Auke Nu Trail

Today was our last day in Juneau.  We were going to catch the midnight ferry and made plans to take Millie for a very long walk so that she would be pooped out for the day and a half ferry ride to Ketchikan.  I had wanted to invite a friend or two to join us, but it was pissing rain in the morning so Brad & I decided to go just ourselves.  This way we could stay flexible and turn back if the hike turned into a disaster - and a disaster it was.

I'd been wanting to do Auke Nu trail for a while so I took us to that one.  Neither of us had any idea what to expect on that trail, although I had heard it's a muddy one in summer.  Since a lot of the snow at lower elevation has been melting, I thought it might be all muddy today, but it turned out ok - sort of.  The first quarter mile was all ice, which we got by with grippy things on our shoes.  The trail then turned to packed snow and was actually a pretty easy walk.  The trail takes you through forest and muskeg, with the occasional stream crossings over bridges.  The forest sheltered us from the rain and the views were nice.  For a while I wished I did invite my friends along.  After about 2 miles though, things took a turn for the worst.  The trail got a bit steeper and put us higher up on the mountain where we were more exposed to the elements.  It was chillier and windier, with rain turning to snow at times.  The snow up here was also not as packed, maybe because there was less people using it, so we kept pot holing here and there.  Our pace was slow going, and it seemed like it was taking forever to get to the next and final mile marker before the cabin.  Well, if there was one, we never got to that mile marker.  Brad was so fed up of hiking in those conditions by then that he wanted to turn around.  I felt like we were so close the John Muir cabin that quitting now seemed like a shame.  However, given that we had a ferry to catch that night, we couldn't really afford to do something stupid like get stranded at the cabin in a potential white out condition or get hurt.  Seems every time I go on these long hikes with Brad it turns into some sort of a disaster.  We joked about our Eagle Glacier hike we did last April, which was actually a lot worse, and how we're going to die here on the trail on our last day in Juneau. It wasn't as extreme as it sounds, but I suppose the potential for a real disaster was there.  After I agreed to call quits we took shelter under a tree so we can scarf down some lunch and started the 3 mile descent back down.  Once back, we got a good nap, a shower, and a dinner before heading to the ferry terminal.

Top 10 Hikes in Juneau

If you've been keeping up with my posts, you'll see that most of them is about a hike or a walk I did.  I love getting out for fresh air and nice views, and Juneau is a wonderful place to do this (when weather cooperates).  Especially now that I have Millie, hiking is a great way to spend time with her and get her the exercise she and I needs.  I knew Juneau had a lot of trails right in town, so I was really excited when I first got here I told my supervisor at the time that I wasn't leaving until I hiked them all.  His response was, "Great, you'll be here a while then!"  Well, I didn't get around to hiking them all.  (Fortunately that supervisor is no longer working here to call me out on it.)  I haven't done Lemon Creek, Herbert Glacier, Mount Juneau, Mount Jumbo, Auke Nu, Spaulding Meadow, and probably some others.  I'm still hoping I might get Herbert Glacier or Auke Nu trail in before I leave, but we shall see.  Of the hikes (trails with decent elevation gain) that I have done, here are my summertime favorites, in order.

1.  Granite Creek 

This was the most beautiful hike in my opinion.  I was quite disappointed that excessive snow and cool summer prevented people from hiking it this summer.  If I ever come back to Juneau in late summer or early fall and can only do one hike, this would be the one.  If you like waterfalls, this one is for you.

2.  Eagle Crest

Although the trail is quite steep (bring poles) to the top of Eagle Crest (a downhill ski area in winter), the hike is easy since it's on a service road.  At the top of the lift you can look down on Juneau, or you can continue on back to get a view of the other side of Douglas Island, e.g. Admiralty.  I'd say this hike probably has the best water views.

3.  West Glacier

This is a nice hike in the woods with the occasional break for a view overlooking Mendenhall lake.  At the very end though, you get an awesome view overlooking the Juneau icefield.  Definitely a unique view so if you're not planning on doing a Glacier hike, at least do this one.

4.  Mount Roberts

This hike would rank higher if the first hour and half wasn't so boring.  Once you get to the top of the tram though, you start getting really nice views of the channel and the surrounds.  If you don't have a dog with you, I recommend taking the tram up and hike from there to cut out the boring muddy bits.

