PRESS KIT
JUNEAU A L A S K A
WHAT’S NEW?
NATIVE ART & CULTURE
WINTER WONDERLAND
Check out what’s new for Juneau in 2024
Totem Pole Trail Installed Celebration in 2024
Ski Juneau! Juneau Winter Celebrations
SPOTLIGHT: INDEPENDENT
DID JUNEAU? Fast Facts About Alaska’s Capital City
ELEVATING THE FOOD SCENE
WHAT’S NEW? 12 OF 30 TOTEMS INSTALLED FOR NEW TOTEM POLE TRAIL n 2023, Sealaska Heritage raised 12 new totem poles along the Juneau waterfront. The project known as Kootéeyaa Deiyí (Totem Pole Trail), will create an additional 18 new poles for a total of 30 kootéeyaa (totems) that will welcome visitors to the shores of Tlingit ancestral homelands. The project perpetuates the endangered art of totem pole carving while educating visitors on the significance of this distinctive art form.
NEW IN 2024 - BREATHE ALASKA A different kind of adventure with a woman-owned and led small business! Explore Juneau with a personal guide for both the beauty of nature and guided breathwork in an enchanted setting. Invigorate your senses as you explore Juneau with a local. Then work on stress relief, mental clarity and general well-being through breathing and introspection. Sessions for individuals, couples, or groups. Leave the rat race behind and find a transformational peace in one of the most beautiful places on earth.
NEW IN 2024 - ALASKA BINOCULARS Whether in for the day or visiting for a week, Alaskan Binoculars will pick you up from anywhere and drop you Perseverance Trail to explore the Silverbow Basin. A map is provided along with top-notch binoculars so you can see everything up close. Keep an eye out for mountain goats up Thunder Mountain or Mt. Juneau. Pick out eagles perched in trees or view porcupines from a safe distance. More trails will be added soon!
NEW IN 2024 - WILD COAST EXCURSIONS Explore the heart of Alaska's wilderness with intimate bear viewing and alpine hiking excursions led by an expert local guide. Our once-daily departures ensure an intimate connection with nature, creating memories that will last a lifetime. We partner with a local carbon fund for our carbon-negative, environmentally responsible tours.
JUNEAU RANKS 8TH NATIONALLY IN TOP 10 ARTS VIBRANCY RATING Juneau ranks 8th on the list of the most arts-vibrant small communities in the US by SMU Data Arts’ Arts Vibrancy Rating 2023. As locals, we already know that our community values and supports the arts. Locals and visitors alike flock to professional theater productions, operas, symphony concerts, a Jazz and Classic Festival, gallery exhibits, and a week-long Alaska Folk Festival each year.
JUNEAU IS THE NORTHWEST COAST ARTS CAPITAL OF THE WORLD The Sealaska Heritage Arts Campus and Walter Soboleff Building share monumental formline art and a 360degree cedar totem pole (the only of its kind in Alaska). The new Sealaska Heritage Institute’s Arts Campus celebrates Indigenous artists. The campus, located on Heritage Square, tells the story of Southeast Alaska’s Native people, which began more than 10,000 years ago. In 2023, Sealaska Heritage raised 12 new totem poles along the Juneau waterfront. The project known as Kootéeyaa Deiyí (Totem Pole Trail), will create an additional 18 new poles for a total of 30 kootéeyaa (totems) that will welcome visitors to the shores of Tlingit ancestral homelands. The project perpetuates the endangered art of totem pole carving while educating visitors on the significance of this distinctive art form. Celebration 2024 is back in June! Held biennially, Celebration is the largest gathering of Southeast Alaska Native people, drawing thousands of people, including more than 2,000 dancers.
PLAN A WINTER ESCAPE TO JUNEAU
DON’T WAIT IN LINE! SKI & STAY PACKAGES FOR EAGLECREST IN JUNEAU While skiers outside Juneau worry about traffic, parking, and lift lines, local powder lovers are enjoying quite the opposite 15 minutes from downtown Juneau. Keli’s Concierge and Eaglecrest Ski Area have introduced a Ski & Stay package starting at $799. The package includes three nights accommodation with breakfast, lift tickets, rentals, and snow bus. Keli and Kris will facilitate any level of customization. You can make it three days of shredding epic terrain if you arrive in Juneau via Alaska Airlines, the Alaska Marine Highway System, or Alaska Seaplanes and trade your boarding pass for a same-day Eaglecrest lift ticket. So book the early flight!
