Glacier Bay National Park and Juneau: Authentic Alaska June 6-13, 2027
*Available for booking May 1, 2026*
Join experienced Alaska guides Jennie and Jay, hosts of the Alaska Uncovered Podcast, for an all inclusive experience with a unique itinerary you won’t find anywhere else – Glacier Bay National Park and Juneau.
This one of a kind all inclusive (seriously, everything – most meals! tips! unique tours!) small group adventure (maximum 8 guests) is designed by Jennie to maximize Alaskan adventure away off the beaten track without compromising incredible scenery, experiencing Alaska Native culture, eating amazing food, seeing Glacier Bay National Park the way few visitors do and an insiders view of Juneau, the way locals do it. You’ll meet the Alaskans who live the stories Jennie and Jay share on their podcast and who welcome you like family.
The Plan
This is our planned itinerary – Weather and other factors may alter the plan either in advance or in the moment. Jennie and Jay and our partners are experienced in navigating the unexpected so rest assured you’ll be well taken care of no matter what Alaska throws our way.
Day 1 – Meet at the Juneau Airport and travel to Glacier Bay National Park
Welcome to the land of the Tlingit People! We are beginning our time together at 2pm on Sunday, June 6th 2027 at the Juneau airport to give you the option of staying in either Juneau or Seattle the night before the tour. Jennie will work with you to make sure you have an arrival plan that meets our timeline and provide exact details for the meeting location at the airport.
In the afternoon we will fly to Gustavus and settle in at the Glacier Bay Lodge and then enjoy dinner together, an orientation to our time in the park and free time to explore Bartlett Cove.
Day 2 – Glacier Bay National Park
Today is our first full day in Glacier Bay National Park and includes breakfast at the lodge followed by a half day of guided sea kayaking from Bartlett Cove.
You can enjoy your box lunch anytime and head out to explore the park on your own in the afternoon – hiking the trails, exploring the beach, checking out a ranger program and visiting the Huna Tribal House, a unique and unforgettable experience in Glacier Bay.
In the evening we’ll have dinner at Glacier Bay Lodge.
Day 3 – Glacier Bay National Park
Today we explore deep into the park on the Glacier Bay Day Boat tour, accompanied by one of Glacier Bay’s Interpretive Rangers and travel all the way to the head of Glacier Bay, seeing the stunning glaciers that gave the park it’s name. Along the way we’ll look for wildlife – both in the water and along the shore and take in the incredible scenery and have lunch on board the boat. We have an excellent chance of seeing whales, bears, sea lions and birds today.
After returning to Bartlett Cove, we’ll have afternoon free time for visiting the Huna Ancestor’s House and enjoying the trails and beach.
For dinner tonight we’ll go to another nearby lodge for an incredible meal.
Day 4 – Glacier Bay National Park and Travel to Juneau
After a laid back morning of free time in the park, we’ll check out and return to the airport for the short flight back to Juneau.
In Juneau, we’ll get settled at the Silverbow Inn, have a short orientation to Juneau and then enjoy a casual dinner at a local favorite spot.
Day 5 – Juneau
Today we’ll ease back into civilization with breakfast at the Silverbow Inn and free time to explore Juneau in the morning. In the afternoon and evening, we’ll have a magical hyper local experience curated for us by long time friends of the podcast – Midgi of Juneau Food Tours and Cindee of Breathe Alaska have joined up to create a welcome to Juneau that involves a mellow forest hike, a beach meditation and dinner made by a local chef at a secret location surrounded by Juneau’s beauty! Along the way there will be some fun surprises – even for me!
Day 6 – Juneau
This morning we’ll be up early to grab breakfast at our hotel and then we’ll be off the Mendenhall Glacier – but we aren’t seeing it the way most visitors see it! We’ll be getting away from it all by hopping in a canoe with a local guide to paddle across the lake towards the glacier and then have a chance to get out for a brief hike near (not on!) the glacier.
The afternoon and evening will be free time on your own to explore Juneau’s many incredible restaurants, museums or hiking trails. Jennie and Jay will be available to take you to trail heads or restaurants that aren’t walking distance from our downtown location.
We’ll provide lots of recommendations, both townie and outdoorsy for how to spend your time in one of our favorite places in Alaska if you want ideas.
Day 7 – Juneau
Our last full day in Juneau will include Juneau’s required experience – whale watching! Here, we’re in the best place in the world for whale watching this time of year and we’ll be adding a private island and lighthouse visit to our whale watching and wildlife viewing experience with long time friends of the podcast – Juneau Lighthouse Tours. No crowds here and a smaller group, more intimate experience for us.
We’ll also have several hours of free time before gathering for our last dinner together at In Bocca Al Lupo, one of Juneau’s many incredible restaurants, which is in the same building as the Silverbow.
Day 8 – Depart for home or more adventures
Jennie and Jay will get you to the airport this morning, or to a Juneau location if you’re staying a bit longer (a great idea!).
Pre and Post Tour Options
If you’re interested in spending more time in Southeast Alaska, Jennie is happy to work with you to create a complimentary custom itinerary for up to 7 days before or after our tour.
