Alaska: Juneau & Tracy Arm

Snowy peaks of the Chilkat Range seen on the ferry (Alaska Marine Highway System) between Haines and Juneau, Alaska, USA.

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Built in 1905 on Lynn Canal, Eldred Rock Lighthouse is the oldest original lighthouse in Alaska and the only remaining octagonal frame lighthouse of those built between 1902-1905. It was established because of the many shipwrecks nearby especially during the 1898 Gold Rush, when Lynn Canal was in heavy use. Eldred Rock Light was automated by the United States Coast Guard in 1973 and downgraded to a minor light. Photogrpaphed from the ferry (Alaska Marine Highway System) from Haines to Juneau, Alaska, USA.

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Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska, USA. Photographed from the ferry (Alaska Marine Highway System) southbound from Haines to Juneau. Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area is a unit of Tongass National Forest. Mendenhall Glacier has retreated 1.75 miles since 1929, when Mendenhall Lake was created, and over 2.5 miles (4.0 km) since 1500. Since the mid 1900s, Alaska has warmed 3 degrees Fahrenheit and its winters have warmed nearly 6 degrees. Human-caused climate change induced by emissions of greenhouse gases continues to accelerate the warming of Alaska at an unprecedented rate. Climate change is having disproportionate effects in the Arctic, which is heating up twice as fast as the rest of Earth.

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Eagle Glacier, Tongass National Forest, Juneau, Alaska, USA. Photographed from the ferry (Alaska Marine Highway System) southbound from Haines to Juneau.

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Auke Bay, on ferry (Alaska Marine Highway System) from Haines to Juneau, Alaska, USA.

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Mendenhall Lake, Mendenhall Campground, Juneau, Alaska, USA. Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area is a unit of Tongass National Forest. Mendenhall Glacier has retreated 1.75 miles since 1929, when Mendenhall Lake was created, and over 2.5 miles (4.0 km) since 1500. Since the mid 1900s, Alaska has warmed 3 degrees Fahrenheit and its winters have warmed nearly 6 degrees. Human-caused climate change induced by emissions of greenhouse gases continues to accelerate the warming of Alaska at an unprecedented rate. Climate change is having disproportionate effects in the Arctic, which is heating up twice as fast as the rest of Earth.

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Water droplets on skunk cabbage leaf. Juneau, Alaska, USA. For spectacular views over Mendenhall Glacier, hike the West Glacier (Mt. McGinnis) Trail 6-9.5 miles round trip, 1000-3200 feet gain, best late May-September. The Trailhead is a half mile from Mendenhall Campground entrance by road. A good trail skirts the northwest side of Mendenhall Lake then climbs through forest to the bare rock along the glacier's west side, where some scrambling and route finding skills are required. Mendenhall Glacier flows 12 miles from downtown Juneau. Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area is a unit of Tongass National Forest. Mendenhall Glacier has retreated 1.75 miles since 1929, when Mendenhall Lake was created, and over 2.5 miles (4.0 km) since 1500. Since the mid 1900s, Alaska has warmed 3 degrees Fahrenheit and its winters have warmed nearly 6 degrees. Human-caused climate change induced by emissions of greenhouse gases continues to accelerate the warming of Alaska at an unprecedented rate. Climate change is having disproportionate effects in the Arctic, which is heating up twice as fast as the rest of Earth.

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A stream flows towards Mendenhall Lake. For spectacular views over Mendenhall Glacier, hike the West Glacier (Mt. McGinnis) Trail 6-9.5 miles round trip, 1000-3200 feet gain, best late May-September. The Trailhead is a half mile from Mendenhall Campground entrance by road. A good trail skirts the northwest side of Mendenhall Lake then climbs through forest to the bare rock along the glacier's west side, where some scrambling and route finding skills are required. Mendenhall Glacier flows 12 miles from downtown Juneau, Alaska, USA. Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area is a unit of Tongass National Forest. Mendenhall Glacier has retreated 1.75 miles since 1929, when Mendenhall Lake was created, and over 2.5 miles (4.0 km) since 1500. Since the mid 1900s, Alaska has warmed 3 degrees Fahrenheit and its winters have warmed nearly 6 degrees. Human-caused climate change induced by emissions of greenhouse gases continues to accelerate the warming of Alaska at an unprecedented rate. Climate change is having disproportionate effects in the Arctic, which is heating up twice as fast as the rest of Earth.

