On a tight budget in Juneau
 

My girlfriend and I will be in Juneau the first week of August. We are on a tight budget and need help planning activities. We would like to see the whales , bears, etc. but we can't afford these $500 trips. Any help would be appreciated.

Whale watching is about $100 pp and an excellent tour, consider direct booking with Orca Enterprises or Dolphin. You need a tour for any extended close up sightings. You are out of luck with bear tours- all costly and best is Pack Creek. Best bear bargain is Denali park.

Thanks Budgetqueen.
Can anyone tell me what it's like to camp in Juneau.

Hello Budgetqueen-Do you live in Alaska?

Supe, if you're willing to work a bit, and don't mind watching black bears as opposed to brownies (griz), there is a really good spot out Thane Road in Juneau.... go out the trail toward Point Bishop, and then take a left and climb up the mountain. That is Salisbury Ridge. I've seen 11 blackbears on that hill in a single afternoon.

Another good bear viewing option for you is up at Taku Lodge. Not sure what the prices are, but there are (were) plenty of brown bear up in that area.

Another good spot for viewing them is out on the flats near Eagle River which is "out the road." There you might see either brown or black bears.

I agree with BudgetQueen when it comes to the "assurance" of seeing animals... places like Pack Creek and McNeil are pretty guaranteed. But, there are thousands upon thousands of bears in the state, and, most of them do not live in these preserves.

As an example, just in the last two days I've seen 3 grizzlies (one from about 50 yards), a black bear, 3 moose, a caribou, a fox, and several million mosquitoes. And, though I am living in Denali, NONE of these sightings were in, or even near the park. These were my days off, and I was "gone fishin."

I have no experience camping in Juneau, request their visitor guide, www.traveljuneau.com Nope I live near Syracuse, just a frequent visitor.

Thanks akvisnet and to all replying.
I hope to put your advice to good use.

Supe, when I went up Salisbury Ridge, there were no trails. You have to fight your way through devils club, and other brambles. However, once above treeline, it's really nice. Don't worry about getting lost......head downhill toward the water.

Supe..... oh Supe!!! Did you fall off of the mountain? I am waiting for your report. Hope he didn't run into one of those saber toothed porcupines while searching for bears.

Supe?

The trip was fantastic. We camped at the Mendenhall site and the facilities were top notch. We also hiked out onto the Mendenhall glacier. Whale watching through Orca Entreprises was worth every penny as the whales were bubble net feeding and actually came to us and under the boat. Food was costly at pretty much every restaurant. There are trails all over the Juneau area for hiking. Bears were seen at the Mendenhall salmon viewing point. Downtown Juneau has plenty to offer.
Very enjoyable!

We stayed at MountainView Bed and Breakfast which is near a very nice campground. Juneau have several campgrounds so I would contact the local tourist board as well as the forest service for more detailed info.

Food is waaay more expensive here than in the lower 48, but do try either fresh salmon or fresh halibut for sure! Can't be beat.

Juneau has city bus service which will drop you off short (but within walking distance) of the Glacier. It's a beautiful walk and we have come across small wildlife on the way. Well worth the visit and free except for the a portion of the visitor center, but the movie and displays as well as view are well worth the nominal entry fee.

(sorry, just noticed the dates! but hopefully will serve some one in the future!)