouver Island to the west. You can drive to the summit, but there are also hiking and mountain bike trails for the more adventurous. Ruckle Provincial Park on the southeast coast of Salt Spring has hiking trails that take you along the shore of Swanson Channel, as well as a campground with eight RV sites (no hookups) and 78 walk in tent sites. There are also good hiking trails at Mt. Erskine Provincial Park, just west of Ganges. Galiano Island also has several provincial parks, and portions of both Pender Islands and Saturna Island are set aside as part of the Gulf Islands National Park.

If you are a cheese lover, you’ll want to visit Salt Spring Island Cheese. Their farm is located on Reynolds Road, just off of the road leading to Ruckle Park. There you can not only sample and purchase their artisanal cheeses, but also see the whole cheese making operation. You can also find their cheeses at the Farmer’s Market in Ganges and in many grocery stores in B.C. and as far away as Toronto. If you are a wine lover, stop at Salt Spring Vineyards and Tasting Room, and Garry Oaks Estate Winery, both located south of Ganges on Fulford-Ganges Road.

You can’t see everything British Columbia’s Gulf Islands have to offer in a week, or even two, but it’s time enough to fall in love with them, which happens to a lot of first-time visitors. It happened to us. It’s brought us back numerous times, and we will visit again in the near future. And the proximity of the Gulf Islands to Victoria and the rest of Vancouver Island makes for a wide variety of possible itineraries on an extended vacation.

Originally posted July 2, 2018. Updated and re-posted February 17, 2021, and April 21, 2023.

All photos © Alan K. Lee

Cape Lookout Hike

Cape Trail

Where: Cape Lookout State Park, northern Oregon coast

Type: Out and back

Distance: 4.8 miles

Elevation gain: 500 feet

Difficulty: Moderate (for distance and rough trail)

Map: Cape Lookout State Park Trail Guide

Guidebooks:

100 Hikes / Travel Guide Oregon Coast & Coast Range – William L. Sullivan

Beer Hiking Pacific Northwest – Rachel Wood & Brandon Fralic

60 Hikes Within 60 Miles Portland – Paul Gerald

Day Hiking Oregon Coast – Bonnie Henderson

Overview:

Cape Lookout is a narrow sliver of land extending two miles out into the Pacific Ocean between Cape Meares and Cape Kiwanda. The hike to its tip provides the hiker with a unique experience and some of the best viewpoints on the entire coast. The trail passes through an old growth spruce-hemlock forest with an understory of salal, salmonberry, huckleberry, and sword ferns. In summer the open areas are carpeted with wildflowers. The end of the trail, at the top of a cliff 400 feet above the ocean, is one of the best whale watching spots on the Oregon coast and one of the best places to observe sea birds.

Best times to go:

This trail can be hiked any time of the year, but trail conditions are usually best in late summer and early fall. Even then, the trail can be muddy. At other times of the year, it can be very muddy in places. The best times to avoid crowds are the winter months or anytime that it is raining. So, if solitude is what you’re after, gear up and go. On summer weekends the parking area fills up quickly, so it’s best to go early in the morning or in the evening after most of the crowd has gone home.

Getting there:

From Tillamook, take Ore Hwy 131 (Three Capes Scenic Route) west. At 5.0 miles, angle left onto Whiskey Creek Road. At the Netarts Bayfront, rejoin the Three Capes Scenic Route and follow it south to Cape Lookout State Park. The trailhead is 2.7 miles beyond the entrance to the state park campground and day use area.

From Lincoln City, take US Hwy 101 north and turn left onto Booten Road (1.4 miles north of the Nestucca River bridge). Proceed to Pacific City. Turn left onto Pacific Avenue and re-cross the Nestucca River. Immediately west of the bridge turn right on Cape Kiwanda Drive and follow it past Pelican Brewing. North of Cape Kiwanda (see the Other Attractions section below) the road becomes McPhillips Drive then Sand Lake Road. Continue to the T intersection, turn left, and proceed 3.2 miles to the trailhead.

