Hiking in the Juneau Area
Hiking the rugged terrain in Juneau's backcountry is one of my favorite activities in the summer. One of the most accessible trails is the Mt. Roberts Trail. The trailhead is located in historic downtown Juneau, just a short walk from the cruise ship docks. As you switchback up the mountain, you are engulfed in the beauty of lush greens, mossy trees, and wild berries that are abundant in the rainforest climate. After a few miles, you reach the Mt. Roberts Tram, Restaurant, and Nature Center. Continuing up the mountain, 
you hike out of the trees and into alpine meadows, where wildflowers are scattered amongst the rocks and sparse vegetation. About two and a half miles into the trail, you reach Father Brown's Cross, a replica of the original cross that the Catholic Jesuit priest erected when constructing the trail with a group of volunteers in 1908.
From there, you have spectacular views of Gastineau Channel, which is the body of water that separates Juneau from Douglas Island. Once you reach Gastineau Peak, the trail appears to end, but those with enough energy can cross the ridge and reach the peak of Mt. Roberts. After the lengthy hike up, I like to have a delicious lunch at the restaurant. I also give my legs a break and ride the Tram down the mountain. 
Another trail that you can reach from Downtown Juneau is Perseverance. This historic trail was the first road in Alaska. Joe Juneau and Richard Harris discovered gold in what is now called Gold Creek with the help of Chief Cowee. Perseverance Mine was located in Silverbow Basin, which is located at the end of the trail. The mine was operational from 1885 to 1895 until it was buried by avalanche. After rebuilding, it continued to operate until 1921. 
The trail starts off hiking up the horn of Mt. Juneau, steep for a few minutes, but the view of the gorge is worth it. From there you get a nice view of the remains of one the Alaska-Juneau Mines support buildings,which is now the Last Chance Mining Museum. After passing the Mt. Juneau trailhead, you continue leisurely along the trail which parallels and at times crosses Gold Creek into the valley.
The peaceful surroundings really give you a chance to appreciate the beauty of the area, but remember that you are in bear country. We were hiking back from Granite Creek, a trail that is accessed from the Perseverance Trail, when a medium sized black bear decided to pop up 10 yards down the trail. We hit the panic button at first, but remembered to hold our ground and to play it cool, although a small amount of yelling and arm flailing was necessary. 
She eventually left on her little bear trail, but as soon as we thought it was safe, she reemerged with her two cubs to get a move on. After a minute or two, we could see them crossing a bridge a short distance away. That was my closest encounter with a bear, but it seems that if you let them have their space, it will be a successful encounter.
One of the biggest attractions in Juneau is Mendenhall Glacier. You can get a great view of the glacier from the visitors center, but to actually get up close and touch the glacier, you can take the West Glacier Trail. You can read more about Chelsea's adventure to Mendenahall Glacier here.
Down the road at Mile 39 of the Glacier Highway, I had the opportunity to hike the Point Bridget Trail. The easy stroll through the wetlands on the planked trail takes you to the impressive wildflower meadow. Once out of the meadow, you continue on until you reach the beach. This serene spot has a public use cabin and is a favorite of kayakers and wildflower enthusiasts alike.
While access to Point Lousia is not much of a hike, at low tide there is opportunity to observe sea creatures. While avoiding squirts up your pant leg by clams, you can find brightly colored starfish, sea anemenies, sea urchins, vacated crab shells and seagulls that are treated to nature's buffet.
Hiking is not for everyone, but everyone can enjoy the outdoors in one of the most diversely beautiful places in the world. On a whale watching tour, I saw a pod of about nine whales bubble net feeding. The whales work as a team, swimming around a school of fish and creating a net of bubbles to trap them. During the time we observed them, they swam right up next to our catmaran! Whales are not the only wildlife we saw that day. A group of sea lions were lounging on top of a bouy. Our tour started out of Auke Bay, which is where Cher was able to rent kayaks. Read about her excursion here.
If you do get a chance to visit Alaska's capital city, you should plan a multiple day trip, because there is a never-ending selection of things to do and see in Juneau. ---Janine and John