JUNEAU’S WINTER WONDERLAND The Juneau Public Market starts the holiday season as the city's premier holiday gifts and arts and crafts show. The market, in its 41st year, spreads holiday cheer as vendors sell a wide variety of jewelry, Alaska Native arts, and local foods like smoked salmon and wild berry products. The first weekend after Thanksgiving, the crowds are treated to some of the most unique shopping opportunities in a festive and fun atmosphere. Gallery Walk quickly follows in early December and locals and visitors stroll downtown streets, ducking in and out of galleries, meeting some of the Pacific Northwest’s most amazing artists, celebrating art and culture, shopping exclusive featured items, and enjoying catered snacks, cookies, and drinks at many stops. Unlike anywhere else in the United States, the Governor of Alaska hosts an open house at his residence in Juneau. Locals and visitors greet each other in line and take the opportunity to shake the hand of the Governor and his family, exchange holiday greetings, eat specially baked cookies, and enjoy cider while listening to carolers dressed in Victorian costume.
STAY LONGER, ADVENTURE MORE! A day in Juneau is just the tip of the iceberg! Alaska’s capital city calls to thousands of cruisers each summer, but independent travelers can easily strike out on their own to explore Juneau’s shores, trails, glaciers, and see wildlife. Here are some ideas for those looking for a more authentic connection to Alaska. You can customize longer stays by interest, or mix and match your own itinerary. Bird-Minded Audubon Society Birding Trail - Southeast hosts over 350 bird species, including the highest densities. of Marbled Murrelets and Bald Eagles in the world. Hikes: Mendenhall Wetlands State Game Refuge Trail, Airport Dike Trail, and Perseverance Trail. Bird observation: Eagle Beach, Sheep Creek, Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center, and salmon streams. Birds you can hope to see: herons, kingfishers, scoters, willow ptarmigan, and Rufous Hummingbirds. Music Magic Alaska Folk Festival - April week-long festival. Daily sets and random jam sessions all over town. Juneau Jazz & Classics - annual May festival. Blues Cruise is popular (whale watch & music). Friday historic Kimball Theater organ concerts at the State Office Building - 8th floor lobby (free). Take a Hike! Trails range from one-mile wheelchair accessible walks to multi-day ridgeline treks. Hike into a Forest Service cabin and stay the night in the Alaskan wilderness (reservations required). Walk amid gold-rush era mining ruins on the Treadwell Historic Trail on Douglas Island. Herbert Glacier Trail (9.7 miles RT). Enjoy a picnic on the gravel beach before hiking back. Celebrate Culture Celebration is the largest gathering of Southeast Alaska Native peoples, drawing thousands of people, including more than 2,000 dancers. Held biennially in June, Celebration is an exceptional opportunity to experience and appreciate traditional Alaska Native culture and art. Kootéeyaa Deiyí (Totem Pole Trail) - 12 totems have been raised along the Juneau waterfront from Tah-ku (whale sculpture) to the downtown cruise ship docks. 18 more are planned. Sealaska Heritage Institute Arts Complex, Juneau-Douglas City and Alaska State Museums. Wildlife Viewing Pack Creek Bear Sanctuary on Admiralty Island. Whale watching tour. Possible wildlife sightings: harbor seals, bald eagles, marmots, porcupines, mountain goats, humpback whales, orcas, Stellar sea lions, and black bears randomly from town to “out the road.” Ice Ice Baby Taku Glacier Lodge (flightseeing and salmon bake). Tracy Arm Fjord Glacier Day Cruise (located 45 miles south of Juneau). Flightseeing over the Mendenhall & Herbert Glaciers. Winter Wonderland Ski Eaglecrest - city-owned, 640- acres of skiable terrain and a 1,620' vertical drop. Snowshoe along local trails. Over 250-miles of local trails to choose from. Cross-country ski the trails or the Nordic loop at Eaglecrest ski area. Join the Juneau community after Thanksgiving at the Public Market. Unique and handcrafted gifts. Gallery Walk - First friday in December (annual). Meet famous Pacific Northwest and local artists. Learn more about their art. Take advantage of special deals. Snacks and holiday shopping.
