Juneau is simply an amazing place to live. 877 miles north of Seattle, 590 miles from Anchorage, it is a long way from just about everything. And yes, ask everyone seems to wonder, it is another 553 miles to Arctic Circle. You can only get here if you fly or come by boat.
Our road system is about 50 miles in total length. It is so basic that roads are known by their local description rather than highway numbers. “Out the road” is everything north of Juneau, about 38 miles of virtually empty highway. The “Thane Road” is the seven mile stretch to a cluster of houses in what was once a mining village of Thane. “Douglas Highway” is the road that follows the northern and western sides of Douglas, ending in a stretch along the Gastineau Channel in downtown Douglas. Even “Douglas” is a historical artifact, describing a location in Juneau that was once a village that actually exceeded the town of Juneau itself. “The Loop” describes the road system that goes up “the valley” towards the Mendenhall Glacier, crossing the Mendenhall River and returning to Auke Bay harbor.
What’s wondrous about Juneau is that taking pictures of the town involves far more than buildings and man-made features. It is a town that is dwarfed by the magnificent landscape that surrounds it: the sea, the glaciers and ice field, and the mountains.
The Mountains
One of the most picturesque places in Juneau is seen from the parking lot in front of our church, Chapel by the Lake. This photo was taken in front of the old Log Chapel (another tourist stop). I had the good fortune of having this view from my office for three years while working at UAS1, the university campus that is next door.
The lake is called Auke Lake, which is a bit of Tlingit humor. Auke means “lake,” so it is literally “Lake Lake.” It is a beautiful place, AND the water is quite cold in summer. Folks love being baptized in it. It is, needless to say, a quick ceremony.
In the background is just a hint of the Mendenhall Glacier, which is the primary tourist attraction in the city. Behind it are the Glacier Towers and adjacent to the glacier on the right is Mt. Bullard. As a guide I would often spot mountain goats on Mt. Bullard, sometimes as low as Lake Mendenhall (out of sight in this photo at the foot of the glacier).
- University of Alaska Southeast ↩︎
© Copyright 2026 to Eric Niewoehner
Last Updated: January 17, 2026