{"id":420,"date":"2014-08-29T21:46:53","date_gmt":"2014-08-30T05:46:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.prwriterpro.com\/blog\/?p=420"},"modified":"2014-09-13T19:14:45","modified_gmt":"2014-09-14T03:14:45","slug":"shuttle-tour-accessible-option-for-exploring-the-rainforest-plus-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.prwriterpro.com\/blog\/travel\/shuttle-tour-accessible-option-for-exploring-the-rainforest-plus-more\/","title":{"rendered":"Glacier Gardens’ Shuttle Tour: Accessible Option for Exploring the Rainforest"},"content":{"rendered":"

Many visitors come to a Juneau to\u00a0marvel at the magnificence of the 15-million acre Tongass National Forest<\/a>, the largest\u00a0temperate rainforest in the world. With mist meandering among its valleys and mountains, with mosses and lichens carpeting the forest floor, with old- growth conifers punctuating persistent precipitation, there is no better way to experience the Tongass than a mountain hike among the clouds.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
The Tongass National forest is beautiful, mysterious and rich with natural resources.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For individuals with limited mobility, traversing steep, rugged forest trails may not be possible. There is, however, a less strenuous, more relaxing, almost magical option for experiencing the Tongass\u2019 mountain majesty.<\/p>\n

\"Shuttle\"<\/a>
Photo courtesy of Glacier Gardens Rainforest Adventure<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A 10-minute drive from downtown Juneau, Glacier Gardens<\/a> offers a rainforest adventure where visitors ride a covered shuttle through 50 acres of rainforest. The 1.5-hour tour includes a naturalist-guided stroll through a botanical garden and the shuttle ride up Thunder Mountain. Ascending 600 feet, the shuttle stops at a viewing platform that overlooks glacially gouged Gastineau Channel, the snow-capped Chilkat Mountains, the sprawling Mendenhall Wetlands State Game Refuge<\/a> and Douglas Island.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne reason Glacier Gardens started offering tours was to create an accessible rainforest experience for people with mobility challenges,\u201d said Glacial Gardens\u2019 spokesperson Eli Wray. <\/span>\u00a0\u201cWe offer wheelchair accessibility, including wide walkways, accessible restrooms and of course, the shuttles.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0The flower towers are an unexpected\u00a0splash of color\u00a0against the forest backdrop<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Although Glacier Garden\u2019s<\/a> tours include a ride through the rainforest, the garden\u2019s \u201cupside down flower towers\u201d elicit the most oohs and awes. Check out the garden\u2019s website<\/a> and one-minute video showcasing the beauty and bounty of the garden and rainforest : \u201cA fantasy of flowers and streams, waterfalls, wildlife and unique, one of a kind upside down trees with their trunks planted in the ground and their roots sprouting a riotous bouquet of blooming plants.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Upside<\/a>
Flower Towers, riotous bouquets of blooming plants<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It was a typical Juneau day when I visited Glacier Gardens in mid-August, a soft gray day with placid rain. Touring under a towering canopy of native conifers, the drizzle was not distracting. Shuttling up the mountain, Naturalist Briana Farris pointed out less obvious features along the drive: a bald eagle’s nest, a squirrel hotel, an owl perch and non-native trees and shrubs to enhance settling ponds strategically placed to prevent mudslides.<\/p>\n

For more information on Glacier Gardens Rainforest Adventure, including summer hours and ticket prices, go to http:\/\/www.glaciergardens.com\/book-online<\/a>. In closing, I must add at $24.95 for an adult admission, this adventure is one of the best tour values in Juneau.<\/p>\n

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***<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Text\u00a0 by Aleta Walther \u00a9 2014
\n\u00a0 Naturalist, Outdoor Excursion Guide, CIG, CTA, ATG<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Photos by John Stewart @ 2014<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Many visitors come to a Juneau to\u00a0marvel at the magnificence of the 15-million acre Tongass National Forest, the largest\u00a0temperate rainforest in the world. With mist meandering among its valleys and mountains, with mosses and lichens carpeting the forest floor, with<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":426,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[23,21],"tags":[16,14,19,20,17,18,15],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.prwriterpro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/420"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.prwriterpro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.prwriterpro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.prwriterpro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.prwriterpro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=420"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"http:\/\/www.prwriterpro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/420\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":528,"href":"http:\/\/www.prwriterpro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/420\/revisions\/528"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.prwriterpro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/426"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.prwriterpro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=420"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.prwriterpro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=420"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.prwriterpro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=420"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}