Hi there!
You can go hiking in Juneau during your Alaska cruise!
You don’t need to do excursions to get off the cruise ship in Juneau or any cruise ports, and hiking is one of the things that you can do on your own in Juneau during an Alaska cruise.
You can find good hikes to do on your own in Juneau, including to see glaciers, rainforests, and totem poles!
Best hikes in Juneau from a cruise ship
1. West Glacier Trail, Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area, Tongass National Forest
The West Glacier Trail is the best hike you can do in Juneau to see a glacier!
By hiking the West Glacier Trail, you will get a much closer view of the famous glacier of Juneau that most people see.
The Mendenhall Glacier is the best glacier in Juneau to see on your own, and most people see it from the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center or nearby.
The view from the visitor center is a bit of a distant view.
You can get a better view of the Mendenhall Glacier by hiking the West Glacier Trail to see it.
Hiking the West Glacier Trail is also a way that you can go hiking in the largest national forest in the United States!
You will get a hike through the rainforest to get a feel for the type of wilderness that covers a lot of Southeast Alaska!
Tongass National Forest is the largest national forest in the US, and it covers much of Southeast Alaska. The wilderness it covers includes glaciers and rainforest, and you can see both on the West Glacier Trail!
The Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center and the West Glacier trailhead are in different areas of the national forest.
So it’s probably not reasonable to go to both if you are taking the bus because of just how much walking is involved.
How difficult is the West Glacier Trail?
The West Glacier Trail is moderately difficult.
You will be going UP steep uneven stairs several times on the trail, which means that you will also be going down steep uneven stairs.
In general, this trail does go UP so you can get a nice view of the Mendenhall Glacier from a higher vantage point.
Most people spend 2 hours on the West Glacier Trail.
How to get to the West Glacier Trail from cruise port
You can get to the West Glacier Trail by bus.
For reference on google maps, you will look for the West Glacier trailhead. (map)
You will take a bus from downtown Juneau to the bus stop “near” the West Glacier trailhead.
The nearest bus stop is 1.5 miles away.
Google maps works great for public transportation in Juneau!
There is a bathroom at the West Glacier trailhead, and at Skaters Cabin which you will pass along the way.
Cost to go hiking in Juneau on West Glacier Trail
There is no pay station at the West Glacier trailhead.
If you take the bus to hike the West Glacier Trail, then the Juneau bus will cost $2 each way. Bring exact change.
So the cost to hike the West Glacier Trail is $4.
Learn more for hiking in Juneau:
2. Photo Point Trail
One of the most popular trails to do from a cruise ship in Juneau is the Photo Point Trail.
This is another one of the popular Mendenhall Glacier lookouts that “everyone” goes to.
You start the walk to Photo Point from the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center.
After you go to Photo Point, you can continue on to go to Nugget Falls. (Next on the list!)
How difficult is the Photo Point Trail?
The Photo Point Trail is an easy walk that will take you 5 minutes to get to from the visitor center.
How to get to the Photo Point Trail from cruise port
For reference on google maps, you will go to the Mendenhall Glacier visitor center to do the Photo Point Trail. (map)
You can get to Photo Point Trail by bus, shuttle, taxi, or tour.
The method of transportation that is best for you will depend on how much convenience you want and how much you want to pay.
Cost to go hiking in Juneau from Mendenhall Glacier visitor center
The cost to hike at Mendenhall Glacier can vary wildly depending on how you choose to get there.
For the cheapest way to get there, if you take the bus to the Mendenhall Glacier visitor center, then the Juneau bus will cost $2 each way. Bring exact change.
If you go on an early season Alaska cruise, then it will cost around $50 for a round trip shuttle to Mendenhall Glacier visitor center.
You might not have the option to go by shuttle if you do a late season Alaska cruise, as the mass shuttles may have run out of national forest tour permits by that time, as is what happened in 2023. Even if tour companies cannot get commercial tour permits to take you to the national forest, you can still go on your own, like by bus.
There is a national forest pay station at the Mendenhall Glacier visitor center.
The official national forest entry fee is $5 per person.
If you have an America the Beautiful annual national park pass, then your entry fee for Tongass National Forest is covered with that.
Although there is a sign that says the national forest entry fee is required, the national forest entry payment is not enforced. But it is great to support America’s public lands, so stop by the visitor center to show your support!
Learn more for hiking in Juneau:
3. Nugget Falls Trail, Juneau
The most popular waterfalls to see during an Alaska cruise is in Juneau, which makes Nugget Falls the most popular waterfall hike in Juneau.
You start the hike to Nugget Falls from the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center after you go to Photo Point.
How difficult is the Nugget Falls Trail?
The Nugget Falls Trail is a leisurely stroll mostly along a gravel trail.
It is pretty easy.
How to get to the Nugget Falls Trail from cruise port
For reference on google maps, you will go to the Mendenhall Glacier visitor center to do the Nugget Falls Trail. (map)
You can get to Nugget Falls Trail by bus, shuttle, taxi, or tour.
The method of transportation that is best for you will depend on how much convenience you want and how much you want to pay.
Cost to go hiking in Juneau from Mendenhall Glacier visitor center
The cost to hike at Mendenhall Glacier can vary wildly depending on how you choose to get there.
