Free & Cheap Things to Do in Juneau

Glaciers & Nature

A 13-mile-long glacier that ends in a turquoise lake just outside downtown Juneau — and one of the most accessible glaciers in North America. The grounds and trails are completely free year-round, including the easy paved Photo Point Trail and the one-mile Nugget Falls Trail right along the lakeshore. The Forest Service visitor center charges a small summer fee but offers films, exhibits, telescopes, and ranger talks.

Address: 6000 Glacier Spur Rd, Juneau, AK 99801

Tip: Visitor center fee is waived October through April. Skip the fee entirely and walk the free trails — Nugget Falls puts you closer to the glacier than the visitor center does.

Hiking & Outdoors

A free hiking trail straight up the mountain that rises behind downtown Juneau, climbing through old-growth Sitka spruce forest to alpine meadows with sweeping views of the Gastineau Channel. The full hike to the tram terminal is about two miles each way and gains 1,800 feet — strenuous but free. Most cruise visitors pay $45 for the tram up; you can walk it for nothing.

Address: Basin Rd, Juneau, AK 99801

Tip: The 6th Street trailhead is closed — start from the Basin Road trailhead instead. Bring water and bear spray, and check trail conditions before going.

History & Government

Alaska's working state capitol is unusually accessible — free guided tours run weekday afternoons in summer, taking visitors through the historic 1931 building, the legislative chambers, and a small museum about Alaska statehood. A self-guided audio tour is available year-round. One of the most distinctive state capitols in the country and a great free hour in downtown Juneau.

Address: 120 4th St, Juneau, AK 99801

Tip: Guided tours run Mon–Fri at 1:30pm and 3pm, June through late September. Sign up in the lobby on the day of your visit.

History & Museums

Tucked into the woods at the end of Basin Road, this small museum sits inside the original 1912 compressor building of the Alaska Juneau Gold Mining Company — once the largest gold mine in the world. Original ore cars, mining tools, and rusted machinery sit exactly where workers left them when the mine closed in 1944. Cash-only and very cheap, with great views of the surrounding Gold Creek valley.

Address: 1001 Basin Rd, Juneau, AK 99801

Tip: Cash or check only — no credit cards. The operator (Gastineau Channel Historical Society) doesn't post the admission price online, so call 907-586-5338 to confirm before going. Open seasonally May 16 through late September. Combine with the Mount Roberts trailhead nearby.

Hiking & Outdoors

A 4.9-mile out-and-back trail that climbs Gold Creek Valley along an old mining road, starting from Basin Road a fifteen-minute walk from downtown Juneau. The trail passes the ruins of historic gold mines, an Ebner Falls overlook, and the summit-trail turnoff for Mount Juneau. The full hike gains 1,200 feet and takes 2.5-3 hours.

Address: Basin Road trailhead, end of Gold Street, Juneau, AK 99801

Tip: No fee, open year-round, but avalanche danger in winter/early spring. Salmonberries ripen in July along the trail. Bears are common — make noise. Free street parking near the trailhead.

History & Museums

A small but excellent regional history museum at the corner of Fourth and Main, two blocks from the State Capitol. Permanent exhibits cover the Auke and Taku Tlingit peoples, the 1880 gold strike that founded Juneau, the Treadwell Mine collapse, and statehood. The building itself sits on the original 1857 Alaska Native Brotherhood site.

Address: 114 W. 4th Street, Juneau, AK 99801

Tip: Summer hours: Mon-Fri 9am-4:30pm, Sat-Sun 10am-4:30pm. Winter hours (Oct-Apr): Tue-Sat 10am-4pm, free admission. Free street parking on weekends.

Wildlife & Nature

A working salmon hatchery three miles north of downtown on the Gastineau Channel — visitor center, aquariums of native saltwater species, and a viewing platform over the fish ladder where in July-September chum and coho salmon leap upstream by the thousands. The outdoor fish-ladder viewing is free year-round; the indoor visitor center charges a small fee in summer.

Address: 2697 Channel Drive, Juneau, AK 99801

Tip: Best salmon-run viewing: late July through mid-September. Family Season Pass $30 covers 8 people. Capital Transit bus serves the hatchery from downtown.

Culture & History

A small Catholic shrine on a tiny tied island 22 miles north of downtown Juneau, set on 46 acres of forest along Lynn Canal. The 1939 stone chapel sits at the end of a causeway with stations of the cross and a labyrinth scattered through the woods, all open to all visitors regardless of faith. Whales and sea lions are often visible from the rocky shoreline.

Address: 5933 Lund Street, Juneau, AK 99801

Tip: Open year-round, dawn to dusk. Wheelchair-accessible paved Rosary Trail. Rental cabins available for retreats. Watch the tide — the causeway floods at high tide.