This was one of the three stops on our tour/excursion in early June 2026. Spent about an hour here but it could have been shorter as there was not much to see. Sadly, there were no salmon running yet, but we did get to learn about the different types of salmon and the important work the hatchery does. read more

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This stop was included in our Juneau excursion that we purchased through celebrity cruises. You really only need about 30 minutes to see everything. There is a pier that overlooks the outside of the hatchery. It has gorgeous picturesque views. There is also the inside part of the hatchery where the young salmon are hatched. Last there is a gift shop that also has a tank with some interesting sea creatures as well as a petting tank. You can sample some of the smoked salmon in the gift shop. Overall, it was a unique experience, and we enjoyed it. read more

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Had a great time here. Loved getting to see the seals in the water! Great Views and great learning experience! Gianna was fantastic and so helpful, loved getting to chat with her! The merch shop was great too! Definitely stop by here if you're in town! read more

The DIPAC/Macaulay Salmon Hatchery ended up being a stop on one of my cruise excursions when visiting Juneau for the day, otherwise, I might not have known about it or likely visited. Highlights: + If visiting on your own, expect to pay $7/adult during the cruises season (May - September). Non-touristy season is free, but make sure to call them to arrange a visit. + You could spend 15 - 45 minutes here easily + Prior to entering is a salmon latter, which was packed with fish due to my visit thanks to the time of the salmon run + There are two separate areas to visit. The Hatchery contains salmon in some what different stages that you can see from above. The main building is a some what small museum with a few displays, a small touch tank of small sea creatures (think urchins and start fish) , and an aquarium filled with a variety of fish +Outside you can overlook that allows you to see the water and maybe some Alaska wildlife ( there were a few eagles during my visit) if you're lucky Tip: * The hatchery is not located within walking distance to the cruise port. It is 3 miles out of downtown. If you plan on visiting as a do it yourself-er while visiting as a cruise ship passenger, visiting via car (rental or taxi ) is your key to getting there. read more

We stayed in Juneau for a week and visited the hatchery a few different times. Once to learn and twice to fish. Loved learning about the different types of salmon and spawning process. They return to where they were born and the hatchery has made it to where there reproduction rate is at 90% instead of 40-50% in the wild. What a positive impact this place makes on their community, I really loved that. Plus, fishing is awesome! read more

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While visiting Juneau, we came here to fish with friends ..this is an interesting place. Salmon of course is very popular out here & catching it yourself seems to be quite the experience this hatchery is responsible for keeping the numbers up & running. we took a walk around the property checked out the tanks & all the crazy amount of salmon they have here, it's pretty wild the way this is set up. You can watch as they swing, jump & are all around the area pretty fun to see this, this is a breading ground for Salmon & seems to work quite well in keeping the lake full. The lake is lovely to looked at , natures on display here & it looks great. Cool to see the different types of salmon, u can also see some eagles, seals in the water it was a good way to spend am hour or two. read more

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This place is such a fun little outing especially on a rainy and cold day! I'm in town for a few days visiting my husband who works in Alaska over the summer and was so excited to visit this gem. At $5, the admission is so affordable regardless of the party size! It doesn't take too long to cover the whole property but if you have the time, take time to read the signs and study the exhibits. To see the salmon swimming up the ladder was super cool! It's outside the hatchery building but don't miss it! I am looking forward to my husband exploring too! read more

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If you're on an Alaskan cruise adventure it's a neat little excursion to take. We had a really good tour bus driver who was both friendly and informative. You'll see lots of very interesting sealife from the native Alaskan waters, and the harbor seals swimming around chasing their meals was fun to watch. The actual hatchery is not much to look at other than the large tanks where you can view from overhead all the fish in the tanks jumping out of the water. Some boards with insight and educational information. The inside has some cool glass aquarium tanks with fish, crabs, starfish and sea life. Some touch pools too so you can actually feel living creatures. very nice staff too explaining things. The back deck offers good views and photo ops. read more

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This was an okay visit. It's one of the excursions offered during the cruise to Juneau. It's great for kids and those who aren't completely mobile. You do not need more than an hour here. It's informative and quite interactive. The place is small so you'll be in and out quickly. read more