What’s Included
Pretty much everything! 🎉
- Your guides, Jennie and Jay! We maintain a 1:4 guide to guest ratio and have more than 25 years of guiding experience each
- All gratuities – guides, included meals and accommodations
- All taxes
- All overnight accommodations
- All meals – breakfast, lunch and dinner are included in Glacier Bay National Park
- Breakfast is included every day in Juneau
- Dinner is included in Juneau except one – to give you free time to choose one of Juneau’s incredible restaurants
- Lunch is not included on our days in Juneau to give you more free time – we’ll have plenty of complimentary snacks
- Ground transportation and flights between Juneau and Glacier Bay National Park
- An unforgettable tour adventure every day of the tour – with plenty of free time too
- Airport or Juneau drop off at the end of the tour on June 13th
- An amazing adventure in Alaska that very few visitors get to experience
What’s NOT included
- Travel Insurance – Travel insurance is required for this tour, both because of our travel to remote areas with no medical care as well as strict cancellation policies (see below). Please ask Jennie if you need help with this.
- Flights to and from Alaska
- One dinner in Juneau and lunch on Juneau days – lots of great options in walking distance or we’ll drive you wherever you want to go
- Reliable WiFi and cell signal – Glacier Bay National Park does not have cell service and WiFi is wobbly. Do not count on having enough data for streaming or email but you should be able to text most places at least in the morning and evening.
Pricing Details
- $9485 per person – double occupancy
- $2000 single supplement if you are not sharing a room with another person – limited rooms for solo travelers are available
- A $4743 (50%) non refundable deposit per person (see below for cancellation policy) holds your spot.
- Balance is due 90 days before the tour – March 1, 2027
- All participants must be at least 12 years old
- Save $500 if you book by May 29th, 2026 with the code EARLY27
Cancellation Policy
We are not able to offer refunds if you change your mind or are unable to go on the trip after booking and we require a 50% nonrefundable deposit.
Whoa, why such a strict policy, Jennie??
We are a tiny company and all our partners and vendors (except for the national park concessionaire) for Authentic Alaska are small (sometimes really small) locally owned businesses. Working with small Alaskan businesses whenever possible is a strong value for Jennie and Jay.
They need a firm commitment from us in order to commit and hold space for us.
This is why we are requiring all guests to purchase travel insurance so that you’re taken care of too – whether you need to cancel due to health or a family emergency or because of something that happens during our trip.
If you cancel and someone from the waiting list or anyone else decides to take your place, then we will happily refund you except for a $200 administrative fee.
Thank you for understanding and choosing to support small, local businesses with your travel budget.
Travel Insurance
We require all guests to have travel insurance. Why? Because our long experience in the travel industry and in Alaska in particular have taught us that medical care in Alaska, especially in remote locations is prohibitively expensive and too big of a risk for anyone at any age.
In addition, we are working exclusively with small, local businesses in Alaska who cannot afford to offer refunds for anyone who wants or needs to cancel and neither can we. Life can get lifey, make sure you have insurance to compensate you for cancellation before or during the tour as we and our partners are not able to do so.
Thank you for understanding and supporting small, local businesses!
Please contact Jennie if you have questions about Travel Insurance before registering.
You can get any travel insurance you like – we use InsureMyTrip which allows you to compare plans (this is an affiliate link which means if you book your insurance through them we receive a small commission at no cost to you).
Accommodations and Accessibility
On this tour we will be staying at the Glacier Bay Lodge, the Glacier Bay National Park concessionaire hotel, and the incredible Silverbow Inn in downtown Juneau.
Unfortunately, neither hotel is fully wheelchair accessible, most rooms require stairs – we have secured a room without stairs in each location – please let Jennie know in your registration form if you need this room.
Everyone will have a private bathroom in both hotels!
This tour is not wheelchair accessible. This is a major and unfortunate trade off for going to places in Alaska that we are going. I wish it were different and it’s not ok but this is the reality in Alaska.
If you are a full time wheelchair user and want an off the beaten track and super local experience, I highly recommend BlueWater BaseCamp (near Anchorage) which is fully wheelchair accessible and amazing. I am also happy to help you figure out a trip that is wheelchair accessible, please contact me about this.
You will need to be able to climb one flight of stairs and get in and out of small planes and various boats (with help!).
In my experience, people with limited mobility who can navigate a few stairs or get into or out of the plane or boat with support from others, extra time and/or a mobility aid will love this tour. Alaskans are creative and resourceful. Please reach out to me if you are not sure if this is right for you and I’m happy to help you figure it out. You can definitely bring a wheelchair (or any other mobility aid) with you but will need to be able to transfer without it.
We can accommodate all dietary restrictions, but need to know about them in advance. Please include these where asked in the registration form.
Activity Level
Authentic Alaska is an active tour, but not strenuous. All hikes and walks are optional except for navigating the properties where we are staying. In some cases this involves walking up and down stairs and on uneven surfaces (such as a beach or gravel path) between buildings or between a vehicle and a building.
You will also need to be able to get into and out of a small airplane, which involves three steps on a ladder and plenty of handholds and supportive people! We will also be getting into and out of a canoe and paddling the canoe on Mendenhall Lake, with a short hike on rocky, uneven ground near the glacier. Our included kayaking adventure in Glacier Bay is a moderate, half day paddle that will require some beach walking on rocky terrain. There are height and weight restrictions for fitting in their kayaks – talk to Jennie if you’re concerned about this and she will make a plan for you – just let her know in your booking form.
If you are looking for extensive hiking every day, this is not the tour for you. There will be opportunities for walks and hikes every day but they are not required. You can definitely get your steps in if you want to! We will have plenty of free time in Glacier Bay National Park and Juneau for hiking.
If you’re looking to up the challenge level of hikes I recommend a few days before our after our tour in Juneau, one of Alaska’s most fantastic hiking towns, which has many hikes at all levels of difficulty from mellow to very, very hard. I am happy to make recommendations for this.
