Goldbelt tram from Juneau cruise port! 7 things to do around the Mount Roberts tram, including hiking trails! 🏔 Alaska cruise tips

Hi there!

The Goldbelt Tram is THE Juneau tram. This is also often referred to as the Mount Roberts tram.

It’s a tram that goes up from sea level to 1,800 feet in just a few minutes.

If you’re arriving in Juneau by cruise ship, you will see it. It’s not possible to miss it… unless you are just not paying attention. 😆

When you get off the cruise ship and start walking to downtown Juneau (the only direction to walk), then you will pass right by the tram station. This tram takes you to the top of the hill here.

This means that the Mount Roberts tram can be an easy activity to get to near the cruise port.

If you’re going to Juneau during peak Alaska cruise season, then there’s a good chance there will be a long line for the tram. This is something to plan for so you won’t miss the back-on-board time of the cruise ship. There might be a long line to go up, and there might be a long line to go down.

How much time the tram requires will depend on how long the line is.

But other than that, you can choose to make your Goldbelt Tram a shorter easy-going thing to do in Juneau, or you can make it a longer more challenging time in Juneau!

Alongside the tram, there are easy activities you can do at the top, and there are also easy and moderately difficult hiking activities you can do. It just depends on what you want to do!

Once you get to the top of the tramway, you will walk off the tram and be at the “Mountain House.” From here, you can stick around the Mountain House, or you can go off on trails on your own!

I have been to Juneau 6 times by cruise ship, and I’ve taken the tram a couple of times on Princess and NCL cruise ship arrivals. Here is what you need to know about the Goldbelt Tram!

 

 

1. Observation decks

There are several observation decks you can walk to once you are at the top.

All of these face the Gastineau Channel, which is the waterway your cruise ship will be sailing to get to and away from Juneau cruise port.

It’s a pretty easy walk to get to any of the observation decks. Look for a map once you get to the top so you can figure out which way to go!

 

👆 There are observation decks you can walk to from the tram station. You can see cruise ships from above!

 

👆 You can look for the map at the nature center near the tram station. The map will show you where more observation decks are located on the Mount Alpine Roberts Trail.

 

 

2. Timberline Bar and Grill

Eat and drink with views in Juneau! Once you’re at the top (aka the Mountain House), you can go to the Goldbelt Tram restaurant for food and drinks near the tram station.

 

👆 The Timberline Bar and Grill can be your destination from the tram station!

 

 

3. Chilkat Theater

The tram is also a way to explore Native Alaskan culture. Be sure to catch the free short film at the Mountain House that takes place every 30 minutes in the Chilkat Theater. You’ll get an introduction from a Native Alaskan in the local Tlingit tribe, and then there’s a film that briefly takes you through Tlingit history.

Once you’re done with that, you can go in search of a totem carving station that is set up so you can see a totem pole in the making.

 

👆 You can see a totem pole in the making at the totem carving station near the tram.

 

4. Mount Roberts totem trail

Juneau can be a great cruise port to see totem poles, courtesy of the Goldbelt tram! After you get off the tram, you can walk the Mount Roberts Alpine Loop Trail that is lined with totem poles! This is a pretty easy walk through the forest. It will make you feel like you’re going for a nice nature walk while getting a glimpse of Native Alaskan culture!

 

👆 You can go for a nice forest walk to see totem poles from the tram!

 

For more totem poles during your Alaska cruise, see more about how to see totem poles in Ketchikan!

 

 

5. Father Brown Cross

There are actually a network of trails that you can hike from the Goldbelt Tram. You can start off on the Mount Roberts Alpine Loop Trail, and if you want to hike more, you can walk further along with the Father Brown Cross as your destination. This will also give you views of the Gastineau Channel.

You can also keep walking along the trail past the Father Brown Cross for more amazing views!

If you have a couple of hours, you will have time to take the tram up, walk to the Father Brown Cross and back, and then take the tram back down.

Just to give you an idea, it took me around 20 minutes to walk at a leisurely pace (and a stop at an observation deck) from the tram station to the Father Brown Cross one-way.

 

👆 It took me around 20 minutes one-way to walk from the tram station to the Father Brown Cross.

 

👆 I continued on the trail past the Father Brown Cross. It took me around 40 minutes one-way to walk from the tram station to this spot.

 

 

6. Gastineau Peak

If you have a long day in Juneau and you’re looking for a solid day hike, then you can continue on even further and make the Gastineau Peak your destination! The views continue to be even more epic!