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Crevasses in Mendenhall Glacier. Juneau, Alaska, USA. For spectacular views over Mendenhall Glacier, hike the West Glacier (Mt. McGinnis) Trail 6-9.5 miles round trip, 1000-3200 feet gain, best late May-September. The Trailhead is a half mile from Mendenhall Campground entrance by road. A good trail skirts the northwest side of Mendenhall Lake then climbs through forest to the bare rock along the glacier's west side, where some scrambling and route finding skills are required. Mendenhall Glacier flows 12 miles from downtown Juneau. Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area is a unit of Tongass National Forest. Mendenhall Glacier has retreated 1.75 miles since 1929, when Mendenhall Lake was created, and over 2.5 miles (4.0 km) since 1500. Since the mid 1900s, Alaska has warmed 3 degrees Fahrenheit and its winters have warmed nearly 6 degrees. Human-caused climate change induced by emissions of greenhouse gases continues to accelerate the warming of Alaska at an unprecedented rate. Climate change is having disproportionate effects in the Arctic, which is heating up twice as fast as the rest of Earth.

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For spectacular views over Mendenhall Glacier, hike the West Glacier (Mt. McGinnis) Trail 6-9.5 miles round trip, 1000-3200 feet gain, best late May-September. The Trailhead is a half mile from Mendenhall Campground entrance by road. A good trail skirts the northwest side of Mendenhall Lake then climbs through forest to the bare rock along the glacier's west side, where some scrambling and route finding skills are required. Mendenhall Glacier flows 12 miles from downtown Juneau, Alaska, USA. Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area is a unit of Tongass National Forest. Mendenhall Glacier has retreated 1.75 miles since 1929, when Mendenhall Lake was created, and over 2.5 miles (4.0 km) since 1500. Since the mid 1900s, Alaska has warmed 3 degrees Fahrenheit and its winters have warmed nearly 6 degrees. Human-caused climate change induced by emissions of greenhouse gases continues to accelerate the warming of Alaska at an unprecedented rate. Climate change is having disproportionate effects in the Arctic, which is heating up twice as fast as the rest of Earth. This image was stitched from multiple overlapping photos.

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A tent on Mendenhall Glacier. Juneau, Alaska, USA. For spectacular views over Mendenhall Glacier, hike the West Glacier (Mt. McGinnis) Trail 6-9.5 miles round trip, 1000-3200 feet gain, best late May-September. The Trailhead is a half mile from Mendenhall Campground entrance by road. A good trail skirts the northwest side of Mendenhall Lake then climbs through forest to the bare rock along the glacier's west side, where some scrambling and route finding skills are required. Mendenhall Glacier flows 12 miles from downtown Juneau. Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area is a unit of Tongass National Forest. Mendenhall Glacier has retreated 1.75 miles since 1929, when Mendenhall Lake was created, and over 2.5 miles (4.0 km) since 1500. Since the mid 1900s, Alaska has warmed 3 degrees Fahrenheit and its winters have warmed nearly 6 degrees. Human-caused climate change induced by emissions of greenhouse gases continues to accelerate the warming of Alaska at an unprecedented rate. Climate change is having disproportionate effects in the Arctic, which is heating up twice as fast as the rest of Earth.

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Eagle Beach State Recreation Area, Alaska. Three entrances are left off Glacier Highway between mile 26 and mile 27 north of downtown Juneau. First turnoff is camping and cabins, second is the picnic area, and last is the northernmost beach access. Beach combing, photography. The small campground lets you wake up to the sound of eagles picking their way through the tide flats. Low tide opens up around a quarter mile but beware the tide flows back in quickly and quietly. With average tides of 16 feet, these flats hold many morsels of food for wildlife. The best season for eagles and bears is late June to early August when salmon come up the river. Find clams, sea peaches, crabs, other delights. At high tide the birds retreat into the trees, but there is a 1.5 mile loop above the high tide line that winds along Eagle River and across the beach between sand and beach grasses. The access trail connects with the Yankee Basin and Eagle Glacier trails for diversity (old growth forest, muskeg, wetlands, river systems, glacial moraine, tidal flats).

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National Shrine of St. Therese, 22 miles north of downtown Juneau, in Tongass National Forest, Alaska, USA. A stone causeway from shore reaches this natural-stone chapel nestled amid a tranquil wooded island. This ministry of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Juneau is dedicated to St. Thérèse of Lisieux, the patron saint of Alaska, missionaries, and the Diocese of Juneau. She wrote that what really mattered in life was not our great deeds, but our great love.

