Things to Do in Juneau in November
November weather, activities, events & insider tips
Low Season · Budget Friendly
November Weather in Juneau
Temperature, rainfall and humidity at a glance
100°F (38°C)
High Temp
84°F (29°C)
Low Temp
0.3 inches (8 mm)
Rainfall
70%
Humidity
⚠ Early-season ice on steep trails - micro-spikes essential above 500 ft (150 m)
⚠ Cross-wind flight delays - book departure buffer if connecting to Anchorage or Seattle
Is November Right for You?
Weigh the advantages and considerations before booking
Advantages
- + Cruise ships have vanished - Mendenhall Glacier trails feel like private property and downtown galleries have time to talk art
- + Northern lights season kicks off. The sky is dark by 4:30 pm and aurora odds jump to 4-5 clear nights a week if you stay out past 10 pm
- + Hotel rates drop 35-50 % from summer. Waterfront rooms that block-book at peak now show up online the same week
- + Bald-eagle congregations along the channel hit annual highs - Eagle Beach can tally 200+ birds at low tide, good for long-lens photography without tour-bus elbows
- + November is king-crab month; small-boat fishermen dock at Auke Bay and local menus swap salmon for sweet, leg-heavy Dungeness and Tanner crab
Considerations
- − Daylight shrinks to 7 hours (sunrise 8:05 am, sunset 3:15 pm); if you need golden-hour shots you'll be racing the clock
- − Rain arrives as 33 °F (1 °C) slush - sidewalks glaze overnight and the hike to Nugget Falls can feel like walking on a wet sponge
- − Flight delays spike. Low cloud and 30-knot (55 km/h) crosswinds close the runway 1 day in 8, so build a buffer if you have a cruise connection
Best Activities in November
Top things to do during your visit
Mendenhall Glacier Ice-Cave Viewing (when safe)
November cold firms up the moraine paths, making the 4-mile (6.4 km) West Glacier Trail less of a mudslide. Low sun angles shoot blue light through compressed ice; you'll get 20 minutes of decent illumination even at midday. Eagles perch on the terminal moraine, so bring a zoom lens.
Booking Tip: Check glacier status 48 h ahead - early snow can collapse ice caves. Licensed operators post daily go/no-go reports. Book the van+guide combo rather than renting micro-spikes yourself.
Auke Bay Crab Feast & Wildlife Cruise
Small boats still run twice daily. Crews pull crab pots on the way to Sentinel Island and cook the catch dockside. November seas are flat inside the islands, and humpback stragglers sometimes breach before their Hawaii departure.
Booking Tip: Morning departures see fewer cancellations - afternoon wind funnels down Stephens Passage. Reserve 3-4 days out. Operators bundle rain bibs and hot cider.
Downtown Gallery Walk & Alaska State Museum
Cruise crowds gone, you can chat with artists at Annie Kaill's or Alaska Robotics about print-making without a line. The museum's new climate wing explains why Juneau's icefield is retreating 60 ft (18 m) a year - relevant when you just walked on it.
Booking Tip: Buy the same-day museum/heritage center combo ticket; you'll warm up between stops and the pass works for the city bus if rain returns.
Eagle Beach Northern-Lights Picnic
Twenty minutes north, the valley opens to wetlands with zero light pollution. Cloud cover often breaks around 10 pm. Set a thermos of salmon-berry tea and wait. Aurora reflections on the estuary double the photo opportunity.
Booking Tip: Rent a car for the night - taxis won't wait past midnight and aurora timing is fickle. Bring a camping pad. The gravel berm is cold even through two layers.
Last-Chance Alpine Ridge Snow-Shoe
Mount Roberts receives 18 in (46 cm) by late November but the tram keeps weekend hours. Snow-shoe tracks leave from the top station, rising above the cloud deck to 1,800 ft (550 m) views of sun-lit peaks. You'll sweat going up, then cool fast - layer like an onion.
Booking Tip: Tram tickets are half-price after 3 pm - good for a 90-minute up-and-back before dusk. Snow-shoe rentals available at the summit shop. Book the combo when you buy the ticket.
Explore More Activities in Juneau
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See All Juneau Tours on ViatorWhere to Stay in Juneau in November
Hand-picked hotels across price tiers for November travellers.
November Events & Festivals
What's happening during your visit
Mid-November (Friday-Sunday before Thanksgiving)
Juneau Public Market at Centennial Hall
Alaska's biggest indoor craft fair - 150 booths of birch-bark bowls, salmon-leather wallets, and spruce-tip syrup. Locals stock up on Christmas gifts; you'll find pieces never shipped Outside. Live Tlinglet carving demos happen hourly near the main door.
Late November (Saturday after Thanksgiving)
Alaska Day of Remembrance & Walter Soboleff Ceremony
Evening candle-light walk from Marine Park to St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church honoring missing and murdered Indigenous women. Drumming echoes off the fog. Visitors welcome if you dress dark and quiet.
Packing Checklist
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Climate-specific gear, brand recommendations, and what to leave at home.
View Juneau Packing List →Essential Tips
Insider knowledge and common pitfalls to avoid
Insider Knowledge
The $2 city bus to Echo Cove runs twice on weekdays. Locals ride it like a wildlife tour - driver points out moose at mile 14 and will stop for eagle photos if you ask nice
Alaskan Brewing's tasting room closes early (7 pm) but they'll fill any growler for happy-hour prices after 5 pm - bring your own or buy one off the merch wall
Goldbelt Tram waives the fare if you dine at the mountaintop restaurant - make a reservation, order the crab cake appetizer, and ride free both ways
The governor's mansion lights a 20-ft (6 m) spruce on the first Saturday - show up at 5:30 pm for cookies and hot chocolate, leave before the politicians speak
Avoid These Mistakes
Booking a tight same-day flight out - weather delays mean 1 in 8 passengers miss connections. Stay an extra night
Assuming downtown is flat - streets rise 200 ft (60 m) from seawalk to capitol; Uber surges appear the moment it sleets
Ignoring the tide chart - Eagle Beach shrinks to rocks at high tide and the eagles move inland. Plan around a 2-ft (0.6 m) or lower expose
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Top-rated things to do in Juneau this November
