We are doing a trip to Alaska staring with a quick stay in Southeast Alaska first. We fly into Juneau next Monday with a 6 hour layover in Sitka. We have a flight to Anchorage on Friday. We are then spending a week in Kenai/Anchorage/Denali area. I know this is a last minute trip and it would have been better to book a year ago but it is what it is. I have tried looking up the best possible itinerary but am finding a lack of advice online for our length of stay (4 nights) and this very challenging with ferry schedules. We are active people - like hiking, kayaking, water, fun stuff overall but not crazy thrill seekers.
Questions:
1. Any recommendations for 6 hour layover in Sitka?
2. Should we stay in Juneau the whole time or try to take a ferry to Haines/Skagway, Glacier Bay?
3. We want to go to the Mendenhall Glacier. I was told by a woman at a hotel that we don't need a tour to see the glacier, true? I have seen beautiful photos of ice caves. Is that possible to do or dangerous? Are there any safe places to see into a glacier cave?
4. It would be nice to be out on a boat and see whales. Do we need to take a whale watching cruise or should we take the ferry and stay overnight somewhere?
5. I have seen that there are helicopter tours, float planes, etc... Since we will be doing a lot of activities in the Kenai peninsula (kayak tour, glacier tour) and Denali (flightseeing tour, ATV tour) I was hoping to do something more specific to Juneau, Southeast Alaska and/or the Inside passage. For instance Glacier bay looks beautiful but it seems expensive and difficult to get to. Will it be a mistake to miss it if we go to Seward?
6. 2 people in our group are avid photographers. What are the must see places?
Thank you so much for your advice!!!

We have been to Juneau five times and are returning in August. There are plenty of activities in Juneau for four days. Renting a car makes sightseeing easier but rental cars range from $85 to over $100 per day if you pick up at the airport. Public transportation is available with a bus system.

Mendenhall Glacier is easily accessible by public transportation or by rental car. We have hiked at far as the waterfall and even in drizzling rain it is extremely gorgeous.

Whale watching trips in Juneau are expensive - ranging from $100 to $250 for a two or three hour trip. Most companies will pick you up at your hotel and drop you off; many will stop for a view of Mendenhall Glacier; some will even drop you off at Mendenhall Glacier and you can take the bus back. We discovered last year that you do not have to book your whale watching excursion in advance. You can walk to the dock where the cruise ships are and there are lots of booths that will be excursions for you. Some companies do offer trips in smaller boats, but unless you book with Marv and Harv or Weather Permitting, you will spend all your time with the other boats. We are whale fanatics and did pay a bit more to have a better experience.

We have had better whale encounters by going to Tracy Arm with Adventure Bound. Their all-day excursion is around $165 (less than the cost of many of the whale watches offered on smaller boats). We have seen whales on every trip. The captain will slow down and even detour to see humpbacks. We have had closer and longer encounters with breaching and lunge-feeding whales on their trips. The highlight of the trip is Sawyer Glacier; the calving is stupendous and exactly what you dream about seeing with an active tidewater glacier. We have booked two trips with Adventure Bound on our upcoming trip. Each trip is different. We have also been bears, mountain goats, Steller sea lions, bald eagles, and more wildlife from the boat.

Other activities in Juneau are visiting the governor's mansion, touring the State Capitol building, the Juneau Tramway, the salmon hatchery,and an old gold mine. All of these places are near downtown.

If you have a rental car the you can visit the Juneau Botanical Gardens and a Catholic shrine near Auk Bay.

Have fun!

Forgot to add that one of the best picnic spots near Mendenhall Glacier is at Skaters Cabin but you need a car. Kayaking is available at Auk Bay.

We took the ferry to Hoonah and points beyond in hopes of seeing whale activity but struck out. We did enjoy beautiful scenery and the ferry was an inexpensive all-day excursion for us.

My boss is travelling to Juneau next week with plans to hike to the ice caves at Mendenhall Glacier. There are companies that will lead you. You can rent kayaks and kayak on Mendenhall Like near the glacier.

Thanks Dorothy01! Your information was so helpful and appreciated. We decided to do a zip line tour, an ice cave tour, a helicopter tour with ice field landing. We also took the tram for the great views. Since we're going on a whale watching/glacier tour in Kenai NP, we're saving that for later. The one thing we wish we planned was a float plane trip. Watching them take off and land on the water is so cool. There's definitely a ton of things to do in Juneau. For people that are spending more time in other parts of Alaska, I think 2 days in Juneau is probably ideal.

Forgot to say that we also went to Mendenhall glacier alone and were able to do the easy walk to the beautiful Nugget Falls. Definitely plenty of hiking available on your own.