DIPAC/Macaulay Salmon Hatchery - Tours Near Me - Juneau, Alaska

This was very informative and even though we were late in the season there was still salmon in the containers. We went into the hatchery and there must have been over 1000 babies to view. read more

For all who have been there.... Just watching those massive salmon jump up that ladder may be enough. My son couldn't get enough of watching them jump into the gate trying to get further up. To him, that was worth the price of admission (which at that point was free... less the cost of getting there). The real show for me was where they start getting the fish used to a specific habitat. They have some 1 million fish just swimming around it's a sight to behold. It literally left me in shock and awe. The exhibits leave much to be desired but as a whole, this was a wonderful option; on the cheap; during our cruise. read more

A great place to bring kids! Being there at the end of August was a great time to catch a lot of action. The hatchery has a ladder for the wild salmon to climb on their way to their final spawning. They are corraled into large pools so full they barely have room to move, are actively jumping out of the water, and are easily visible to visitors. Then, the hatchery staff takes control and helps them along. They milk the salmon, let the eggs hatch into a controlled environment, and when the babies are the right size, they are released back into the river to do their thing. In five years or so, those same salmon already know to come back to this hatchery for their last fling. I was fascinated by the fact that by doing it this way, rather than letting them spawn in the wild, the percentage of survivors increases from around 3% to nearly 98%. Isn't that cool? read more

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Cool place, staff was amazing, very friendly and well informed. Even with a cruise ship tour bus arriving,while we were there, still plenty of room to see everything. And great views off the back deck read more

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There isn't much at this location. It's nice to hear about the salmon and the process but your pretty much done within 20 minutes. It's fun for vacation but nothing out of the ordinary. read more

The hatchery was a stop on my princess cruise excursion tour. It was very educational to learn about the life of a salmon. Now please direct me to where I can eat them! Lol. I enjoyed bring able to see all the fish up close and personal. The aquariums were really beautiful. For only $5 general admission, I think it was a good deal. The gift shop was very cool with salmon jerky, dried,canned, and all types of flavoring . A little pricy though. See attached pictures. read more

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Pretty neat place and the tour guides are very knowledgeable. Even though this place looks a little small from the outside and can get crowded when the tour buses come in, the touch pools are colorful and informative and there might even be a chance to see a harbor seal or two read more

i thought this place was really neato. we came with a land tour and our guide walked us through the hatchery and i found the whole tour fascinating. we were also delighted by seeing a sea lion trying to get his salmon fill - jumping through the salmon gates as they swim upstream. it was quite fun to watch! it probably a 30-1 hour kinda place to visit. walk through, learn about the life of a salmon, visit the gift shop (where they sell taku smoked salmon), and head out. read more

Now the 3 stars is not a bad thing.....it is just that if you don't go to the hatchery in late June or July there is really NOT much to see. When we went the salmon were like tadpols....they were not doing much of anything. The aquarium inside was pretty cool.....funny thing though......there was only one adult Salmon in the entire tank with the other fish.....LOL!!!! The people there are very nice though despite the fact that the day we went it was rainy and cold. It may seem like a waste of money for some people to go....but if you go during the summer I think it will be a great experience for anyone. Eat, Drink, and be Merry my Friends!!!!!! read more

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Went here as part of a separate fishing tour with our own tour guide. It was so cool to see the life cycle of the salmon. You can see the salmon swimming up the man-made river into the holding tanks. Inside you can see the huge tanks where baby salmon are fed every 30 minutes. There are also touch tanks inside with sea cucumbers, urchins, and starfish. Wash your hands in the restroom nearby. There are also small aquariums with different types of sealife. They also have a little gift shop where you can sample salmon jerky. This is a really great place to visit if you want to learn about salmon! read more

