Port of Juneau

Juneau is a dock port: cruise ships call at four permanent berths and one at-anchor position, and two of the berths belong to the City and Borough of Juneau (2023 CBJ memo). The 2024 circulator study lists five docks, from Alaska Steam Ship Dock (0.2 miles from downtown) to AJ Dock (1.5 miles).

Five docks, five walks

The 2024 Juneau visitor circulator study gives each dock a distance and a walking time to downtown. Alaska Steam Ship Dock is 0.2 miles and 5 minutes. The Cruise Ship Terminal is 0.4 miles and 9 minutes. Seadrome Dock is 0.5 miles and 10 minutes. Franklin Street Dock is 0.7 miles and 15 minutes. AJ Dock is 1.5 miles and 30 minutes. The Intermediate Vessel Float is a small dock beside the Cruise Ship Terminal on its south side. The same study says the Seawalk connects Overstreet Park to Gold Creek and begins again at Marine Park, making its way south.

Mendenhall Glacier: the bus stops short

Capital Transit buses do not have a stop at the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center. Capital Transit routes serve Dredge Lake Road, the closest stop, and from there you walk about 1.5 miles (2.4 km), which takes approximately 30 minutes. The walk is flat and follows a paved bike path. The 2024 study gives 1 1/4 miles. The Forest Service lists summer hours of 9 am to 6 pm, seven days a week; call 907-789-0097 for hours outside summer. The grounds around the center are open from 6 am to midnight year-round. The visitor center is reachable from the parking lots by stairs, elevators and an easy ramp (Forest Service page, updated 2026-08-27). The Forest Service fee page (checked 2026-10-26) lists a $5 daily fee and a $15 season pass, and visitors 15 and under are free.

Capital Transit fares and the Route 8 Express

Adults pay $2.00 one way in cash (checked 2026-10-26); the Mendenhall how-to page defines adult as 19 or older, including seniors. Youth 18 and younger pay $1.00. Children 5 and younger ride free. A single-ride pass stays active for boarding for 30 minutes after first activation. Summer 2026 added weekend Route 8 Express service, Saturday and Sunday, about 8:30 am to 5:30 pm, and summer service ran from May 4 to September 20. From the week of September 29 (as printed on the fall 2026 service-changes page), the Route 8 Express runs Monday through Friday only; there is no weekend Express. Capital Transit points weekend riders to Routes 3 or 4 instead.

The airport since Route 6 stopped

Juneau International Airport is 8.5 miles north of downtown, about 15 minutes by vehicle. Route 6, which served the airport, was suspended from April 20, 2026 until further notice because of staffing (status as of 2026-10-26). For a ride from the airport to downtown, Capital Transit says to wait at the bus stop in front of the NuVision Credit Union.

Five large ships a day, 16,000 lower berths

In 2023 the City and Borough and the cruise lines agreed on a threshold of no more than five large ships in port per day. On 2024-06-03 they announced a limit of 16,000 lower berths per day, with 12,000 on Saturday. The announcement text we read gives no start year.

Juneau call counts and the five-ship limit

WakeRadar's AIS tracking counted 103 Juneau calls over the date range shown above, about 8 a week. Princess Cruises came first in call numbers. Juneau's busiest day is Wednesday. In 2023 the city and the cruise lines agreed on a threshold of no more than five large ships in port per day.

How this page is made

Ship calls come from WakeRadar's AIS tracking (date range shown above). Facts were checked on 2026-10-26 against the sources below. The text is reviewed by the WakeRadar editor.

Sources

• https://juneaucapitaltransit.org/fares/
• https://juneaucapitaltransit.org/how-to-ride-to-the-mendenhall-glacier-visitor-center-with-capital-transit/
• https://juneaucapitaltransit.org/airport-access-during-the-route-6-service-suspension/
• https://juneaucapitaltransit.org/summer-service-starts-monday-may-4-2026/
• https://juneaucapitaltransit.org/fall-2026-service-changes/
• https://juneau.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Juneau-Visitor-Circulator-Study-Final-Report-2024-1.pdf
• https://juneau.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/2023.01.30.pdf
• https://juneau.org/newsroom-item/city-and-borough-of-juneau-and-cruise-lines-sign-memorandum-of-agreement-on-port-capacity
• https://juneau.org/newsroom-item/city-and-borough-of-juneau-and-cruise-lines-agree-on-port-capacity-guidelines
• https://www.fs.usda.gov/r10/tongass/offices/mendenhall-glacier-visitor-center
• https://www.fs.usda.gov/r10/tongass/offices/mendenhall-fees-and-passes