Trailhead: Cape Lookout State Park

There are no facilities at the trailhead, but water and restrooms can be found at the day use area of the state park, just north of the cape.

The hike:

From the end of the parking area, take the Cape Trail to the left. (To the right is the trailhead of the North Trail, which descends 2.3 miles to the state park day use area). On the Cape Trail, in about a hundred yards you’ll come to the junction with the South Trail, which descends 1.8 miles to a little used beach.

The Cape Trail then descends gradually to a viewpoint at the 0.6-mile mark where you can see south to Cape Kiwanda and Cascade Head. Near the overlook, look for a bronze plaque set in stone that commemorates the site where a B-17 bomber crashed on a foggy day in 1943.

From there, the trail crosses to the north side of the cape and comes to a viewpoint at the 1.2-mile mark. Here you can see north to Cape Meares and Three Arch Rocks. Just west of the viewpoint, the original trail slid into the ocean about 30 years ago. The present trail detours away from the cliff through a boggy area on a boardwalk.

The trail returns to the south side of the cape and continues for another 1.2 miles, climbing and descending several times, to a viewpoint at the end of the cape, 400 feet above the ocean. Views there stretch from Cape Foulweather, 40 miles to the south, to Neahkannie Mountain, 40 miles to the north.

The end of the trail is the best spot to see gray whales. It’s not uncommon to see a dozen or more in an hour as they round the tip of the cape during the peaks of their spring and fall migrations. The journey between their feeding grounds in the Bering Sea and their breeding and calving grounds in Baja California is a round trip of more than 6000 miles.

You’ll probably linger for a while at the end of the trail, but when you’ve had your fill of sightseeing and whale watching, return to the parking area the way you came.

Other hiking options:

The North Trail is a 4.6-mile out and back hike with 800 feet of elevation gain from the day use area at Cape Lookout State Park to the beginning of the Cape Trail (or a 2.3-mile one way hike if you have someone drop you off at either end). For the ambitious, the North Trail and the Cape Trail can be combined into a 9.4-mile out and back hike with 1300 feet of elevation gain.

The South Trail is a 3.6-mile out and back hike with 800 feet of elevation gain from the Cape Trail to the beach to the south. The South Trail can also be combined with a 4.0-mile beach walk to an RV parking area as a 5.8-mile shuttle trip.

From the state park day use area, the beach to the north extends more than five miles to the mouth of Netarts Bay, making for out and back options up to 10+ miles in length. (Looping back along the bayfront is not an option.)

Other area attractions and activities:

To the north of Cape Lookout, the small town of Oceanside, one of my favorite small towns on the northern Oregon coast, has a nice beach (with a unique tunnel through the headland at the north end that leads to a very picturesque beach) and several good places to get a bite to eat. North of Oceanside, Cape Meares State Park has a working lighthouse, several short trails, and another good whale watching site.

Cape Kiwanda with Cape Lookout in the distance

To the south, Cape Kiwanda is a sandstone headland that is unlike any of the other rocky headlands on the Oregon coast. Just to its south, the town of Pacific City has a nice beach that is home to Oregon’s only dory fleet of fishing boats that launch directly from the beach. Pelican Brewing, on the beachfront, is one of the coast’s largest (and best) brew pubs, and there are several other decent places in town to get food or drink.

In conclusion:

The Cape Trail at Cape Lookout is one of the best hikes on the northern Oregon coast and one of the best places to watch gray whales on their annual migration. Combine the hike with visits to Cape Meares and Cape Kiwanda for an outstanding and easy day trip from the Portland or Salem areas.

Posted April 6, 2023 by Alan K. Lee

Juneau, Alaska

by Alan K. Lee

I’ve been to Juneau a couple of times, the latest being a few years ago. While it’s not my favorite destination in Alaska (that would be Sitka) or the culturally richest (Anchorage), it is a unique and very interesting place, and a well worth a visit.

