Juneau _What to see in 8 hours

Will be in town from 12 P.M. to 10 P.M. June 22, 2009. Would like to rent a car and see as much as possible. What are some great places to visit and take photos. Interested in flowers, wildlife and great vistas. Also do the car rental places bring the car to you or do you have to go to the airport? any tips or suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you. Would buses be adviseable or a taxi?

Juneau _What to see in 8 hours

Welcome to TA.

Not many roads in Juneau.

I assume you will be on a cruise ship. The only rental car company that will pick you up at the cruise pier is Rent A Wreck. I think if you bring the car back after business hours they charge something like $15 to have you park it in the parking deck right near the cruise pier.

Being interested in wildlife, I would suggest you seriously consider a whale watching tour. No guarantees but they are excellent from Juneau and you see humpbacks pretty much 100% of the time. I went last summer with Harv and Marvs and it was a highlight of my 4 nights in Juneau. You can also see steller sea lions, perhaps orcas and perhaps other marine wildlife on this tour. Seeing wildlife in Juneau without a tour, except for eagles, is slim.

Other than that, the car rental could be nice. The Mendenhall Glacier is easily visited with a car, Glacier Gardens would certainly get you the flowers, and a drive to the ';end of the road'; - about 40 miles north of Juneau proper.

There is a shuttle bus from the cruise pier to Mendenhall Glacier (about $7 per person each way).

Perhaps drive to Douglas Island though not terribly a lot to see from there.

If you like hiking, lots of trails all around - near downtown, near Mendenhall, toward the end of the road, and on Douglas Island.

John

Juneau _What to see in 8 hours

';...and great vistas';

If the weather is clear, go up the Mt. Roberts tram (located right beside the dock, so you can do it whenever you have free time) for a great view, plus a film on native culture, hiking trails, etc.

Don%26#39;t forget a stop at the hatchery...

http://www.dipac.net/

Do a little shopping in Juneau, here%26#39;s a couple suggestions...

http://www.glaciersmoothie.com/

Send them an e-mail note and they%26#39;ll send you a coupon to be used in the store.

Here%26#39;s a guy who makes wonderful enamel pins...

http://wmspear.com/

On the trip out ';the Road';, there are any number of great places to stop for photos, Eagle Beach, Auke Bay or The Shrine of St. Therese...

http://www.shrineofsainttherese.org/

Have fun!

Enjoy!

I agree with Manitoba Maple; the Mt. Roberts Tramway was awesome. We did the whale watching tour with a million people on a boat, stuggling to get a perfect photo shot. Most people recommend Harv and Marv%26#39;s whale watching tours, since the boats are less congested. We did the Mendenhall Glacier, but our excursion shuttle didn%26#39;t allow enough time. The tramway was the most memorable thing I remember about Juneau. The view was incredible and the trees were unusual; don%26#39;t know the name but the trees grew in odd shapes. To ride, it%26#39;s located very close to where the cruise ships dock, south end.

Dear John,

Thank you for your valuable information. I spoke with Eileen the wife of either ';Harv or Marv.'; I was wondering about how long were you on the water looking for whales. I have heard that they drive you through town and show you a little of the town and that they also drive you by Mendenhall. I also have heard that they will leave you at Mendenhall if you wish and that you can then get back on the bus which is a 1/2 mile away. Is it easy to get to this bus stop? Thank you, Debbie

Debbie,

Your message is a little confusing in that I do not know where the Harv %26amp; Marv bit ends and the shuttle bus bit, mentioned by John, starts.

There is a tourist information office right on the docks, and there will be lines of little stalls pushing various excursion options for Juneau outside. Look for the one showing the blue shuttle bus. That is the $7.00 one-way mentioned by John. The bus pick-up is in the bus park really no more than 100 yards from there.

At the glacier the drop-off is only about 200 yards from the park entry area, and the glacier views are available from not much further.

Ask H%26amp;M if they will arrange to pick you up, should you decide to take that excursion, from the glacier. I think several operators will do this.

Dear Manitoba Maple,

Will defenitiely check out the tram way!

Thanks,

Debbie