JUNEAU, Alaska
One summer vacation in Alaska wasn't enough.
Hike Alaska
http://www.alaska.o…">Visit www.alaska.org for more information about hiking in Juneau, Alaska.
Source: Staff Report
After hiking several trails in Seward and Homer on the Kenai Peninsula in 2013, my wife, Susan, and I decided to make a return trip to Alaska this past summer. We picked Juneau because of the many, many trails and glaciers in the area.
There are only two ways to get to Juneau, by boat or plane. The main road stretches about 40 miles from Juneau north to what the locals call "The End of the Road." We hiked all but one day during our stay.
These were our favorite hikes. All the hikes are at least half-day adventures, and I'd recommend hiking poles, bug spray and bear spray for all of them. A change of clothes, including shoes, is highly recommended on all these hikes.
Mount Gastineau-Mount Roberts Trail
Distance: 8 miles round trip. Elevation Gain: 3,616 feet. Where: Downtown Juneau.
This is just a great hike. There are fantastic views of Gastineau Channel, Juneau, Douglas Island and all the surrounding mountains the last 2 miles of the hike. Try to hike on a clear day, which is sometimes hard to do in Juneau.
There are two ways to get to Mount Gastineau-Mount Roberts. Adventurous hikers can start on the edge of town and hike the entire 4 miles to the summit of Mount Gasinteau and then on to Mount Roberts. Or, a ride up the Mount Roberts Tramway ($30 per person) will cut off a little less than 2 miles and 1,750 feet of the hike.
With up to four cruise ships in town on any given summer day, getting an early start is a must to avoid the lines at the tram. The trail is also crowded near the tram station, but quickly thins because most cruise ship passengers are not prepared for an arduous hiking adventure.
Above the tram, the terrain is sub-alpine. Wildflowers were in bloom on this mid-July day. The trail is well used and well marked, but can be difficult as it narrows and becomes rocky. After several hours of hiking, with several stops to enjoy the view and rest, we thought we had made it to Gastineau Peak.
Nope. It was Gold Ridge, a knife-shaped ridge that still had winter snow, some of it several feet deep. The trail was wide, but a slip meant a long fall down either side of the ridge. With Gastineau Peak in the distance after almost a three-hour trek, I let go of my hiking poles, and my camera, to climb the final few yards to Gastineau Peak.
While younger hikers had no problem, I got on all fours for the last few feet to the summit. The view was spectacular, but then again the views were spectacular the whole way up from the tram.
Mount Roberts was still another mile away, and 200 more feet of elevation gain, which also included a big up-and-down dip and more elevation gain, before reaching the summit. We decided to head back to the tram. The walk down was a lot quicker, but not any less treacherous on the rocky terrain.
West Glacier Trail-Mendenhall Glacier
Distance: 6.8 miles round trip. Elevation gain: 1,300 feet. Where: 13 miles north of Juneau.
The first section of the trail is flat. Several bridges cross small streams that we're told hold spawning salmon in the fall.
A mile into the hike, there's a covered shelter with a bench that has a decent view. It's a great spot to rest for the remainder of the hike.
Near the shelter there's a side trail that heads down and up on to the big rocky peninsula that sticks out from the western shoreline. This is the quickest way to access and explore the glacier and ice caves.
On our trip, the famous ice caves were flooded. Some collapsed several days later.
The main trail continues up to elevation of 1,300 feet. Rocky terrain and switchbacks are prominent with numerous short sections that have handrails. Several vantage points exist that offer spectacular views of Mendenhall Glacier, the lake and the valley.
These lookouts are above granite staircases, rock outcrops and other obstacles in the trail that are also prime spots for a rest. Near the end of the trail, and the final lookout point, there's a stream that is usually easy to cross, but not on this day because of rain and snow melt. It's usually not that deep either, but it must be crossed to navigate the final scramble to the top of the main bulge of rock that offers yet another view of the glacier.
We also hiked the East Glacier Trail, which was a good hike, but the west side has much better views.
Herbert Glacier Trail
Distance: 8 miles round trip. Elevation gain 200 feet. Location: 27 miles north of Juneau.
This is a good half-day hike through lush forest along the Herbert River to the glacier. This was an easy trek with good views of the glacier near the end. Our plan was to hike along the river to get a close view of the glacier, but thanks to all the rain, the river was at flood stage. Our goal of getting to the face of the glacier faded.
Point Bridget Trail
Distance: 7 miles round trip. Elevation gain: 250 feet. Location: 38 miles north of Juneau, near the end of the road.
We picked this hike for two reasons. First, the trail runs close to Cowee Creek, which is a favorite spot for bears feeding on salmon. Second, after several strenuous hikes, we thought this would be a nice break. We were wrong.
This was probably our most challenging hike. The first part was muddy and slippery. After a half-mile through the woods and wildflowers, we hiked into a meadow. Over the next mile the trail was flooded and the water was over our ankles at times.
We saw plenty of bear signs, including trails through the tall grass, what appeared to be sleeping or resting spots, a lot of fresh bear prints and one pile of poop, still steaming. I had my bear spray in hand for most of this trip.
Once out of the flooded meadow we finally made it to the beach, but still had a mile hike along the beach to get to Point Bridget. The end of the trail offered great views of the surrounding islands and mountain ranges. You could also see Glacier Bay National Park far off in the distance.
We didn't see any of the promised wildlife -- bears, sea lions, seals and whales. But looking back, and after we warmed up and dried off with a change of clothes, this was a great hike.
Outdoors on 10/23/2014