Looking north across Auke Bay from Mount Roberts

Getting to Juneau can be a bit difficult. No roads lead to Juneau, so it’s either fly in or come by boat. On both of my trips to southeast Alaska I traveled to Juneau by way of Sitka. On the first trip, my wife and I traveled via the Alaska Ferry system from Ketchikan to Skagway and back, except for the segment from Sitka to Juneau. The ferry schedule and our itinerary didn’t match up, so we flew from Sitka to Juneau and resumed our journey by ferry from there. The ferry schedule didn’t work for us on our more recent visit, either, so we made the short flight from Sitka this time, also.

The Juneau airport is about 10 miles north of the city. You can get to the city by taxi, the municipal bus system, or rental car. Once downtown, you don’t really need a car to explore the city. The downtown is compact and easily walkable. The bus system is also free in the downtown area. But having a car makes getting to Mendenhall Glacier and other outlying areas much easier.

Mendenhall Glacier is a must see when visiting Juneau. It’s located near the airport and the ferry terminal dock. The Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center is a good place to start, but if you’re getting around by bus, the closest stop is a mile and a half away. You also have to buy a five dollar (per person) pass to enter. The pass is also required to access some of the area hiking trails. Check the visitor center website for more information. You can park and hike some of the trails, including the popular Nugget Falls Trail that takes you close to the glacier, without buying the pass, so many people skip the visitor center.

Nugget Falls is a short walk (less than a mile) from the parking area and visitor center. It’s more of a cascade down the steep slope of the mountain than a free fall, but the sheer volume and velocity of water crashing down into Mendenhall Lake is awesome. It’s one of my favorite waterfalls anywhere. It would be a great destination in itself, but being so close to the face of Mendenhall Glacier actually draws your attention away from the falls. There are a couple of other short interpretive trails starting from or near the visitor center, and the East Glacier Trail (3.5 mile loop rated moderate) offers great views of the glacier. Across the lake, the West Glacier Trail gets you closer to the glacier than the trails around the visitor center. It’s a four mile out and back hike rated moderate.

Another must see in the Juneau area is the view from Mount Roberts, just southeast of downtown Juneau. You can hike to the 3819 foot summit via a 4.5 mile trail, but a more practical alternative is to take the Mount Roberts Tramway to the 1800 foot level. The tram only takes you halfway to the summit, but the view from the top of the tram is still pretty spectacular. You’re looking down on the city directly below, the town of Douglas across Gastineau Channel, and across to the mountains of Douglas Island. You can also see for miles up and down Gastineau Channel.

But if that’s not good enough for you, you can access the Mount Roberts Trail from the top of the tram to get higher up the mountain. The top of the tramway is at about timberline, so the views from above are unimpeded. The tram is operated by a Native American corporation, and The Mountain House at the top of the tram features a 120 seat theater that shows a free 18 minute film depicting Tlingit history and culture. There is also a restaurant and gift store in the Mountain House. And Gastineau Guiding operates the Nature Store at the top of the tram where you can get information on area hiking trails and the mountain ecosystem. The tram costs $45 per person ($25 for kids), but it’s money well spent.

View across Fritz Cove from Douglas Island

Whale watching is another popular tourist activity in Juneau. A number of companies offer half and full day cruises in the waters around Juneau. Half day (3-4 hour) cruises run about $125 per person. Full day (6 hour) cruises with a salmon bake afterwards can be had for around $175. Humpback Whales are common and sightings are generally guaranteed. Orcas also frequent the area. Sea kayaking tours are also popular. Half day tours in Auke Bay run a little over $100 per person. Experienced kayakers can rent single kayaks for about $60 per day. Double kayaks run slightly higher. Canoe and kayak tours of Mendenhall Lake are also available and are a great way to see both the glacier and Nugget Falls.

On our first trip to southeast Alaska back in 1995 we took a day-long small boat cruise up Tracy Arm, a glacial fjord about 45 miles south of Juneau. It’s stunningly beautiful, with dozens of waterfalls, some as high as 1000 feet, cascading down the sometimes vertical walls of the fjord. You’ll almost certainly see seals, porpoises, bald eagles, and many other marine birds. Orcas and humpback whales frequent the area. You may see black bears along the shore and mountain goats on the cliffs. You’ll navigate between small icebergs.