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A marmot at National Shrine of St. Therese, 22 miles north of downtown Juneau, in Tongass National Forest, Alaska, USA. A stone causeway from shore reaches this natural-stone chapel nestled amid a tranquil wooded island. This ministry of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Juneau is dedicated to St. Thérèse of Lisieux, the patron saint of Alaska, missionaries, and the Diocese of Juneau. She wrote that what really mattered in life was not our great deeds, but our great love.

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Sunset light backlights a flower at the National Shrine of St. Therese, 22 miles north of downtown Juneau, in Tongass National Forest, Alaska, USA. A stone causeway from shore reaches this natural-stone chapel nestled amid a tranquil wooded island. This ministry of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Juneau is dedicated to St. Thérèse of Lisieux, the patron saint of Alaska, missionaries, and the Diocese of Juneau. She wrote that what really mattered in life was not our great deeds, but our great love. This image was stitched from multiple overlapping photos.

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Peaks above Mendenhall Lake at sunset, seen from Auke Lake in Juneau, Alaska, USA. The City and Borough of Juneau is the capital city of Alaska and the second largest city in the USA by area (only Sitka is larger). This unified municipality lies on Gastineau Channel in the Alaskan panhandle. Juneau has been the capital of Alaska since 1906, when the government of what was the District of Alaska was moved from Sitka. The city is named after a gold prospector from Quebec, Joe Juneau. Isolated by rugged terrain on Alaska's mainland, Juneau can only be reached by plane or boat. Downtown Juneau sits at sea level under steep mountains up to 4000 feet high, topped by Juneau Icefield and 30 glaciers.

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Peaks above Mendenhall Lake at sunset, Juneau, Alaska, USA. The City and Borough of Juneau is the capital city of Alaska and the second largest city in the USA by area (only Sitka is larger). This unified municipality lies on Gastineau Channel in the Alaskan panhandle. Juneau has been the capital of Alaska since 1906, when the government of what was the District of Alaska was moved from Sitka. The city is named after a gold prospector from Quebec, Joe Juneau. Isolated by rugged terrain on Alaska's mainland, Juneau can only be reached by plane or boat. Downtown Juneau sits at sea level under steep mountains up to 4000 feet high, topped by Juneau Icefield and 30 glaciers.

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Mount Roberts Tramway, south of downtown Juneau, Alaska. In operation since 1996, the tram makes a six-minute ascent of 3,819-foot Mount Roberts from the cruise ship docks to 1800 feet.

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Juneau Port. Cruise to Tracy Arm Fjord and South Sawyer Glacier from Juneau, Alaska, USA. We highly recommend the smoothly stabilized day cruise aboard the 56-foot boat Adventure Bound. This journey to the heart of Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness (Tongass National Forest) rivals Norwegian fjords and adds a punchbowl of icebergs from the spectacular South Sawyer Glacier, which calved ice into the tidewater with a rumble and a splash. Whales, bears, sea lions and other wildlife showed up along the way. The fjord twists narrowly 30 miles into the coastal mountains, with peaks jutting up to a mile high, draped with tumbling waterfalls. This image was stitched from multiple overlapping photos.

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The ship Disney Wonder anchors in Juneau Port. For a cruise to Tracy Arm Fjord and South Sawyer Glacier we highly recommend the smoothly stabilized day cruise aboard the 56-foot boat Adventure Bound. This journey to the heart of Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness (Tongass National Forest) rivals Norwegian fjords and adds a punchbowl of icebergs from the spectacular South Sawyer Glacier, which calved ice into the tidewater with a rumble and a splash. Whales, bears, sea lions and other wildlife showed up along the way. The fjord twists narrowly 30 miles into the coastal mountains, with peaks jutting up to a mile high, draped with tumbling waterfalls. To license this Copyright photo, please inquire at PhotoSeek.com.

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The Treadwell Pump House was built in 1914 at the end of a 600-foot long pier. The building's three centrifugal pumps lifted 2700 gallons of saltwater per minute from Gastineau Channel for milling and fire protection during the winter when fresh water from the Treadwell Ditch was frozen in snow pack. Treadwell Mine operated 1882-1922 in Juneau, in the Alaskan panhandle, USA. Walk the intriguing Treadwell Mine Historic Trail 3 miles south of Douglas Bridge next to Savikko Park. Formerly the largest gold mine in the world, the mini-town of Treadwell peaked in the 1880s, but was abandoned after partially sliding into the sea on April 21, 1917, when a massive cave-in flooded three of four underground mines 2300 feet deep, due to an extreme high tide and failure of unstable underground rock pillars. Now, spooky reminders poke through the forest on well-signposted and interpreted trail: the concrete New Office Building; 1917 slide site; "glory hole", and the restored shell of Treadwell pumphouse. The City and Borough of Juneau is the capital city of Alaska and the second largest city in the USA by area (only Sitka is larger).

