Juneau: Whale Watching & Sentinel Lighthouse Tower Tour

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Duration4h 15m

GroupUp to 49

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Three hours on the water hunting whales, then climbing a working lighthouse in the middle of it all

You board in downtown Juneau, spend three hours whale watching in Lynn Canal with binoculars and heated cabins, climb the Sentinel Island lighthouse tower and inspect the beacon, then pass Mendenhall Glacier at Brotherhood Bridge on the way back. Local snacks and drinks are included throughout. The whole day takes 4 hours and 15 minutes from pickup to drop-off.

4h 15m

Step-by-step itinerary

Whale watching and lighthouse tour

Round trip transportation from pier
3 hours whale watching
Short scenic boardwalk at Sentinel Island
Tour lighthouse tower and inspect beacon
View Lynn Canal from lighthouse
Stop at Brotherhood Bridge viewpoint
Enjoy complimentary snacks and drinks

The Experience

You're not sure what to expect when you board the boat in downtown Juneau — whale watching can feel like a gamble, and lighthouses are usually just photo stops. This one isn't. The boat leaves the pier and heads straight into Lynn Canal, where humpbacks and orcas actually show up because the water funnels their food. Your crew knows where to look, and they've got binoculars on every seat so you're not squinting at the horizon hoping something moves. Three hours on the water, heated cabin if the weather turns, and the boat has two bathrooms because they built this for people who are actually going to be out here, not just tourists passing through.

Then you pull up to Sentinel Island and climb the lighthouse tower itself — one of the first activated in Southeast Alaska, and it's still working. You inspect the beacon, walk the short boardwalk, and look across Lynn Canal from up there. The renovations mean access is slightly limited right now, but you still get inside and up. After that, the boat swings by Brotherhood Bridge on the way back to drop you off, and that's where you see Mendenhall Glacier from the water. The whole thing takes 4 hours and 15 minutes from pickup to drop-off, with 3 of those hours actually on the boat.

The snacks are a detail that matters more than it sounds. Complimentary locally made Alaskan fudge, granola bars, caribou sausage sticks, coffee, tea, and bottled water are waiting on board. It's not fancy, but it's real food, and it's included — you're not buying overpriced stuff at the pier or going hungry while you're watching for whales. The boat itself has heated cabins and binoculars built in, so you show up, get picked up from downtown, and the rest is handled.

What’s included

Round-trip transportation from downtown Juneau, three hours of whale watching in Lynn Canal, a scenic boardwalk walk on Sentinel Island, a guided tour of the Sentinel Island Lighthouse tower with beacon inspection, views across Lynn Canal and Mendenhall Glacier from Brotherhood Bridge, complimentary locally made Alaskan fudge, granola bars, caribou sausage sticks, coffee, tea, and bottled water. The boat is heated with two bathrooms and binoculars available for all passengers.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyInfant seats available

Operated by Alaska Galore Tours

Is this one for you?Pick this if you want to see whales and actually climb a lighthouse in the same morning without arranging separate tours — the boat's route puts you in the feeding zone, and the lighthouse is right there in the middle of it.