DID JUNEAU? Today’s Juneau was founded in 1881 after the discovery of gold by Joe Juneau and Richard Harris. From discovery of gold through World War II, Juneau’s gold mines were some of the largest in the world. The Alaska-Juneau mine ended operations in 1944 after producing more than $80 million in gold (worth more than $4 billion today). In 1906, the territorial government was moved from Sitka to Juneau, establishing Juneau as Alaska’s territorial capital and later, in 1959, as the state capital. The city and borough of Juneau spans 3,255 square miles! Largest land area of any state capital. Second largest land area of any U.S. city Smallest population of any capital city (33,000) A mild maritime climate keeps temperatures cool (60 - 70⁰F) in the summer and moderate (20 - 30⁰F) in the winter. Juneau, Alaska, earned a perfect score from the Human Rights Campaign’s Municipality Equality Index (MEI) scorecard in 2021 and 2022. Juneau is a welcoming city. Juneau has one 45-mile stretch of road and it doesn’t lead into or out of town. Juneau is only accessible by air or water. Most summer visitors arrive via cruise ship, with the rest arriving via Alaska Airlines, Delta Airlines, or Alaska Marine Highway ferries.
Juneau is home to: Sealaska Heritage Institute Art Campus A city-owned ski area Juneau-Douglas City Museum Alaska State Museum An arboretum Three professional theatre companies A symphony A lyric opera Two dance companies Three world-class music festivals: Alaska Folk Festival, Juneau Jazz and Classics, and Aak’w Rock Indigenous Music Festival. Located in the vast Tongass National Forest, Juneau’s verdant green trees, dramatic glaciers, and sparkling blue waters provide a spectacular setting for adventure for independent travelers and cruisers alike - all within 15 minutes of downtown: Whale watching and wildlife viewing Lighthouse tours Biking, kayaking, and ziplining Salmon and halibut sportfishing Gold panning and mine tours Accessible glaciers for flightseeing/trekking Over 250 miles of hiking trails (Juneau has more miles of trails than miles of road)
JUNEAU CHEFS AND FOOD ENTREPRENEURS ARE ELEVATING THE LOCAL FOOD SCENE Only accessible by air or water, Juneauites living in the capital city of Alaska (pop. 33,000) receive their groceries by barge or plane. So, often, items have spent a week on the water to get here. However, we have access to five species of salmon, halibut, rockfish, black cod, Dungeness, Tanner, and king crabs. We forage sea asparagus, devil's club buds, spruce tips, fiddleheads, and seaweed. Not to mention all the varieties of berries and mushrooms! There is a Facebook group devoted to announcing what is new and fresh on the docks for residents that want to buy direct. Preservation and local food sources are key to many families in Juneau. Locals smoke fish and hunt (mostly deer, goat, and black bear) locally. They ferment and can what they forage, grow, or buy. The city also supports three community gardens where locals can grow and harvest food for their families and friends as well as donate fresh food to charity. Of note: 4 local breweries, 2 distilleries, and 1 coffee roastery. Three Juneau-based chefs have won state and national titles for seafood preparation. Sustainable aquaculture business: Barnacle seafoods harvests kelp to make everything from pickles to hot sauce and BBQ sauce to kelp marmalade. Woman-owned sustainable oyster farm, The Salty Lady. Alaskan Brewing Company makes sustainable "beer-powered beer". Brewers capture and reuse CO2 produced during fermentation, dry the spent grain to create fuel to heat the brewery and make beer. Cordon Bleu graduate chef Lionel Uddipa forages and ferments local plants, berries, and spruce tips. Nominated six times for a James Beard award, In Bocca al Lupo’s chef Beau Schooler was named in the 2023 Top 50 Restaurants to Watch by the New York Times. Former commercial fisherman and founder of Deckhand Dave’s food truck, Dave McCasland, landed in the #3 spot on Yelp's Top 100 Taco Spots 2023. Juneau Food Tours tells the story of Alaskan food from sea to table and how it is connected to who we are and where we live. Her store and giftboxes (a COVID pivot) showcases support for many small business by selling local and other Alaska-made food products.
MEDIA CONTACT: KRISTI SWITZER Destination Marketing Manager kristi.switzer@traveljuneau.com | 907.586.1762