Juneau ranks 7th on CNN’s ‘America’s Best Towns to Visit in 2026’

Network cites wilderness, wildlife, seafood and unique culture in its third annual rankings

People walk along the downtown cruise ship dock on June 1, 2026. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Independent)

By Mark Sabbatini

Juneau Independent

There’s plenty of debate among residents about tourism’s impact on Juneau — and comments from visitors about whether negative local attitudes mar the experience — but CNN delivered its emphatic verdict Wednesday by ranking it seventh on its list of "America’s Best Towns to Visit in 2026."

"Juneau is No. 7 thanks to its wilderness ‘wow’ factor, wildlife, seafood and unique culture," notes the subhead on the article titled "Alaska’s capital is small by population but massive in nature."

However, some locals may find an early passage in the article a bit odd.

"Located along the Inside Passage, Juneau is too beautiful, its culture and history too rich, to get cynical about its popularity with the cruisers," the second paragraph begins.

Plenty of public cynicism, criticism and other less-than-sunny feelings about large-scale cruise tourism have been voiced by a significant number of residents in surveys, public meetings and political campaigns. The city’s most recent annual survey released in January found 31% of respondents said tourism has positive impacts and 10% negative impacts, compared to respective results of 29% and 13% the previous year. A plurality of this year’s respondents — 39% — said tourism has both positive and negative impacts, similar to last year’s tally of 42%.

Local leaders have responded in recent years with a variety of measures aimed at reducing impacts, including voluntary agreements with the cruise industry limiting large ships to five per day and passengers to 16,000 a day (12,000 on Saturdays).

While Juneau has set records with 1.6 million or more passengers the past three years — and a similar number expected this year — CNN’s ranking declares "Juneau is off the beaten track, to say the least." That’s due to not being accessible from elsewhere via road and being surrounded by the Tongass National Forest.

"By land mass, it is the largest state capital in the nation, its tall peaks remain snow-capped well into summer, seaplanes buzz overhead, local residents include bears, mountain goats and whales," the article notes. "With its remote location and a terrain that’s worlds away from a typical American town experience, it feels like you need a passport. What you need, though, is an insulated rain jacket."

CNN’s 2,500-word article starts by focusing on natural wonders of the area beginning, naturally, with the Mendenhall Glacier, although it notes "the sooner you have this experience the better as it’s quickly receding due to the climate crisis. In fact, as of just last year, it no longer touches the lake it feeds into."

Tracy Arm Fjord, whale watching tours and the Gold Creek Flume Trail also get shoutouts, although with the latter it notes "the city hopes to reopen the full trail by August."

The human history of Juneau is touted by mentioning tours of the now-closed AJ Mine and — in a bit of unintended irony — the Juneau-Douglas City Museum. There’s no mention that as of July 10 it is losing most of its staff and significantly downsizing its hours due to cuts in this year’s municipal budget.

The expected restaurants are mentioned — Red Dog Saloon, Deckhand Dave’s Fish Tacos, Tracy’s King Crab Shack, and The Hangar on the Wharf — but also extends its range beyond the tourist-filled downtown to note "it seems relatively few outsiders have discovered the warm and welcoming Donna’s Restaurant" near Juneau International Airport. The relatively new Jellyfish Donuts downtown also gets a mention for toppings ranging from spruce needles to salmon, as does Pel’Meni for its Russian dumplings and Devil’s Club Brewing Co. for being "the anti-Red Dog Saloon."

The other towns on the top-10 list are 1) Sarasota, Florida, 2) New Haven, Connecticut, 3) Greenville, South Carolina, 4) Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, 5) Fort Collins, Colorado, 6) Burlington, Vermont, 8) Iowa City, Iowa, 9) Lawrence, Kansas, and 10) Roanoke, Virginia.

"CNN Travel editors tapped our readers and staffers for nominations for the 2026 list," an overview of the third annual rankings notes. "We weighed the nominees and winnowed them down to 10 by evaluating the finalists’ attractions, food and beverage offerings, cultural and nightlife scenes, diversity, sense of identity, proximity to other interesting spots and ‘wow factor.’ We also looked at travel essentials, including lodging options and the ease of getting there."

• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.