36 Hours in Juneau, Alaska

RESIDENTS of Juneau brag that their town is the most beautiful capital city in America, and they have a strong argument. Juneau is inside the Tongass National Forest, part of the world’s largest temperate rain forest. Old-growth groves and glaciers lie within the municipal limits, snow-capped mountains loom overhead, and whales and other marine wildlife are a short boat ride away. But despite Juneau’s overall utilitarian vibe, there’s more to the town’s appeal than natural beauty. Gold Rush-era buildings, art galleries, quality regional theater and fresh seafood make for pleasant companions to Juneau’s stunning surroundings.

Friday

3 p.m.

1) BACK TO THE ICE AGE

Nature beckons. But some preparations are required. On your way into town, stop at Western Auto-Marine (5165 Glacier Highway; 907-780-4909; www.westernautojuneau.com) for a pair of brown rubber, calf-high Xtra Tuf Boots, a must-have item in any Alaskan’s wardrobe (depending on whether you spring for the reinforced toes, they typically sell for $80 or $90). A good place to start your trek is the entrance to the Switzer Creek and Richard Marriott Trails (midway on Sunset Street). On the hillside, even ranks of evergreens give way to a hodge-podge of trees of different species, sizes and shapes. This change marks the boundary between second-growth timber on land logged decades ago, and an old-growth forest, untouched since the end of the last ice age. Hike up the trail — it’s not too strenuous — and discover for yourself why environmentalists are so keen to save these ancient woods, namely an amazingly rich variety of plant and animal life. There are hemlock and spruce, whose uneven canopy blocks winter snow, leaving plants like five-leaved bramble to feed deer and other animals through the winter. (Keep to the wooden planks at the base of the trail, and be glad you have your boots. The bog, or muskeg, is plenty wet.)

6:30 p.m.

2) FISH DON’T GET FRESHER

Locals say Juneau is not much of a restaurant town because so many people dine on fish they catch themselves. But when Juneau’s citizens want fish prepared for them, they head to the Hangar on the Wharf Pub & Grill (2 Marine Way; 907-586-5018; www.hangaronthewharf.com). The building’s exterior of plain blue clapboard isn’t designed to impress, but the restaurant’s harborside location offers dazzling views of the Gastineau Channel and the mountains of Douglas Island west of Downtown. There’s halibut on the menu, of course, and salmon (guaranteed wild-caught) and king crab. Seafood entrees range from $19 to $33. Enjoy your fish with a crisp, New Zealand sauvignon blanc or a bottle from the extensive craft beer list.

8 p.m.

3) INDOOR DRAMA

After celebrating its 30th anniversary this spring, the Perseverance Theatre, a nonprofit repertory company across the Gastineau Channel on Douglas Island (914 Third Street, Douglas; 907-364-2421; www.perseverancetheatre.org), will begin its 2009-2010 season in September. Offerings will include a mix of the classic (Thornton Wilder’s “Skin of Our Teeth”) and contemporary (Sarah Ruhl’s revisionist take on “Eurydice”) and prices are low.

Saturday

9 a.m.

4) SEEING SEA LIFE

What better way to start your Saturday than with some close-up views of Juneau’s original residents. A number of companies offer whale-watching trips from Auke Bay, a short car (or bus) ride north of Downtown. Find one offering a trip up the Lynn Canal to Berners Bay and you are sure to see Steller sea lions basking on a rocky haul-out, harbor seals bobbing in the water and harrier hawks, geese and ducks. Also watch for eagles nesting along the shores. Most companies guarantee you will see whales; chances of spotting humpbacks are best in late spring when the herring-like fish called eulakon (“hooligan” in a local Native language) are running. A good place to book your tour is Allen Marine Tours (907-789-0081; www.allenmarinetours.com); there is a range of options.

Noon

5) UP NORTH, DOWN SOUTH

Back in town, enjoy a taste of old Juneau at the Triangle Club (251 Front Street; 907-586-3140; www.triangleclubbar.com). Order a hot dog and some Alaskan Amber — one of the local beers brewed and bottled right in town. If the Triangle looks a bit louche for your tastes, try El Sombrero around the corner (157 South Franklin Street; 907-586-6770), a Juneau institution. The modest place has been dishing out generous helpings of Mexican standards since the oil boom began in the 1970s. Entrees are generally $8 to $12 .

1:30 p.m.

6) HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES

For some history on one of our most unusual states, try the Alaska State Museum (395 Whittier Street; 907-465-2901; www.museums.state.ak.us), which houses a collection covering the Athabascans, Aleuts and other Alaska Natives, the state’s history as a Russian colony and the gold rush that helped create Juneau. The museum’s store and its auxiliary retail outlet at 124 Seward Street stock a variety of Native crafts including baskets, prints and dolls. Keep walking farther from the port and you’ll come upon what is probably Juneau’s least-known gem: the lichen-covered tombstones in Evergreen Cemetery (601 Seater Street; 907-364-2828). Joseph Juneau and Richard Harris, the prospectors who founded the city, are buried there; the cemetery was also the site of the funeral pyre of Chief Cowee, the Auk who led them to Juneau’s gold.

3 p.m.

7) ARTS AND CRAFTS

When cruise ships are in town, the locals say they stay out of “waddling distance” of the piers. And with good reason: most of the shops that line the streets of Downtown are filled with mass-produced “Native” items for the tourist trade. But not all. Start with the Juneau Artists Gallery (175 South Franklin Street; 907-586-9891; www.juneauartistsgallery.net), a co-operative shop that offers jewelry, prints, pottery, drawings and other work. Be sure to chat with the gallery staff — each is an artist and a member of the co-op. For something a little more exotic than the ubiquitous Alaska-themed sweatshirt, try Shoefly & Hudsons (109 Seward Street; 907-586-1055; www.shoeflyalaska.com), which offers unusual designs in footwear, handbags and accessories. (People in Juneau say it was one of Sarah Palin’s favorite shops when she was in town.) But the town’s most unusual retail outlet is William Spear Design (174 South Franklin Street; 907-586-2209; www.wmspear.com), a purveyor of tiny enamel pins, zipper pulls and other items — many with an edgy political message.

4:30 p.m.

8) ON THE PAGE

If your shopping interests are more geared toward the written word, you are in luck: Juneau is rich in independent bookstores. There are three in Downtown. The most unusual is the Observatory (299 North Franklin Street; 907-586-9676; www.observatorybooks.com), perched up the hill from the harbor. From a tiny blue house not much younger than the town itself, the shop’s proprietor, Dee Longenbaugh, offers an extensive stock of books on Alaska, particularly the southeast region. She prides herself on her collection of maps, charts and works of regional plants, animals and geology.

7 p.m.

9) ALASKAN MEDITERRANEAN

With its high ceiling and wood floors, Zephyr (200 Seward Street; 907-780-2221) is Juneau’s most elegant restaurant. It serves fish of course, but Mediterranean style, like the halibut provençale, with tomatoes and olives. Nonseafood options include the mushroom risotto; the crème brûlée and other desserts are rich, so save some appetite (entrees range from $19 to $34). After dinner, you can get back into the gold rush mood with a game of pool and an Alaskan pale ale in the bar of the Alaskan Hotel (167 South Franklin Street; 907-586-1000; www.thealaskanhotel.com).

Sunday

9 a.m.

10) COFFEE AND A VIEW

Grab a coffee and a pastry at the Downtown location of the Heritage Coffee Company chain (174 South Franklin Street; 907-586-1088; www.heritagecoffee.com) before donning your boots and heading out to Juneau’s in-town glacier, the Mendenhall, off Glacier Spur Road. Dress warmly — cool air flows constantly off the 12-mile stream of ice, and it is typically 5 or 10 degrees cooler at the glacier than it is in town. In part because of global warming, the glacier is retreating perhaps as much as 100 feet a year. Even from the visitor center (8510 Mendenhall Loop Road; 907-789-0097) you can see the kinds of rock and soil it deposited as it moved inland. But if you are feeling energetic, try the Moraine Trail for a first-hand look at what glaciers leave behind.

THE BASICS

Continental and Alaska Airlines offer service from Newark to Juneau, with stopovers in Seattle; a recent Web search found round-trip fares from $589. You can rent a car at the airport, a few miles from Downtown.

Juneau is not a place for travelers who crave five-star luxury. Perhaps the most upscale accommodations are at the Westmark Baranoff (127 North Franklin Street; 907-586-2660; www.westmarkhotels.com), which bills itself as the home-away-from-home of legislators and others doing business in the capital. Doubles start at $169.

Alternatively, try the Alaskan Hotel, built in the Queen Anne style in 1913. It boasts reasonable prices and a central location, and the dark, woody interior certainly beats its competition for atmosphere. Doubles, with a shared bathroom, start at $60.