Point Bridget State Park

I'm not sure how true it is, but I heard from a friend that the cruise ship passengers get 10-12 hours in Juneau on their tour of Alaska's Inside Passage (South East Alaska).  There's no way anyone can appreciate the full beauty that Juneau offers in that time.  If you're encouraged to do the typical touris thing, you'll probably end up walking around downtown, catch the tour bus to Mendenhall Glacier, and take the tram ride up Mount Roberts.  You probably don't even hear of places like Point Bridget State Park, which is amazing, because I didn't even know anything about it until I went this weekend. 

The trailhead begins at Mile 39 on Glacier Hwy (aka Egan Drive).  It's about a 3 mile trek through rainforests and meadows to the point closest to the water.  On the way we saw a cute cabin that is available for public use (must reserve).  It'd almost be a great place to stay if it weren't all the hikers that will pass by.  The views all around on the trail were quite fantastic but once at the end you had a panoramic view of the water and the mountains.  Combined with the awesome weather we had yesterday, it was just a gorgeous place to be on a gorgeous day.  We stopped a bit here to grab a bite to eat and just enjoy the view.  Using our binoculars, we could see orcas and sea lions out in the water. 

After a little break, we headed up another half mile to Blue Mussel Cabin.  Not as many people come all the way to the end, so it was a very peaceful place to be.  It was very tempting to just lay down across the picnic table for a nap after the long walk there. 

The trip out to Blue Mussel Cabin and back was 7 miles.  There is an option to loop around back to Glacier Hwy (but not back to the same parking lot), and there are some lakes along that route.  Perhaps next time I will try that route.  Oh, just a little warning about the trail - it's quite wet and muddy in many places.  You definitely need waterproof shoes that go above your ankle.  If you have ExtraTufs (Alaskan rainboots), even better.