“Gastineau Guiding's intensive training program equips each guide with the practical knowledge and techniques needed to interpret and connect each aspect of southeast Alaska's rich natural history. With over 100 hours of training our guides are Alaska State Certified...
Shore Excursion
Ask your Naturalist: How are Alaska’s Salmon connected to the Forest?
During the small group experience on one of our whale watching tours, we get a lot of questions. In light of the delayed tourism season here in Juneau we've decided to bring the answers to you! We've reached out to our guide Keith Pahlke for our segment "Ask your...
Whale watching with our friend, Sasha the Whale.
The culture at Gastineau Guiding has always been shaped around family. A family unit that includes our guides, staff, our management team and most of all, the whales we get to see on every whale watching excursion. As is true with most families, the more we're...
Alaska is Waiting – and so is Gastineau Guiding
As the snow falls on this spring morning in Alaska, the mood is a bit surreal. For the past 27 seasons, April is when Gastineau Guiding has thrown open its doors to welcome new and returning staff, who come early in the season to partake in one of our industry’s most...
Guide-Line: Meet Photo Guide Nathan Kelley
Our guides are what make us extraordinary! With their inspiring knowledge and passion we're excited to start our new weekly series "Guidelines" to help visitors learn more about the wonderful individuals that make Gastineau Guiding Juneau's Premier Guiding Company....
Alaska’s Long Summer Days Boost Wildflower Blooms
Many visitors travel to Juneau with the hope, and often the expectation, of seeing glaciers, bears, whales and salmon. We often experience these wonders on our Alaska Whales and Rainforest Trails and Photo Safari excursions. However, not expected, but surprisingly...
Juneau Wildlife: Learning from what’s left behind
Spring in the shadow of Mendenhall Glacier means a symphony of new sights, sounds and smells on the trails. Migratory birds are arriving, looking for mates and filling the air with song. Lupine, saxifrage, and skunk cabbage that have been dormant for the long, dark...
Hiking in Bear Country: Smaller Group, Big Difference
We stand on a bridge overlooking Steep Creek in the Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area on the edge of Tongass National Forest in Juneau, Alaska. Behind us, lost to our view in the dense summer understory, we can hear the crash of Dipper Falls. Beneath and before us, a...
The Price of Fresh Flounder: How A Professional Earns Their Keep in Juneau Alaska.
Whether whale watching, bear watching, or dining on fish and chips with a window table, a visit to Juneau is almost guaranteed to include plenty of bald eagle sightings. Scanning the Sitka Spruce trees along the miles of coastline and river bank reveals the...










