2pm to 10pm Juneau - what to do?

[CanWeGoYet?]

I have been trying to look at possibilities for independent excursions. Juneau is a big challenge because of the late hours.

 

Can anyone tell me how late we are likely to have daylight in early may? I was hoping to find a guided hike to mendenhall glacier. I liked the thought of the above & beyond tour but I doubt I could do this one with the limited time frame. It would really be pushing it for time & I don't know if they even offer it for the hours I have. I've emailed them but have not heard back yet.

 

At $189 or so per person this would be close to my price ceiling for a special excursion, so it would be out for me to have to pay $100 more pp for a private tour. So I am not counting on finding anything involving helicopters etc with that price range.

 

Getting off a ship for a short time I was sort of hoping to find a non boating type excursion. I was also hoping to get a bit closer to the glacier than the visitors center. Ideas anyone?

[fleckle]

Sunset in May is showing as 8:49 pm for May 1 to 9:49 for May 31.

 

Sunrise and Sunset for U.S.A. – Alaska – Juneau – May 2012

There is still some light after the sunset time.

 

If you want to go to Mendenhall Glacier, save your money and catch one of the buses in front of the tram station. You will see little booths there where they sell the tickets. It costs $7 or $8 per person each way and they drop you off right below the visitor center.

 

There are a number of hiking trails there that you can easily take on your own.

Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center Map

 

Printed maps of the trails are available at the visitor center, and they have rangers to answer your questions and advise you. You can get great, panoramic views of the glacier, the lake and surrounding areas just by looking down from the visitor center.

 

The Photo Point trail is the easiest one, and you can take the Nugget Falls trail out to the waterfall just by following the path that runs along the water.

 

For ideas of other things to do, take a look at the Travel Juneau site.

Juneau, Alaska -- Travel Information -- Official Travel Resource for Alaska's Capital City

 

Click the link on their site (up at the top) to order their travel guide.

[fleckle]

One more thing, check to see what time the Mendenhall buses stop running because if you stay out there late, you may need to call a taxi to get back to town.

 

Or you might want to rent a car that day. Rent a Wreck comes highly recommended in Juneau and their daily rates are very reasonable.

[CanWeGoYet?]

Thank you very much Fleckle. I have just ordered the travel guide. Yes I definitely do not want to miss the last bus back!

 

I had been considering the self hikes to Mendenhall. Then I started reading too many reviews on tripadvisor with people saying how far away the people at the Visitors Center looked & how it was totally different seeing the Glacier when you were able to hike to it. Or how it's better to have a guide to tell you about the area & the vegetation etc you are seeing. I'm going around in circles obsessing & the cruise is nearly a year away. :o I'm sure even seeing the glacier at a bit of a distance will be closer than I've ever been to this glacier before.

 

I might consider the car rental if I end up cruising with my son instead of my best friend (the "we have plenty of time so let's cut it to the last possible second" Queen). We would miss the ship for sure.

[Abbiet33]

We were there on the Sapphire with the same hours as you this May. It stays light very late so no worries there. You may want to do the bus to the glacier when you first get off the ship. We walked around and toured the Alaska State Museum and were late catching the bus to the glacier so we had very little time but enough for my sister to walk down and pick up some glacier ice and take pictures. She was thrilled but we were way too rushed so I suggest you do that first and see the town when you get back since you have lots of daylight after the bus gets back to town at 6pm.

[Alaska0799]

We've just returned from RT Seattle cruise on Sapphire Princess. It was a last-minute cruise for us and we were shocked to be able to book Harv and Marv on little over a week's notice! Whale watching with Harv and Marv was possibly the best we've had in our five whale watching trips out of Auke Bay in Juneau. We've always enjoyed the Allen Marine excursions (booked through Princess) and their larger boats are best for those who desire a smooth ride, snack bar and more comfy restroom facilities. But Harv and Marv's two small boats (6 passengers) and one recently added larger boat (12 passengers) result in a more intimate wildlife experience. They lived up to their stellar reputation--absolutely topnotch operation and personnel.

 

On our trip on 6/22, we first observed a humpback cow with her calf who was rolling and fin slapping then proceeded to breach and chin-slap repeatedly. Absolutely breathtaking! Then we moved to another location near where two adults and one calf were feeding, along with several groups of sea lions who were feeding and frollicking. The whales moved so close to us (approx 10 yards) we could not only hear (loudly) their exhalations but their inhalations as well! The sea lions were actually jumping over the calf's tail. Before we left that spot, while still surrounded by whales and sea lions, a virtual HERD of Dall's porpoises overran us. All this with two bald eagles calling to each other from the nearby shore and surrounded by the Chilkat Mountains and peaks of the Juneau ice field on a gorgeous sunny afternoon. Those impressions will stay with us for a long, long time!