Start with a narrated tour through a historic part of Juneau on your way to North Douglas Island. Don protective raingear, boots and lifejackets, and learn the paddling techniques you’ll need to handle your kayak. Then join a friend or new traveling companion in your two-person craft and you’re off to explore!

Against a backdrop of forested slopes, nearby peaks and the spectacular Mendenhall, you’re on course for an informative and memorable tour of Fritz Cove. In small groups of six kayaks, you’re able to stealthily approach wildlife. Bald eagles and their nests, herons, shorebirds and waterfowl are all common sights. Porpoises and even humpback whales occasionally surface for air. If you’re lucky, you might see a humpback’s enormous tail fluke. You’ll also visit the Mendenhall Wetlands, a protected habitat teeming with more than 140 species of birds, nearly a dozen different mammals and an abundance of marine life.

Along the way, your guide will satisfy your curiosity about local flora and fauna, and explain the history behind landmarks such as Smuggler’s Cove. But you’ll get a sense for the experience that greeted the Aleut Indians as they traveled these waters two centuries ago.

Tour Includes: Round trip transfer from the pier; raingear and lifejackets; snack consisting of reindeer sausage, cheese, crackers, salmon spread and water. Complimentary souvenir button. T-shirts and hats are available for purchase at the conclusion of the tour.