For the cheapest way to get there, if you take the bus to the Mendenhall Glacier visitor center, then the Juneau bus will cost $2 each way. Bring exact change.
If you go on an early season Alaska cruise, then it will cost around $50 for a round trip shuttle to Mendenhall Glacier visitor center.
You might not have the option to go by shuttle if you do a late season Alaska cruise, as the mass shuttles may have run out of commercial national forest permits by that time, as is what happened in 2023. Even if tour companies cannot get commercial permits to take you to the national forest, you can still go on your own, like by bus.
There is a national forest pay station at the Mendenhall Glacier visitor center.
The official national forest entry fee is $5 per person.
If you have an America the Beautiful annual national park pass, then your entry fee for Tongass National Forest is covered with that.
The national forest entry payment is not really enforced, but it’s also great to support America’s public lands, so stop by the visitor center to show your support!
Learn more for hiking:
4. Mount Roberts Alpine Loop Trail, Juneau
The Mount Roberts Alpine Loop Trail is at the top of the Mount Roberts tram.
There are totem poles that line the Mount Roberts Alpine Loop Trail, so this is a totem trail that you can do in Juneau!
The Mount Roberts tram station is right near where the cruise ship docks in Juneau.
You can take the tram up and hike the Mount Roberts Alpine Loop Trail.
Also at the top of the tram is a little theater that has a film for you to learn about Native Alaskans of the area, the Tlingits.
Instead of taking the tram to get to the Mount Roberts Alpine Loop Trail, you can hike the Mount Roberts Trail, different from the alpine loop trail although they are connected. (Next on the list!)
How difficult is the Mount Alpine Loop Trail?
The Mount Alpine Loop Trail at the top of the tram is a pretty leisurely trail through the forest.
How to get to the Mount Alpine Loop Trail from cruise port
Depending on how you want to do the hike, you will start from different spots.
If you want the easiest option, then you can take the tram up to the Mount Roberts Alpine Loop Trail, and then also take the tram back down.
In this case, you will simply walk to the Goldbelt tram station near the cruise port. (map)
Depending on where you cruise ship docks, it might be a 5 to 10 minute walk to the tram station.
For the option of hiking through a Southeast Alaska rainforest to get to the Mount Alpine Loop Trail, next up on the list is about how to get to the Mount Roberts trailhead.
Cost to go hiking in Juneau on the Mount Roberts Trail
There is no fee for the area the Mount Roberts Trail is in, but there is a fee for the tram.
A roundtrip ticket for the Goldbelt Tram is around $50.
You can buy the ticket at the tram station, or you can buy tram tickets ahead of time through the Goldbelt Tram website or through your cruise line.
It is actually an all-day ticket, so you can go up and down the tram as many times as you want.
I am not sure how much it costs to go one-way if you want to only go up one way. It seems like you might have to buy the regular ticket.
If you want to go down one-way, then there is no ticket to buy to go down.
Instead, you need to spend $20 in the gift shop, and then the receipt will be your “ticket.”
I think spending at the coffee shop is also a part of it. I don’t remember if the restaurant is, so ask about that if you want to eat or drink after your hike!
At least, this is how it was in 2023. If you hike the Mount Roberts Trail to the tram station, you can ask about how to get a ticket to go down when you get to the tram station!
5. Mount Roberts Trail
If you want another way to get a hike through the rainforest in Juneau to get a feel for the type of wilderness that covers a lot of Southeast Alaska, then you may also want to hike part of the Mount Roberts Trail from Basin Road!
You can start the Mount Roberts Trail from Basin Road and hike one-way to the tram station that’s at the top.
Then, after you have done the Mount Roberts Loop Trail to see the totem poles, you can take the tram down to the cruise port.
If you do want to hike the Mount Roberts Trail, depending on which direction you go, that will be UP UP UP or DOWN DOWN DOWN!
So the Mount Roberts Trail from Basin Road to the tram station is a moderately difficult to difficult hike, depending on how much hiking you’re used to.
From the cruise port, the Mount Roberts trailhead on Basin Road is around a 30 minute walk. (map)
If you want to hike even more, you can start at the Gold Creek Flume trailhead, which is a 35 minute walk from the cruise port. (map)
From here, you can hike the Gold Creek Flume Trail, which will then lead to Basin Road and the Mount Roberts trailhead, and then you can continue hiking to the tram station.
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What to pack for hiking in Juneau
- Waterproof shoes
- Rain jacket or poncho
- Rain pants
- Hiking backpack
- Waterproof cover for your hiking backpack
- Water bottle (you can fill it up at the water station at the buffet)
- Snacks (clif bars, etc)
- Waterproof phone case
- Hiking poles
- Extra socks
Do you really need all of this for hiking in Juneau?
No.
Will you have a better hiking experience in Alaska by bringing all of this?
Quite possibly!
The biggest thing about hiking in Juneau is that you want to prepare for RAIN!!
Is it possible that it won’t rain when you go hiking in Juneau?
Sure, it’s possible.
But it’s also quite possible that it will be raining!
And you will have a much better experience if you are prepared for common weather of Juneau!
As they say in Alaska, there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad gear!!
If it does end up raining, you will help yourself to not end your hike feeling miserable by being prepared for the rain!
HAPPY HIKING IN JUNEAU!
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