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Rocky towers of the Boundary Ranges south of Juneau, Alaska, USA. For a visit to Tracy Arm Fjord and South Sawyer Glacier from Juneau, we highly recommend the smoothly stabilized day cruise aboard the 56-foot boat Adventure Bound. This journey to the heart of Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness (Tongass National Forest) rivals Norwegian fjords and adds a punchbowl of icebergs from the spectacular South Sawyer Glacier, which calved ice into the tidewater with a rumble and a splash. Whales, bears, sea lions and other wildlife showed up along the way. The fjord twists narrowly 30 miles into the coastal mountains, with peaks jutting up to a mile high, draped with tumbling waterfalls.

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Grand Princess cruise ship, in the Inside Passage south of Juneau, Alaska, USA. For a visit to Tracy Arm Fjord and South Sawyer Glacier from Juneau, we highly recommend the smoothly stabilized day cruise aboard the 56-foot boat Adventure Bound. This journey to the heart of Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness (Tongass National Forest) rivals Norwegian fjords and adds a punchbowl of icebergs from the spectacular South Sawyer Glacier, which calved ice into the tidewater with a rumble and a splash. Whales, bears, sea lions and other wildlife showed up along the way. The fjord twists narrowly 30 miles into the coastal mountains, with peaks jutting up to a mile high, draped with tumbling waterfalls. To license this Copyright photo, please inquire at PhotoSeek.com.

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An attractive waterfall in Tracy Arm Fjord seen on a day cruise from Juneau, Alaska, USA. To visit Tracy Arm Fjord and South Sawyer Glacier from Juneau, we highly recommend the smoothly stabilized day cruise aboard the 56-foot boat Adventure Bound. This journey to the heart of Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness (Tongass National Forest) rivals Norwegian fjords and adds a punchbowl of icebergs from the spectacular South Sawyer Glacier, which calved ice into the tidewater with a rumble and a splash. Whales, bears, sea lions and other wildlife showed up along the way. The fjord twists narrowly 30 miles into the coastal mountains, with peaks jutting up to a mile high, draped with tumbling waterfalls.

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An American black bear (Ursus americanus) forages for seafood in tidal seaweed on Tracy Arm Fjord. Juneau, Alaska, USA. To visit Tracy Arm Fjord and South Sawyer Glacier from Juneau, we highly recommend the smoothly stabilized day cruise aboard the 56-foot boat Adventure Bound. This journey to the heart of Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness (Tongass National Forest) rivals Norwegian fjords and adds a punchbowl of icebergs from the spectacular South Sawyer Glacier, which calved ice into the tidewater with a rumble and a splash. Whales, bears, sea lions and other wildlife showed up along the way. The fjord twists narrowly 30 miles into the coastal mountains, with peaks jutting up to a mile high, draped with tumbling waterfalls.

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Cruise to Tracy Arm Fjord and South Sawyer Glacier from Juneau, Alaska, USA. We highly recommend the smoothly stabilized day cruise aboard the 56-foot boat Adventure Bound. This journey to the heart of Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness (Tongass National Forest) rivals Norwegian fjords and adds a punchbowl of icebergs from the spectacular South Sawyer Glacier, which calved ice into the tidewater with a rumble and a splash. Whales, bears, sea lions and other wildlife showed up along the way. The fjord twists narrowly 30 miles into the coastal mountains, with peaks jutting up to a mile high, draped with tumbling waterfalls.

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See shapely icebergs from South Sawyer Glacier floating in Tracy Arm Fjord, in the Alaska Panhandle, via day cruise from Juneau, Alaska, USA. We highly recommend the smoothly stabilized day cruise aboard the 56-foot boat Adventure Bound. This journey to the heart of Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness (Tongass National Forest) rivals Norwegian fjords and adds a punchbowl of icebergs from the spectacular South Sawyer Glacier, which calved ice into the tidewater with a rumble and a splash. Whales, bears, sea lions and other wildlife showed up along the way. The fjord twists narrowly 30 miles into the coastal mountains, with peaks jutting up to a mile high, draped with tumbling waterfalls.

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Sea Lion, National Geographic. Cruise to Tracy Arm Fjord and South Sawyer Glacier from Juneau, Alaska, USA. This journey to the heart of Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness (Tongass National Forest) rivals Norwegian fjords and adds a punchbowl of icebergs from the spectacular South Sawyer Glacier, which calved ice into the tidewater with a rumble and a splash. Whales, bears, sea lions and other wildlife showed up along the way. The fjord twists narrowly 30 miles into the coastal mountains, with peaks jutting up to a mile high, draped with tumbling waterfalls.

