Date of visit: September 1, 2026
There are some day trips where everything goes exactly according to plan.
This was not that day.
Our second Alaska cruise port was Juneau, and after a wildlife-filled day in Sitka, today was going to be our hiking day.
We left the ship around 6:30 a.m. with one goal:
Find a trail and start walking.
No excursion. No itinerary.
Just us, our feet and the mountains.
What could possibly go wrong?
The Bears
We headed toward Perseverance Trail, a beautiful hiking area that you can actually reach from downtown Juneau.
The farther we walked, the quieter it became.
And quieter.
And quieter.
We made it almost all the way to the Perseverance Trailhead before looking around and realizing something:
There was nobody else out there.
It was super early. We were walking into increasingly wooded terrain. We didn't have bear spray. And neither of us actually knew what we were supposed to do if a bear appeared.
Suddenly this didn't feel adventurous.
It felt stupid.
Juneau has both black and brown bears and is considered prime black bear habitat, and bears aren't limited to some distant wilderness outside town. The City of Juneau says it's not uncommon for black bears to travel right through local neighborhoods.
So we turned around.
At the time, part of me was disappointed.
Looking back?
It was absolutely the right decision.
We have since learned much more about bear safety—and that's something I would recommend doing before heading onto an Alaska trail, not while standing on one wondering what you would do if you encountered a bear.
The Trail We Didn't Hike Still Led Us Somewhere Beautiful
Turning around didn't ruin our morning. The way up to the trail offered insane views of all the waterfalls on the mountains and I wouldn't trade that for anything.
After heading back down we ended up at Cope Park, right along Gold Creek in downtown Juneau. Cope Park actually connects into Juneau's downtown trail network, and the city lists hiking trails among the park's features.
And this is where Alaska gave us another first:
I touched glacier water.
We found rushing water, little waterfalls and that gorgeous blue glacial color that doesn't quite look real until you're standing beside it.
Juneau Is HILLIER Than I Expected
Here's something I'd tell anyone planning to explore Juneau on foot:
Prepare for hills.
Downtown Juneau gave me serious San Francisco vibes—not because the cities look alike, but because you can turn a corner and suddenly realize the street in front of you appears to go straight up.
We walked.
And climbed.
And walked some more.
At one point we stopped in a store, where the local guy behind the counter gave me a free map and directions to some of the nearby trails. It was such a small interaction, but those are often the things I remember most from traveling.
Maybe one of my favorite surprises about Alaska had nothing to do with glaciers, bears, or mountains—it was the people; everywhere we went, locals were genuinely welcoming, happy we were there, and eager to help, which felt noticeably different from some heavily traveled tourist towns where visitors can sometimes feel more tolerated than welcomed.
A Useful Tip If You Want to Hike From Downtown Juneau
One thing I didn't realize before arriving is how accessible some of Juneau's trails are without renting a car.
The city's downtown trail network includes Perseverance Trail and the Gold Creek Flume Trail, with connections via Basin Road and Cope Park. Perseverance itself is about 4.6 miles, while the Gold Creek Flume Trail is about 1.4 miles and is described by the city as suitable for all skill levels with waterfall views.
So if you're arriving by cruise ship and want something more active than shopping downtown, you can have a genuine Alaska hiking morning without booking a formal excursion.
Just learn from us:
- Check current trail conditions.
- Know basic bear safety.
- Carry appropriate safety gear.
- And don't assume that because a trail begins near downtown, wildlife won't be around.
Back on the Ship...and Off to Find a Glacier
Our Juneau adventure wasn't quite finished when we got back aboard our Norwegian cruise ship.
From Juneau, we sailed toward Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier.
This was going to be our chance to get deep into glacier country.
Except...
As we traveled farther into Endicott Arm, there was simply too much ice in the water.
Chunks of glacier ice surrounded the route ahead, and eventually it wasn't considered safe for our ship to continue closer. (Note: the photo above shows an ice chunk with a seal laying on it)
So we didn't make it all the way into the glacier ice area as planned.
Was I disappointed?
Of course.
But standing on a ship looking out at chunks of ancient ice floating through Alaskan water also puts things into perspective pretty quickly.
Sometimes nature says:
This is as close as you're getting today.
And in Alaska, nature gets the final vote.
What I'd Do Differently in Juneau
If I could rewind this day, I wouldn't necessarily change where we went.
I'd change how prepared we were.
I would learn about bear safety before getting off the ship. I'd have a trail map downloaded or saved. I'd check current trail conditions. And if I planned to hike into quieter bear country, I'd make sure I had appropriate bear-safety equipment and knew how to use it.
But I wouldn't replace our wandering morning with a packed excursion schedule.
Because turning around led us to see other beautiful sites.
Today's final step count:
19,058 steps.
Apparently "hiking day" was accurate even though we never technically made it to the trailhead.
One Day in Juneau: Was It Enough?
Not even close.
Juneau is one of those cruise ports where I left feeling like we'd barely scratched the surface.
If you only have one day, you can certainly book an excursion and see one of the area's headline attractions.
But you can also simply walk out of the cruise port and start exploring.
There are trails surprisingly close to downtown. There are waterfalls. There are mountains towering over the streets. There's glacial water rushing through town.
And there are bears.
Definitely don't forget about the bears.
We almost did.
One day. 19,058 steps. One first touch of glacier water. Zero bear encounters.
I'll call that a successful day in Juneau. 🐻🌲🏔️
✨ Free for you! Click the Juneau vintage journal page below to save and print for your travel journal.
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