"Juneau: Almost Paradise in Alaska" Juneau by TooTallFinn24

A short trip to Juneau from Sacramento via air during summer. I had traveled over most of Alaska but never gotten down to Juneau. I had no desire to take a cruise and see the city for just a few hours before the ship left.

So in arriving we stayed at a place out by the Juneau Airport. Mother's Feather Bed. A great place but too far from the town. So rented a car for three days and drove around the entire area that is accessible by car. Juneau is unique in that there are no roads going out or into Juneau. You can only drive like 40 miles in one direction or take a ship or ferry with your car. Locals told me that this sure cuts down on car thefts because no one can drive away easily.

It rained or threatened to rain a good portion of the time we were in Juneau. Not a hard rain just an irritating light drizzle. There were however a few clear days like when we went on an extended whale watching cruise.

Like a lot of the bigger towns in Alaska wildlife is everywhere. One only needs to go up the hill towards the Mendenhall Glacier to see bears, moose, and eagles.

Downtown Juneau is interesting once you get behind the tacky souvenir shops and restaurants that seem to cater to cruise ship passengers. The Governors Mansion is worthy of a trip. Beyond that there are some very interesting older homes that give you a better feel for the area.

One of the hidden secrets of the Juneau area lies on the other side of the Juneau-Douglas bridge. Here there awaits some great rainforest trails and the Eaglecrest Ski area down Fish Creek Road. Very few folks from a cruise ship ever make it over this way and the area is great for biking without fear of constant autos.

• Pros:Gorgeous Scenery
• Cons:Rainy and Cold
• In a nutshell:Juneau is worth the trip!