5.  Salmon Creek

I used to do the lower half of the trail to the power house all of the time.  This was actually probably my favorite short hike that I tried to do on a regular basis since it's on a service road and it was a good length to do even on a weeknight.  If you have more time though, the rest of the trail is also nice with a view of the reservoir at the end.

6.  East Glacier

This is also another great 'short' hike when you don't have too much time to spare.  The trail is mostly in the woods, but it's a good one for moderate exercise.

7.  Eagle Glacier

Even though the hike was a disaster, there's a variety of scenery here and a view of a glacier at the end.  People seem to recommend doing this in winter when snow is packed because the trail can be muddy in the summer.  After our experience pot holing the whole way, I can't recommend going in Spring.

8.  Perseverance

This trail is popular with locals and tourists alike, probably because it's fairly easy and a really nice trail.  It's not high on my list though because I worry too much about Millie when on this trail.  If it's not the cliff edge or the porcupines or bears, it's the fast flowing stream that ends in a huge waterfall that scares me.  She jumped into the stream once and got swept downstream a bit before she managed to get out.

9.  Dan Moller

There are really no bad trails in Juneau as it's pretty almost everywhere.  Dan Moller trail takes you through the woods and the bogs to a nice cabin up top.  I'm not a fan of planks, especially when wet, so I recommend going on a dry day.

10.  Peterson Lake

I struggled with this one a bit because it was soooooooo muddy.  I still enjoyed the hike though and the view up top is nice with the huge lake.  There's also a cabin up there so it might be nice to book it for a night or two and make a weekend of it.

Peterson Lake Trail

I've been a bit of a slacker lately, getting way too engrossed in Skryim.  This past Sunday though, I finally got off my butt for a decent hike up Peterson Lake Trail with Matt.  The trail, which starts at mile 24 on Egan, is 4.3 miles each way with a 700 feet elevation gain, so it's not too easy and not too strenuous.  However, the trail is not that well maintained so navigating around muddy spots and walking over protruding roots made it much more difficult than it should've been.  The fact that it was a bit of a rainy day didn't help.  Sometime I wonder why I put myself through a hike like that.  I could've been home on the comfy couch in my dry warm home getting many hours of game time in.  Actually, I was really glad to get out and get some fresh air even if I was wet and muddy by the time I was done. 

At the end of Peterson Lake Trail is (tah dah) Peterson Lake.  There is also a newly renovated US Forest Service cabin that can be rented out for $35 a night. 

Winter Activities

Mendenhall Recreation Area Trails

Before coming to Juneau, I knew they had a ski resort .  What I didn't know was there's plenty of snowshoeing and cross-country skiing opportunities here too.  I was doing a bit of research on trails and found the following sites to be very helpful:

Eagle Crest - Downhill and cross-country ski trails

List of Cross-country Ski Trails

Equipment Rentals at Foggy Mountain Shop

Juneau Nordic Ski Club - Information on trails, gears, etc.

Avalanche Safety

Avalanche Advisory

I don't have my snowshoes yet, so I took my Dad to Mendenhall Glacier Recreational Area today. (I usually park at the Forest Service off of Back Loop Rd.)  He really enjoyed it.  It was really beautiful there today with all of the snowfall we've been getting.  We had to walk on ski tracks, but snowshoe would have helped us stay off the tracks. 

As soon as I get snowshoes, I'd like to try to head up Spaulding Meadows or Auke Nu trail.  I don't think my dad is quite fit enough to make it to the top (I may struggle as well since I'm not used to snowshoeing), so I'll have to break him in little by little. 

The Basin Road is also a nice place to walk or ski in the winter.  It is convenient to folks who are downtown and do not want to drive anywhere.  We went there yesterday and enjoyed it, but when we went today, they had closed off the bridge to the road.  There were many construction equipment lying around, so I think they are planning to do something.  I hope it is not going to be closed all winter.

I also would like to get up on Eagle Crest.  I really miss snowboarding.  Kinda tough to get out there these days though because Millie can't go snowboarding with me.  If I'm out there all day she can't get a walk.