July 27, 2014 - Juneau, AK (Seasonal)

I heard a nasty rumor that it would be 81 degrees and sunny today in Juneau. As with many rumors, it turned out to be false. It was in the upper 50's with intermittent drizzle. Perfect walking weather.

We started and ended our 10k volkswalk in heaven, otherwise known as The Alaska Fudge Company. Walking down Franklin Street, we realized that the cruise industry has brought enough jewelry stores and souvenir stores to Juneau to allow for one for each legislator. I do not exaggerate. Nestled in amongst the touristy shops are some very nice shops selling local art, Native art, quilting supplies, and Alaskan Amber-themed paraphernalia. (Alaskan Amber is a locally brewed beer.)

Juneau only has a few blocks of flat land and then it rises up steeply to Mt. Roberts. As a result, this walk has a lot of climbing. The route is cleverly designed so that you climb for one block and then go level for one block and climb for one block and level for one block, etc. You start at 1st Street, and by the time you reach 8th Street, you are way up there. At 4th you pass by the State Capitol building. It was open on Sunday because there were 5 ships in port today. On the opposite corner there was a historical museum that was closed. (It was also closed the last time we were here. I think it may be permanently closed.)

At the top of the hill(?) we passed several small houses where miners lived during the gold rush period. We turned inland and entered the canyon between Mt. Roberts and Mt. Juneau. This is a popular hiking area, and it was easy to see why. The road follows Gold Creek into the valley. You can see the flume built by the gold-miners, but there is little other evidence of civilization. We hiked down the road for a mile until it ended at a trailhead. There is a mining museum here, but we didn't stop in. It was beautiful here. This is a temperate rainforest and it is very different from the hiking trails in Anchorage. The trees are mostly evergreens and they are taller than the trees one sees in and around Anchorage.

After returning along the same road to the inhabited portion of Juneau we walked passed some interesting houses and then took a turn onto Calhoun Street. It curved around and led us past the Governor's Mansion, Cope Park, Gold Creek (again) and to the cemetery. Most of the cemetery was old and uncared for, but we passed by the cemetery of Joe Juneau, the person for whom Juneau was named.

We walked back towards "downtown" past some schools and took the bridge across Gastineau Channel to Douglas Island, then turned back to Juneau. We passed the state museum, which was closed for renovations until 2016.

Walk Route: B+
Walk Instructions: B