Juneau, Alaska

Juneau, Alaska’s remote capital, sits in the state’s panhandle, at the base of 3,819-ft. Mount Roberts. It’s a popular cruise-ship stop, reachable only by boat or seaplane.

A tram carries visitors 1,800 feet up Mount Roberts to an alpine area with hiking trails, wildflowers, and views of Gastineau Channel. This is also the site of the Juneau Raptor Center, dedicated to local birds.

We took an excursion to the Mendenhall Glacier located in part of the Tongass National Forest.  Mendenhall is located 12 miles from downtown Juneau, on land owned by the Federal Forest Service, which provides a visitor center, park rangers, trails, and year-round exhibits and educational outreach.

The glacier is a 13-mile ribbon of ice that flows from the Juneau Ice Field. which is a 1,500 square mile frozen plateau that feeds a total of 38 major glaciers. The Juneau Ice Field is the fifth-largest ice field in North America and is leftover from the last ice age.  Mendenhall Glacier has been in a period of retreat.  In fact, there were various markers that were placed on the lakeshore, and in the visitor center, that showed how the glacier at one time covered those areas in as little as 60 - 90 years ago!

It certainly was a beautiful glacier!

Double click on the photo above to enlarge it and read this informational placard.

Double click on to enlarge

Although there are many negative effects of the recession of the Mendenhall Glacier and glaciers in general, there are also a few positive outcomes. With the retreat of the Mendenhall Glacier, the Mendenhall Lake has formed. The lake has a unique ecosystem and is a nursery for a variety of fish including several types of salmon, Dolly Varden char, and cutthroat trout.

Click on to enlarge

In the ever-changing landscape of Mendenhall Glacier, even the Nugget Falls waterfall has moved since a 1952 photo seen in the placard above, was taken.

There is a 45 minute round trip trail that leads to Nugget Falls.

We were tempted to take the walk, but we knew our allotted tour time here would not allow it... 

...so we went inside the visitor center to enjoy the views of it there, as well as the other exhibits.

Double click on to enlarge

There were many informational placards in and around the visitor center...

...and beautiful examples of a forest reclaiming the former glacier land with the growth of flora, fauna, trees, and lichen.

Our next stop on our excursion was the DIPAC Macaulay Salmon Fish Hatchery.  

The goal of Douglas Island Pink and Chum, Inc. is to sustain and enhance valuable salmon resources of the State of Alaska for the economic, social, and cultural benefit of all citizens, and to promote public understanding of Alaska's salmon resources and salmon fisheries through research, education, and tourism.  At the Ladd Macaulay Visitor Center, we learned about the fascinating life cycle of salmon, their nearshore marine environment, and the inner workings of a hatchery through a variety of exhibits and commentaries.

The hatchery raises just over 130 million chum, king, and coho salmon annually and is designed to allow visitors to see the outside operations of an active hatchery.

There were many placards along the walkway by the freshwater pens holding the young salmon.  They explained how salmon eggs were harvested and fertilized, the stages of salmon development, the freshwater rearing phase, the saltwater rearing phase, and then their release.

Salmon are assisted in spawning to ensure their numbers are not depleted by fishing by men or wildlife.  

During the months of July through September, millions of salmon swim up a 450-foot fish ladder outside the fishery and gather into holding ponds until they are ready to reproduce, and the life cycle begins again. We were visiting too early in June to see this sight but the photos we saw of it are amazing!

We enjoy eating salmon and usually purchase sockeye or silver (coho) to eat at home, but we did try samples of all the rest during our cruise.  King salmon is especially rare and delicious!

After leaving the fishery our excursion bus drove to a beautiful forested area in Juneau and there, under tall pine trees, we were treated to an authentic Alaskan Salmon Bake and buffet.  

There were unlimited pieces of fresh wood fire-grilled salmon and many different sides to enjoy in the buffet, plus beer and wine for purchase if desired.

Everything was so good!

Back on our cruise ship, we soon set sail again and enjoyed gazing at scenic views of the Alaskan shoreline from our balcony.

Our last stop in Alaska was ahead--Ketchikan!

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