A bear? Behind the espresso stand? No roads in or out? (you have to come by boat or plane...) What kind of a state capital is this? Probably different from what you’re used to...
Almost surrounded by high mountains and with a vast ice field—larger than Rhode Island—to the north, Juneau winters are substantially colder than Ketchikan or Sitka. Tlingit natives had fish camps near today’s downtown, but wintered in a more temperate and sheltered area near Auke Bay. In 1880 Kowee, the local Tlingit chief, led two prospectors, Joe Juneau and Richard Harris, up Gold Creek, which runs through today’s downtown, to what is now Silver Bow Basin. The men found ample nuggets and quartz laced with gold, and Alaska’s first gold rush was on. However, the easy to find streambed gold was quickly gathered up, and a new kind of enterprise was formed to follow the gold underground. This industrial scale deep tunnel hard rock mining was very different from other Alaska gold rushes where individuals or small groups of men worked creeks and beaches with essentially hand tools.

At Juneau, high grade ore was quickly exhausted and massive stamp mills were built to extract gold; it wasn’t uncommon for 20 or more tons of ore to be dug and processed to yield a single ounce of fine gold. The tailings—the crushed rock that was left, was dumped along the shore, creating the flat land on which today’s downtown Juneau was built on. At peak capacity, the big stamp mills of the Alaska-Juneau mine, still visible above the cruise ship docks, could crush 12,000 tons of ore a day. Working conditions were dangerous and - the entrance to the big Treadwell mine was nicknamed the “glory Hole,” for all the miners—sometimes one a week—that went to glory there. Eventually the gold played out, the tunnels—by then deep under the channel—filled with water, and today all that’s left is ruins of the old stamp mill on the hill above the cruise ship dock.

But the gold is still there and a 21st century style mine—designed with minimal visual and environmental impact—is being built on a slope above Lynn Canal, above 45 miles north of Juneau.
The gold made Juneau the economic capital, so the legislative capital was moved there as well from Sitka in 1906. As the gold played out, government jobs, both state and federal, assumed a dominant role in Juneau’s economy. Because of these government jobs, economic life in Juneau is much less seasonal than in other Alaska coastal towns which are more dependent on tourism and sport and commercial fishing. For this reason, the impact of the growing cruise ship industry sets a little less easy with Juneau residents. Cruise ship captains have learned that if they want to avoid an angry call from the harbormaster, they need to keep their deck public address systems off as they pass Douglas (across the channel from Juneau) as they approach and leave town. Another source of annoyance to locals is the noise created by the flightseeing helicopters and float planes, which echo up off the steep rock walls behind town. About five years ago, the main floatplane tour operator, switched from operating classic but noisy Beavers to new turbine powered and much quieter Otter floatplanes.

In order to avoid the air pollution that occurs when four or five big thousand footers are running their generators in the harbor, cruise operators have installed dock wiring to allow their ships to operate off local hydroelectrical power while in port.
Like most cruise ports, the shops and galleries are concentrated right near the docks, and passengers will be pleasantly surprised at the peaceful pace of life on the streets if they take the time to walk up and out of the downtown commercial district.

The Flume Trail is built on top of an old wooden water channel that feeds a small hydroelectric generator. Ask at the visitors center next to the tram station for directions. You can either walk to the end and come back - 1.4 mile RT - or work your way back from the end to the center of town, past the Governor’s house (with its own totem pole) and downhill to the docks.

There’s no better place for seafood than Alaska and Juneau has some great spots. Tracy’s was just a kiosk on the dock in this photo, but turned out to be so popular now they have their own inside space nearby. At the corner of the dock, where the floatplanes take off from is The Hangar Bar overlooking the water, and nearby Alaska Fish & Chips Company, which also offers outside seating overlooking the planes and busy harbor. In the building south of the Tram station is Twisted Fish, another favorite of mine.

Like most cruise ports, there’s plenty of shopping for jewelry, clothes, etc. here. Much of this stuff you can just buy aboard your ship if you are on a cruise, but what you won’t be able to find in other places is Alaskan Art, both by locals and Alaska Native Americans. My favorite is the Mt. Juneau Trading Post, with art displayed on two floors.

The Mt. Roberts Tramway operates from right by the main cruise ship docks. Another good stop close to the docks is the Taku Fisheries Ice House, at the south end of the main downtown dock complex. This is an active fish processing facility with ice being delivered, boats unloading, as well as a retail shop with some excellent smoked seafood products.
Shopping: North Franklin Street, which runs right past the cruise ship docks, is the main passenger shopping venue. If you are at all interested in Native Alaskan Art, I recommend taking some time in the art galleries here. Sometimes you have to look a bit for the best buys; I found a wonderful carving of an Eskimo lodge on the dusty bottom shelf of one of these galleries for $500, an unusual item and an excellent value.
Mendenhall Glacier: If there ever were a reason for the “See it before it melts,” motto used by some travel agents, it is this rapidly receding glacier. However, it is close to town - an 8$ bus ride from the visitor center - fronted by a lake with icebergs, and some good hiking trails.
Whale Watching: A special mention should be made of the whale watching excursions operating out of Auke Bay. There are usually resident populations of both killer and humpback whales in nearby Lynn Canal, and this tour has an excellent record of finding them and many passengers have reported seeing humpbacks bubble feeding or breaching on these tour boats.
Red Dog Saloon: If you’re looking for a colorful spot for a modestly priced pub food style meal, stop in at the Red Dog Saloon, right on North Franklin, about two blocks from the tramway station. With sawdust on the floor, banjo playing and rustic decor, it’s full of local flavor.