Seals often haul out on the bergs to rest and sleep. At the head of the inlet you’ll get a close up view of South Sawyer Glacier. How close you get will depend on the boat that you’re on and the amount of ice in the water, but you will get a spectacular look at the face of the glacier and there’s a chance that you’ll witness large blocks of ice calving off the face and crashing into the water below. The cruise was one of the highlights of our trip. We didn’t have time to repeat the cruise on latest visit, but if you can fit it into your itinerary, I highly recommend that you do so. You won’t regret it, and the cost is reasonable (less than $200 per person) for what you get.

Another highly rated outing is a helicopter tour of the Juneau Icefield. I haven’t done this one, but several of the reviews I read called it “the adventure of a lifetime,” and the photos I’ve seen are pretty awesome. A 2-3 hour tour of the 1500 square mile icefield that lands and lets you set foot on the ice starts at around $325 per person. Salmon and halibut fishing charters are another popular activity in Juneau (although Ketchikan is probably a more popular fishing destination). Costs vary by operator, but figure roughly $175-$300 per person for a four hour trip and $250-$450 for an eight hour trip.

The area around Juneau is so wild, unspoiled, and spectacularly beautiful that it is the main draw, but the city has plenty of appeal in itself. The downtown area is compact and easily walkable, and most attractions are close by each other.

If you’re interested in local history, you’ll find the Alaska State Museum of interest. It houses an extensive collection of Native Alaskan artifacts, including fragments of three baskets that are more than 5000 years old. The museum also has a collection of artifacts from the Russian colonial period and early American presence, as well as works by contemporary Native artists. The Juneau-Douglas City Museum, might also be of interest. It’s located across the street from the State Capitol, in the Veteran’s Memorial Building, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The Sealaska Heritage Institute, dedicated to the “study and sharing of Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian cultures” is another place that you can learn more about the history and culture of the area. The St. Nicholas Orthodox Church will also be of interest. All four are within easy walking distance of each other in downtown Juneau.

Juneau also has a number of outstanding art galleries, including the Juneau Artists Gallery, the Louise Miller Fine Art Studio, and Annie Kaill’s Fine Crafts Gallery.

Juneau has no shortage of places to get top notch seafood. You won’t find fresher fish anywhere. Try Tracy’s King Crab Shack, Twisted Fish Company, The Hangar On the Wharf, or Deckhand Dave’s Fish Tacos. There are other good places to eat (and drink), as well. We found a cool local hangout, The Island Pub, in Douglas where our B&B was located, that had both good food and good beer. We also stumbled onto a little hole-in-the-wall brewery (more like a home brew operation than a commercial brewery) in downtown Juneau, and visited the Alaskan Brewing Company brewery tasting room (definitely not a hobby scale brewery) in Lemon Creek, near the airport.

There are a number of quality hotels in the downtown area. The Juneau Hotel has 72 suites, all with full kitchens and a washer and dryer. Summer rates start at around $200 per night. Off season rates begin at around $130/night. Silverbow Hotel and Suites and Four Points by Sheraton Juneau both get good reviews, but are significantly more expensive (north of $400/night on summer weekends). There are also many B&Bs and vacation rentals that are much more affordable. Our Airbnb rental in Douglas was more than adequate and was reasonably priced.

A note on the weather. Be prepared for rain and cold any time of the year. We were in Juneau the first week in June and saw the sun only briefly in the four days we spent there. High temperatures were in the mid 50s with some light rain. After leaving Juneau we spent three days in Ketchikan and it rained sideways for a good two days straight. Prior to arriving in Juneau, though, our stay in Sitka had been sunny and beautiful. On our 1995 trip, it was sunny in Ketchikan both on our arrival and our departure two weeks later, but those were the only times we saw the sun. The moral of the story is the weather you get is the weather you get. But regardless, Juneau and all of southeast Alaska is such an incredible place that experiencing bad weather there is almost inconsequential. Come prepared, but don’t worry about the weather. It’ll be worth it.

Posted Nov. 6, 2021