Your Juneau CME conference.

Juneau after your study day

Study days finish at 2:00 PM Juneau time. Good afternoon choices are a short walk at Mendenhall Glacier, the Perseverance Trail up the valley behind downtown, or a stroll through the downtown historic district. Leave time for rain and for getting to a trailhead, since the local tourism board counts about 230 days of precipitation a year.

Flights, lodging and any tours are arranged separately by you. The city is only the setting for your own plans, and nothing in Juneau is scheduled around your study day.

Mendenhall Glacier and its trails

Travel Juneau places Mendenhall Glacier about 13 miles from downtown and a few minutes from the airport. The glacier is half a mile wide, with ice up to 1,800 feet deep. The Forest Service says the visitor center grounds are open year-round, while the building itself keeps seasonal hours, so check them against your 2:00 PM finish.

Nugget Falls Trail is 0.8 miles and rated easy by Travel Juneau. It leads to a 377-foot waterfall that drops into an iceberg lake with the glacier behind it. The East Glacier Loop is a 3.5-mile moderate loop with glacier views and possible black bear sightings. The West Glacier Trail is strenuous and reaches ice caves, which Travel Juneau calls spectacularly dangerous and suggests visiting with a professional guide.

From July through September, the Steep Creek Trail boardwalks near the visitor center let you watch sockeye salmon, and an occasional black bear may fish there. Travel Juneau also says the Forest Service is assessing the west side of the lake after glacial lake outburst flooding, so check current conditions before you go. Drivers take Egan Drive to Mendenhall Loop Road, and the page also lists taxis and boat tours with a glacier stop.

Trails behind downtown and across the bridge

The Perseverance Trail follows Gold Creek into the valley behind downtown. Travel Juneau lists it at 3 miles round trip to Silverbow Basin, rated easy to moderate, and says it starts at the end of Basin Road. The Mount Roberts Trail is moderate, with 2 miles to the Mountain House and 4.5 miles to the summit. Hikers can ride the tram to the Mountain House, though the page notes the tram is temporarily closed for maintenance, so check its status.

Over on Douglas Island, the Dan Moller Trail is 6.5 miles round trip and the trailhead sits across the bridge from downtown. The Rainforest Trail is a 0.8-mile easy walk near the end of North Douglas Highway, where you may see a sea lion or humpback whale. Check trail closures before you pick a route.

Downtown museums and the historic district

Travel Juneau describes the downtown historic district as Klondike-era hotels and saloons, onion-dome churches and Victorian homes. Its walking-tour page mentions Marine Park Plaza, South Franklin Street, Heritage Square and the Governor’s House. The House of Wickersham is high up in the hills.

Museums include the Alaska State Museum, which has art, artifacts, books and film, and the Juneau-Douglas City Museum. The Walter Soboleff Building at Heritage Square houses a large installation of Southeast Alaska Native art. The Alaska State Capitol was built in 1931 and offers weekday tours in summer. Compare each place’s current hours with your 2:00 PM finish.

Whales, bears and winter options

About 600 humpback whales visit Southeast Alaska in the summer months, according to Travel Juneau, which lists April to November for whale watching. Boat tours run to Endicott Arm and Glacier Bay. Bear viewing is mainly in the salmon run, which traditionally covers most of July and August, and brown bears are seen on Admiralty Island, where guides are recommended.

In winter, Eaglecrest on Douglas Island is the city-run ski area, and Travel Juneau also lists snowshoeing, Nordic skiing and ice skating. It warns to use caution on ice. Winter events include the Juneau Public Market over Thanksgiving weekend and the Gallery Walk on the first weekend of December.

When to visit Juneau

Summer daytime highs generally reach the low to mid-60s Fahrenheit and can climb above 75, according to Travel Juneau. Winter temperatures average 29. The tourism board advises layers and sturdy waterproof footwear in every season, since even a warm sunny day can turn cold and rainy.

Daylight changes sharply. The longest day, June 21, has 18 hours and 18 minutes of light, and the shortest, December 21, has 6 hours and 21 minutes. Plan outdoor afternoons with that in mind.

Getting to Juneau and your study setting

Juneau International Airport (JNU) is the arrival point shown in this guide. Travel Juneau says you can’t drive to Juneau, so the choices are air or ferry, and that flights from Seattle take about two hours direct. Alaska Airlines flies year-round, with Delta service listed for June through August.

The map shows straight-line distances from Shift’s designated center. These are orientation distances, not driving distances or travel-time estimates. Check your exact address against the conference’s check-in area before booking.