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South Sawyer Glacier in Tracy Arm Fjord, in the Boundary Ranges of the Coast Mountains, in the Alaska Panhandle, seen via day cruise from Juneau, Alaska, USA. We highly recommend the smoothly stabilized day cruise aboard the 56-foot boat Adventure Bound. This journey to the heart of Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness (Tongass National Forest) rivals Norwegian fjords and adds a punchbowl of icebergs from the spectacular South Sawyer Glacier, which calved ice into the tidewater with a rumble and a splash. Whales, bears, sea lions and other wildlife showed up along the way. The fjord twists narrowly 30 miles into the coastal mountains, with peaks jutting up to a mile high, draped with tumbling waterfalls.

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Harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) live amid ice flows calved from South Sawyer Glacier. Cruise to Tracy Arm Fjord and South Sawyer Glacier from Juneau, Alaska, USA. As the most widely distributed species of pinniped, harbor seals are found in coastal waters of the northern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and the Baltic and North Seas. Harbor seals are brown, silvery white, tan, or gray, with distinctive V-shaped nostrils. We highly recommend the smoothly stabilized day cruise aboard the 56-foot boat Adventure Bound. This journey to the heart of Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness (Tongass National Forest) rivals Norwegian fjords and adds a punchbowl of icebergs from the spectacular South Sawyer Glacier, which calved ice into the tidewater with a rumble and a splash. Whales, bears, sea lions and other wildlife showed up along the way. The fjord twists narrowly 30 miles into the coastal mountains, with peaks jutting up to a mile high, draped with tumbling waterfalls.

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Ice reflection in boat window. See shapely icebergs from South Sawyer Glacier floating in Tracy Arm Fjord, in the Alaska Panhandle, via day cruise from Juneau, Alaska, USA. We highly recommend the smoothly stabilized day cruise aboard the 56-foot boat Adventure Bound. This journey to the heart of Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness (Tongass National Forest) rivals Norwegian fjords and adds a punchbowl of icebergs from the spectacular South Sawyer Glacier, which calved ice into the tidewater with a rumble and a splash. Whales, bears, sea lions and other wildlife showed up along the way. The fjord twists narrowly 30 miles into the coastal mountains, with peaks jutting up to a mile high, draped with tumbling waterfalls.

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$Icebergs in Tracy Arm Fjord from South Sawyer Glacier, seen on a cruise from Juneau, Alaska, USA. A dike of white rock intrudes in a fractured pattern through gray rock polished by glaciers. We highly recommend the smoothly stabilized day cruise aboard the 56-foot boat Adventure Bound. This journey to the heart of Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness (Tongass National Forest) rivals Norwegian fjords and adds a punchbowl of icebergs from the spectacular South Sawyer Glacier, which calved ice into the tidewater with a rumble and a splash. Whales, bears, sea lions and other wildlife showed up along the way. The fjord twists narrowly 30 miles into the coastal mountains, with peaks jutting up to a mile high, draped with tumbling waterfalls.$

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Seabirds fly across the face of South Sawyer Glacier in Tracy Arm Fjord, in the Boundary Ranges of the Coast Mountains, in the Alaska Panhandle, seen via day cruise from Juneau, Alaska, USA. We highly recommend the smoothly stabilized day cruise aboard the 56-foot boat Adventure Bound. This journey to the heart of Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness (Tongass National Forest) rivals Norwegian fjords and adds a punchbowl of icebergs from the spectacular South Sawyer Glacier, which calved ice into the tidewater with a rumble and a splash. Whales, bears, sea lions and other wildlife showed up along the way. The fjord twists narrowly 30 miles into the coastal mountains, with peaks jutting up to a mile high, draped with tumbling waterfalls.

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$A dike of white rock intrudes in a fractured pattern through gray rock polished by the South Sawyer Glacier in Tracy Arm Fjord, south of Juneau, Alaska, USA. We highly recommend the smoothly stabilized day cruise aboard the 56-foot boat Adventure Bound. This journey to the heart of Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness (Tongass National Forest) rivals Norwegian fjords and adds a punchbowl of icebergs from the spectacular South Sawyer Glacier, which calved ice into the tidewater with a rumble and a splash. Whales, bears, sea lions and other wildlife showed up along the way. The fjord twists narrowly 30 miles into the coastal mountains, with peaks jutting up to a mile high, draped with tumbling waterfalls.$