Things to do in Juneau with car rental

[shakuyi]

Found a great deal on a car rental in Juneau (thank you Costco) and we will be there from 1-10. I know about Mendenhall Glacier and Glacier Gardens but anything else we should add to our list to adventure to? Is there by chance a driving app like Shaka Guide? That would be most ideal!

 

We love local food spots so any hidden gems would be great to know about too. Want to maximize the car rental since we will have the car for close to 8 hours.

[SightCRR]

Go to your local library and check out the newest copy of the Milepost. It will give you everything that you will find. Lots to see. Past the glacier the free city gardens, St Teressia walk, salmon hatchery on the way, Eagle beach. Close to town Gold Creek. When the M/P says to look for animals look for animals. See cars along side of road pull over as likely something to see. Juneau - The MILEPOST sightcrr 

Edited April 25, 2023 by SightCRR

[wolfie11]

The Sand Bar for good halibut and chips.  I assume you're renting from the airport. You'll have to take a taxi, as it's about 9 miles from the docks.

[shakuyi]

2 minutes ago, wolfie11 said:

I assume you're renting from the airport. You'll have to take a taxi, as it's about 9 miles from the docks.

yup thats correct, planning on taking a taxi although I could've sworn I read theres some shuttle service that goes to the airport from the docks as well. Costco pricing was very cheap so paying for that cab ride is fine and still cheaper than other rentals and/or excursions for us.

[SightCRR]

Unless you have a large group take everyone in your party to pick up the car so you don't have to come back to ship. Lots to see and do near and past the airport. Plan for gas stop near airport for return.  sightcrr

Edited April 25, 2023 by SightCRR

[disneyochem]

My suggestion is to visit Mendenhall Glacier (if that’s on your list) as early as possible!  If you can be there when the park opens (I think it’s 9 am?), you can enjoy the visitor center and some of the trails before the tour buses come!  Much more enjoyable!

 

Ditto on visiting Eagle Beach, the shrine—we usually stop and pick up a deli lunch and picnic.  A visit to the Alaskan Brewing Company is fun too.  There will also be food trucks at the tasting room.  

[Lorabelle]

I second the Sand Bar suggestion.  Delicious halibut and chips there.  Definitely a local's spot, nothing fancy, but really tasty.  

[dfilpus]

Check out Douglas Island. Interesting views of Mendenhall and Juneau. Not many tourists get over there.

[Glaciers]

Mendenhall Glacier, of course.  Douglas Island can be a nice drive. The hatchery has been dumping fish at the Shrine of St. Therese and the humpbacks have become savvy to it. We’ve spotted one on two different trips out that way close to shore. Eagle Beach just up the road from there has some nice trails and a great view.

[pink845]

Ditto to all the above.  We did all these things with our car rental on the Majestic sailing May 13th.  We got off the ship. Raced to the bus and got the car and had a fabulous day seeing all the sights people have mentioned.  We even stopped at McDonalds. Yeah, my husband wanted a greasy burger.  We were very fortunate.  The weather was fabulous and having our car, we were able to take whatever clothes we wanted and ended up in shorts and short sleeved tops as the weather was just so perfect.  Had Mendenhall almost to ourselves before the hordes arrived.    So fabulous. First time in four visits to Juneau that it did not rain drop. We did not take a boat tour but still saw whales as well.  Albeit with a zoom lens.  

[Pluto_fan]

Can anyone comment on parking at Mendenhall?  We are planning to pick up our car at 8am and head straight there, but from the google satellite view the parking lot looks tiny!  At 8:30 on a Sunday we should be OK, right?  Thanks for any reassurance you can provide!  🙂

[Aquahound]

2 hours ago, Pluto_fan said:

Can anyone comment on parking at Mendenhall?  We are planning to pick up our car at 8am and head straight there, but from the google satellite view the parking lot looks tiny!  At 8:30 on a Sunday we should be OK, right?  Thanks for any reassurance you can provide!  🙂

 

I have never had a problem parking there.  Most people get there by bus our other transportation means, so there shouldn't be a ton of cars.  But even if the lot fills, there's an overflow lot about a hundred or so feet up the road.  

[ZebraCruise]

Not trying to hijack OP thread but we also have car rental reservations but in port 1-10 pm.  Is it still possible to see sights before they close for the day? 

[CRUSINGFAMILY]

Can anyone tell me how they got from the cruise port to the airport and how long it took by whatever means they used.  Thank you.

[quack2]

My car rental itinerary was Airport, Mendenhall, St. Therese, Eagle Beach, Costco (just curious), Airport.

 

If I had been smarter, I would have done Glacier Gardens and Douglas Island too.

[jerseygirlinAZ]

On 6/1/2023 at 8:56 AM, Pluto_fan said:

Can anyone comment on parking at Mendenhall?  We are planning to pick up our car at 8am and head straight there, but from the google satellite view the parking lot looks tiny!  At 8:30 on a Sunday we should be OK, right?  Thanks for any reassurance you can provide!  🙂

 

We were just there last Saturday and did what you are planning. Picked up the car at 8 a.m., went right to Mendenhall, and were able to park right up front.  Hardly anyone was there that early.  It was beautiful.

[jerseygirlinAZ]

7 hours ago, quack2 said:

My car rental itinerary was Airport, Mendenhall, St. Therese, Eagle Beach, Costco (just curious), Airport.

 

If I had been smarter, I would have done Glacier Gardens and Douglas Island too.

 

We, too, went to Costco, lol, but it was not a planned excursion.  Worker said it is the smallest Costco in the world.

[NothingBeatsBaseball]

Just got back. We rented a Turo in Juneau, it was a great experience. The only challenge was there isn't legal parking right by the dock. So if we wanted to come back to the ship for a bit we were going to have to park illegally at the lot across the street or at the garage downtown and walk. We were at the Franklin berth. 