It’s important to pay attention closely to the trail that you take, because on your return it’s easy to take the wrong path back! Because… that’s what I did. 😱 The trails all come together at some point so I did manage to get back on the right track, but it was a little stressful! It turns out that another hiker that I had met earlier going up on also took a different path back down and I ended up meeting him when I was trying to figure out where to go! So, it wasn’t just me! 🤪

So allow for plenty of time if you want to hike to the Gastineau Peak.

To give you an idea, it took me 2.5 hours to hike at a leisurely pace from the tram station to Gastineau Peak one way. It’s mostly uphill to get there. You will probably be faster going down.

If you’re even more ambitious, you can continue on further past the Gastineau Peak to the Roberts Peak. I was starting to get worried about time so I didn’t make it to Roberts Peak.

 

👆 I hiked to Gastineau Peak.

 

👆 If you hike to Gastineau Peak, you will see the trail that continues on to Roberts Peak.

 

If you do this hike, prepare with hiking essentials! (Good shoes, plenty of water, and snacks. I had hiking poles too.)

Personally, I would not do the hike to Gastineau Peak if it’s raining because it seems like the conditions could become questionable. (I did it on a clear sunny dry day.)

 

 

And finally…

7. Mount Roberts Trail from Basin Road

Instead of hiking FROM the tram station, you can hike TO the tram station!

It’s a fun an uphill forest hike to the tram station!

Well, if you consider hiking uphill through a forest fun. 🤣

 

👆 Instead of taking the tram to get to the Mountain House tram station, you can hike through the forest on Mount Roberts Trail to get there!

 

👆 Approaching the Mountain House tram station on the Mount Roberts Trail!

 

Southeast Alaska (where you’ll be spending most of your Alaska cruise and of which Juneau is a part of!) is mostly covered in forest, and you can get an even longer forest experience by making it a hike to the tram station!

First, you’ll walk through downtown Juneau to get to the Mount Roberts trailhead on Basin Road. (Or, you can make it an even long walk/hike by starting from the Gold Creek Flume trailhead!)

Then once you get to the trailhead on Basin Road, you’ll start your hike on the Mount Roberts Trail to get to the Goldbelt tram! It’s about a 2 mile hike, but it is mostly uphill.

Once you’re at the tram station, you can take the tram down and you will be at the cruise port! (Or go for a celebratory drink at the cafe first!)

Before you can take the tram, you’ll need to buy $20 worth of anything, and the receipt of that $20 you spend is your “ticket” for the tram. There is no one-way ticket. So hiking TO the tram station will also save you money on the tram ticket.

You can also hike in the opposite direction FROM the tram station on Mount Roberts Trail to Basin Road, but you will need to pay full price on the tram ticket to take the tram up.

See more about hiking the Mount Roberts Trail to the tram station.

 

If you like the idea of a forest hike, then you might also want to consider doing the West Glacier Trail! It’s a Tongass National Forest hike that comes with glacier views. This is not near the tram station. You can take the bus to get there.

 

 

How much does the Goldbelt tram ticket cost?

The Goldbelt tram ticket is around $50. This will give you unlimited rides for the day. The cost may vary based on how you buy the tram ticket.

 

How to buy the Goldbelt tram ticket

You can buy the tram ticket before your cruise, during your cruise, or directly at the Goldbelt tram station.

Goldbelt tram tickets can be purchased through your cruise line. This may be listed as a Mount Roberts tram excursion. This “excursion” is just a ticket. Look in the excursions section when you are logged in to your cruise line’s account. You will also be able to purchase this “excursion” while onboard the cruise ship.

For example, here is the Princess Mount Roberts tramway excursion and the NCL Goldbelt Tram excursion.

The Goldbelt Tram also has a website which is goldbelttram.com and you can buy tickets from the website before or during your cruise.

And finally, it’s possible to buy tickets at the tram station once you arrive at Juneau cruise port.

 

How to save money on a tram ticket if you have NCL Free at Sea!

If you booked your NCL cruise with Free at Sea benefits, then you get $50 off one excursion for one person in your cabin in every port.

So if you don’t plan to book any excursions through the cruise line in Juneau, you should definitely buy your tram ticket through NCL and you will get one free Mount Roberts tram ticket! (I did this and I did get a free tram ticket!)

Before the cruise, the tram ticket cost $50 through NCL. Once onboard the cruise ship, I checked the price out of curiosity, and it was $70. So be sure to book this “excursion” before your cruise!

And if you are on a Norwegian cruise ship, be sure to also see tips for Ward Cove cruise port in Ketchikan.

 

HAPPY DOING SOMETHING AROUND THE GOLDBELT TRAM!