Juneau is the capital of Alaska and one of the most unusual state capitals in the United States — it cannot be reached by road. Hemmed in by the Gastineau Channel to the east and the Coast Mountains to the west, the city is accessible only by sea or air, which gives it a frontier-meets-government-town atmosphere unlike anywhere else.
The setting is spectacular. Downtown sits beneath steep, forested slopes that rise almost immediately behind the streets, and on clear days the peaks above are dusted with snow well into summer. The Mendenhall Glacier — part of the vast Juneau Icefield — sits just 13 miles from downtown, making it one of the few glaciers in the world accessible by city bus. Flightseeing tours over the icefield give a sense of the scale of the system: 1,500 square miles of ice feeding 38 glaciers.
Juneau is also a major stop on the Inside Passage cruise route, so summer brings a steady flow of visitors along the waterfront. The historic district around South Franklin Street retains its gold-rush character with narrow streets, red-painted storefronts, and bars that have been serving drinks since the 1890s. The Alaska State Museum holds one of the finest collections of Alaska Native art and material culture in the world, and the Sealaska Heritage Institute is the living centre for Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian culture. The Alaska State Capitol is open for free tours during the legislative session. Despite the seasonal crowds, the town has genuine character: this is where Alaskan legislators work, where fishermen unload their catch, and where bears occasionally wander into the suburbs.
For outdoor enthusiasts, the surrounding Tongass National Forest — the largest national forest in the United States — offers hiking, kayaking, whale watching, and flightseeing over a landscape of glaciers, fjords, and temperate rainforest that few places in the world can match. A day trip to Tracy Arm Fjord — a 30-mile glacially carved canyon with twin tidewater glaciers — is one of the most spectacular excursions in Southeast Alaska.