 

Our day: Spent hour 45 minutes or so Mendenhall (lucked into a spot right in front but it seems most are there via bus anyway), ate at Donna's Restaurant, stopped at the IGA for drinks/snacks, St. Therese (saw a bear on the side of the road on the way), Lena Beach, Sandy Beach on Douglas Island, Whale Statue, then dropped off kiddos and mother at the ship, got coffee, went back to Douglas Island to hike Outer Point Loop Trail but it was too wet and muddy to finish (saw a beaver), stopped at a great viewpoint just off the road on Douglas Island heading back to the bridge and proceeded to drop our black/silver car key fob on black/gray rocks, found it after 15 minutes or so of very stressed searching, refueled car, messaged the Turo owner to hand it back over with about 45 minutes before all aboard, handed keys off, walked around the boardwalk a bit since it was nice and empty, got back on the ship.

 

It was $220 ish for an SUV with Turo. Which was worth it in our opinion with five total people. Very much recommend it. We had a great day weather-wise. 

 

Edited June 28, 2023 by NothingBeatsBaseball

[cindyfrag]

On 6/28/2023 at 12:01 AM, NothingBeatsBaseball said:

Just got back. We rented a Turo in Juneau, it was a great experience. The only challenge was there isn't legal parking right by the dock. So if we wanted to come back to the ship for a bit we were going to have to park illegally at the lot across the street or at the garage downtown and walk. We were at the Franklin berth. 

 

Our day: Spent hour 45 minutes or so Mendenhall (lucked into a spot right in front but it seems most are there via bus anyway), ate at Donna's Restaurant, stopped at the IGA for drinks/snacks, St. Therese (saw a bear on the side of the road on the way), Lena Beach, Sandy Beach on Douglas Island, Whale Statue, then dropped off kiddos and mother at the ship, got coffee, went back to Douglas Island to hike Outer Point Loop Trail but it was too wet and muddy to finish (saw a beaver), stopped at a great viewpoint just off the road on Douglas Island heading back to the bridge and proceeded to drop our black/silver car key fob on black/gray rocks, found it after 15 minutes or so of very stressed searching, refueled car, messaged the Turo owner to hand it back over with about 45 minutes before all aboard, handed keys off, walked around the boardwalk a bit since it was nice and empty, got back on the ship.

 

It was $220 ish for an SUV with Turo. Which was worth it in our opinion with five total people. Very much recommend it. We had a great day weather-wise. 

 

Did you pick up/drop off the Turo rental at the airport, or somewhere closer to port?

[NothingBeatsBaseball]

When I booked the car (a few months ahead of time) I messaged the host and asked if she could meet us at the port, and she said she would. So that's what she did. She parked in a lot right across the street and waited for me. She walked me through the car a bit, handed me the keys, said to message her when we were done and boom. Done.

[tetleytea]

That is true about Juneau.   You can pick up/drop off people near the ship, but you cannot park.  So you have to split up your party and leave at least 1 driver with the car, until you are done with it.

 

Three stops of note that we made with the car were Glacier Gardens, Alaskan Brewery, and McDonald's.   If you're like me, I'm not interested in using limited port time for a nice, sit-down restaurant when we've already got that on the ship.   Also, a number of ravens liked to hang out right by the drive-through.  They were huge.

[cindyfrag]

23 hours ago, NothingBeatsBaseball said:

When I booked the car (a few months ahead of time) I messaged the host and asked if she could meet us at the port, and she said she would. So that's what she did. She parked in a lot right across the street and waited for me. She walked me through the car a bit, handed me the keys, said to message her when we were done and boom. Done.

Thank you!  I ended up reserving a car through Turo last night and also messaged the host who said they will drop it off within a 1-minute walk of our dock.  It did cost an extra $20 for the delivery fee, but I figured it was worth it for the savings in time and taxi costs.

[Aquahound]

If you're into breweries, check out Forbidden Peaks in Auk Bay.  If the restaurant is open, the cheeseburger is excellent.  The views are wonderful, overlooking a large marina that often has large yachts docked.

Edited July 3, 2023 by Aquahound

[jerseygirlinAZ]

On 7/1/2023 at 3:19 PM, tetleytea said:

That is true about Juneau.   You can pick up/drop off people near the ship, but you cannot park.  So you have to split up your party and leave at least 1 driver with the car, until you are done with it.

 

Three stops of note that we made with the car were Glacier Gardens, Alaskan Brewery, and McDonald's.   If you're like me, I'm not interested in using limited port time for a nice, sit-down restaurant when we've already got that on the ship.   Also, a number of ravens liked to hang out right by the drive-through.  They were huge.

 

We, too, went to McDonalds.   (Have a seven-year old that was ready for a happy meal after being on the ship for six days.)  We also saw the ravens!  They were quite a sight.

 

We accidently wound up at Alaskan Brewery coming back from Shrine of St. Therese.  We plugged in what we thought was the downtown location, but the GPS took us to the brewery.  It was a nice, unplanned stop.  

[tetleytea]

1 hour ago, jerseygirlinAZ said:

 

We, too, went to McDonalds.   (Have a seven-year old that was ready for a happy meal after being on the ship for six days.)  We also saw the ravens!  They were quite a sight.

 

We accidently wound up at Alaskan Brewery coming back from Shrine of St. Therese.  We plugged in what we thought was the downtown location, but the GPS took us to the brewery.  It was a nice, unplanned stop.  

 

I didn't think Shrine of St. Therese was a must-visit.  But if you've got 13 hours in port and a car, St. Therese is a good use of it.  We enjoyed spotting the rodents (pikas?) on the rock spit.   We were much more pleased with our stop at Glacier Gardens.