This was fun and very educational. We came while the salmon were running, so we got to see them up close through the viewing window and at the water's surface. It's impressive. The tour guide was pretty good, and she talked a lot about things we found interesting and informative. We enjoyed the free samples of salmon jerky and caviar. What prevented me from giving the fifth star, though, was how terribly crowded it was. There was not only our entire bus full of people, but also two more. And the facility is really not that big. This reflected poorly on the staff's ability to manage their obligations. The crowding really made it hard to enjoy the tour. Inside, there are beautiful reef aquariums full of native Alaskan sea life, with various kinds of fish, crabs, sea stars, mollusks, urchins - lots of different animals on two entire walls of tanks. There is also a giant, floor-to-ceiling aquarium in the shape of a circle, and you can walk all the way around it. Very cool. read more

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Since it wasn't salmon season, there was really no salmon to see but the tours were going and the place was still educating folks about the salmon run and what they do to help it along. I think it's a great stop when coming to Juneau. read more

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Okay, so my mom and I kind of got duped on our excursion to the Mendenhall Glacier and the Salmon Hatchery. Since it's not salmon season, the cruise ship should have never included the Hatchery on its list of excursions. That being said, we had a good time at the Hatchery even though there wasn't much to see. They have a little wraparound hallway with fish tanks and information about salmon and the species inside the tanks, which was cool to look at for about ten minutes. Then came the saving grace of the Hatchery leg of the excursion: the free samples of smoked salmon dip and jerky. Amazing. Their gift shop offers the dip and smoked salmon packaged together and charges less than most other places in Juneau. They also sell the jerky, along with such other knickknacks as magnets, jewelry, et cetera. If you go to Alaska during salmon season, I'd highly recommend this place, but if not, I'd advise skipping it (at least if it's being sold as part of an excursion). Still, they made me happy with the free jerky. read more

This place is a great place to go to. It tends to get crowded so be prepared to rub elbows. Our Vietnamese tour guide man told us to run up and just pretend to be part of this huge tour group. We got our ear hustle on and listened in on her explanation of the hatcheries and history. After the lady spoke Juliana thankfully did not ask how fish make babies...didn't ask what spawning was...didn't ask how eggs get fertilized...didn't even ask what sperm was...WHEW...*wiping sweat from brow* There is this little TV screen which explains the process...its worth listening to if you've got the time. They have free samples of salmon and complimentary coffee...but too many Asian people in one place means that's gone pretty fast. read more

It's a great place to go to look at the fish and especially for kids. You could always learn a little bit and then go for a walk down the edge of the water looking at the fish lining up. read more

Honestly this is not the most enthralling place to visit during my excursion into Juneau, or other ports in Alaska. I'm sure if it were peak salmon season it would be more interesting, but the day we went it wasn't really all that interesting. We were lead to the area where the salmon are jump upstream (another yelp user uploaded a picture), then into the actually hatchery. In this room we just saw a bunch of tiny salmon being scared by the lady who was cleaning the tank. After that, you're led into the store. Nothing really to see here, but you're offered a free piece of jerky the size of the eraser off a pencil, which quite honestly taste like beef, and free coffee. Big whoop. I think they have cheaper prices than anyone in Juneau downtown, which would be a plus if you wanted to take some home with you. read more

Love love love what this hatchery does for the environment. It was an attached item in a cruise excursion and I wasn't particularly overwhelmed with the stop. Good for a teachable moment with kids, but otherwise a bit bland for tour excursion material. read more

This was a very pleasant surprise for very cheap. If you are on a cruise ship, don't take an excursion. Just grab a taxi or bus, and pay the few bucks entry fee. I was very impressed with the dozen or so tanks. The highlight is a large 5000 gallon one. The water is pumped in and out from the sea, just like in Monterey. You'll see lots of very interesting sealife from the native Alaskan waters. They have great educational exhibits and a petting station for the kids. read more

We came here as part of an excursion off the cruise ship. The hatchery was a very interesting place to visit. They had a lot of cool sea creatures to touch as well as watch (when they're in their glass aquarium). The hatchery offered samples of their salmon dip and also offered free cups of coffee. They also had lots of clean heated restrooms (one upstairs and one outside downstairs). read more

We stopped by the hatchery as part of a tour along with the Salmon Bake. I must say that I found the Hatchery really interesting. I've never seen so many salmon swimming around before and it was really neat to watch them swim up the ramp to the hatchery. I also enjoyed the narration about the purpose of the hatchery although I thought it was too brief. They had a small aquarium inside the hatchery which I did not like. The animals didn't seem well-maintained and the water was murky. I found the inside of the hatchery a bit depressing, actually. In addition, I felt that the employees were quite young and were not really available to answer questions. Overall, however, this is probably worth seeing during your visit to Alaska. You're unlikely to see anything like this anywhere else. read more

