From the pier, you'll pass the State Capitol and Governor's Mansion en route to the Gastineau Hatchery. Watch, as determined, spawning salmon (in season) swim up Alask's largest private fish ladder. Museum-quality exhibits detail the hatchery's annual production of 162 million salmon and display marine wildlife in saltwater replicas of the Inside Passages's environment.

You'll then take the scenic Glacier Highway to the Mendenhall Glacier with its rugged crevasses and distinctive blue coloring. It is one-and-a-half miles wide, hundreds of feet thick, and fed by a 1,500 square-mile icefield. This meandering river of compressed ice ranks as the largest glacier accessible by road. The Glacier Visitors' Center, offering a wealth of information on glaciers, is the perfect vantage point to photograph this world-famous sight.

Returning to Juneau, you'll visit the Chapel by the Lake, a little log church with a truly inspirational view of Auke Lake and the Mendenhall Glacier.

Approximately 2-3/4 hours.