Gold Creek Salmon Bake – Juneau, Alaska

If you’re a seafood lover at heart, chances are you’ve heard of the salmon bake in Juneau, Alaska. If you’ve never heard of it, well, you’re about to be acquainted with on of the freshest and tastiest shore excursions Alaska has to offer.

Recently I had a chance to embark on a great Alaska cruise. While I was doing my Juneau shore excursions research for my day there, the Gold Creek Salmon Bake caught my eye. Not only because it was the freshest salmon Alaska had to offer, but also because it was a feast — an all-you-can-eat feast!

There are a few different options when it comes to booking the Gold Creek Salmon Bake. You can book the excursion by itself or you can book it as a “Best of Juneau” package that includes: a tour of the Mendenhall Glacier, Whale Watching, plus the Gold Creek Salmon Bake. You can also book the “Mendenhall Glacier & Salmon Bake” tour, which gives you a narrated, scenic driven tour of the beautiful Juneau area, exhibits and salmon bake lunch to follow!”

Setting the Mood for Food

The arrival atmosphere is set perfectly when you arrive. The location itself is held on the grounds of a rain forest with a creek running right down the middle. My mouth was drooling right when I steeped off the bus because I could see and smell the fillets of salmon being cooked over an open wooden flame. I knew the feast was about to begin! The waterfall on the property is also a not to miss sight.

You sit on picnic tables that are in a shaded area and have plenty of seats. Even though it’s outdoors, you’ll find no plasticware here; all real dishes and silverware.

Salmon Bake Pro Tip: Don’t be Shy

Not only will you find dozens of salmon fillets over an open wooden flame, you’ll have plenty of sides to choose from like the chicken, au gratin potatoes, baked beans, rice pilaf, salads and blueberry cake. There is no reason to be shy because the only limit to what you can eat is your appetite.

The salmon truly will have you going back for seconds because it almost melts in your mouth. A recent guest told me, “This is the best salmon I’ve ever tasted!”

After the Feast: Activities

After you enjoy all the salmon you can eat, you can take part in a marshmallow roast at the campfire, head to the salmon creek waterfall, check out the little stores, enjoy a drink at one of the walk-up beverage stands or try your hand in panning for gold. If you want to take a nap with your belly full of salmon, you can do that too. There is constant round-trip transportation from the cruise pier to the Gold Creek Salmon Bake.

When it’s time to head back to the cruise ship, you board a yellow school bus and take the 10-minute ride to the pier — with plenty of time left before your ship departs, of course.

Final Thoughts

The Golden Creek Salmon Bake is geared to multigenerational cruise travelers. There is something for everyone and if you’re a seafood lover, even better!

Tips

• Gratuity isn’t mandatory but is suggested at the bake, it wouldn’t hurt to pack a couple extra dollar bills for this shore excursion.
• Bring a windbreaker or a sweatshirt to the Gold Creek Salmon Bake. There are a lot of trees and covered areas that can get chilly.
• Take the early excursion if you can because the salmon bake is very popular and you’ll want to get there when there aren’t 100 hungry people there trying to eat.
• Most importantly, bring your appetite. The salmon bake is all you can eat, meaning go back for seconds and thirds… or even fourths.
• If you’re more in the Skagway, Alaska area, you can also enjoy a great Alaskan salmon bake and gold panning on the “Liarsville Gold Rush Trail Camp & Salmon Bake” excursion!