We visited during the salmon run in July ... incredible! So easy to see, upclose and with viewing windows. Like nothing you've ever seen ... make it a priority to see this! read more

Terrible waste of time when you don't have a lot of it off the cruise ship. You need to pass on this visit unless you have nothing else to do in Juneau. read more

This place was so much fun. It didn't burn a lot of time, and we were able to walk through pretty quickly but it was a fantastic time. Seeing all the salmon was really great, and then to see all the fish in the tanks was also amazing! read more

I agree with others. It is a terrible waste of time when you don't have a lot of it!! We came here as apart of a tour from the cruises ship & we could of used our time as well as the $$$ from the off shore tour more wisely. I don't thing the Hatchery cost $$ to visit, we just visited because it was in our tour. read more

I went to the "MacAulay Salmon Hatchery" in Juneau, AK on 8/17/2010. I was on a tour from my cruise ship because the "Norwegian Star" was in port that day. It was actually my 2nd time there (the other time was back in 1990) and I enjoyed it both times. Certainly something unique to see in Juneau and Alaska. read more

We went on the Mendenhall Glacier and Salmon Hatchery tour from the cruise, which stopped here. This is a small site with an educational tour and exhibits. There's a touch aquarium exhibit, as well as several larger aquariums and a gift shop. Unfortunately, the salmon weren't spawning when we were there, but this is a nice place to visit if you're interested in learning more about salmon. read more

Very disappointed in experience. saw salmon in very infant stage in murky water. Didn't learn much.

We went on the Mendenhall Glacier and Salmon Hatchery tour as part of the Celebrity Cruise excursions. Meh. The salmon were spawning and it still wasn't that exciting. The glacier was beautiful though. read more

WOW! This place was amazing! First of all, the customer service was outstanding; they made me feel welcome and were very kind and knowledgeable. The salmon outside were of such great numbers that it took my breath away. The guide did a phenomenal job explaining the salmon life cycle and how without hatcheries like theirs salmon would no longer exist. Inside, the aquariums were the best I've ever seen. There were even touch tank aquariums! I could have spent hours at this exhibit learning about and poking at critters. The salmon dip sample was simply the greatest thing to ever grace my mouth. I ordered some to be shipped home and the shipping was free! I'm definitely supporting this non-profit organization in the future by ordering wild Alaskan salmon with them. I would highly recommend visiting the Macaulay Salmon Hatchery if you are in Juneau. read more

I've visited the Hatchery twice. The first was on "Alaska Wild Salmon Day" and we got a great "extended" tour of the entire place. They weren't harvesting eggs that day but our tour guide was so thorough nonetheless. We truly enjoyed the experience and learned so much about Salmon in Alaska and as a bonus it was free since we're from Alaska. Since we had such a great time, when my mother in law came to visit this past weekend, we were excited to bring her since we found it so informative. Unfortunately for us, this is where we realized why people called this place boring. We paid for the tour and got a 5 minute blurb about the hatchery while standing outside near the salmon ladder at which point we were told we could go visit the spawned fish in the tanks. This had us scratching our heads and asking "that's it???" The girl at the counter politely told us that because they are short staffed this time of year, they only do the short tours and do not even offer the longer "extended" tours (which apparently cost more money - although we would have gladly paid more to do the extended tour again) So, what if, like us, you are interested in this extended tour? Too bad - you're out of luck! They do not allow people to schedule these tours and they just plain don't offer them except a few times during the summer. If we had known this, we probably would have just stood outside and looked at the fish and left. read more

Staff were mean and rude. The problem was that we did not come on the bus from the cruise like most others. The tour crowd blocked us from getting into their shop first. Once in the shop, the staff sought us out in the crowd and demanded us to pay entrance fee when we were about to check out their merchandise. Does not make sense to me I have to pay to shop. Not worth spending your valuable vacation time here. read more