Simple Tides / Guides / Juneau Tides

Juneau Tide Chart

Juneau answers to Southeast Alaska’s giant mixed semidiurnal tide — fifteen feet or more of range — that floods and drains Gastineau Channel twice daily and sets the schedule for salmon, halibut, and whales.

The pattern

Two unequal highs and two unequal lows daily with fifteen-plus feet of range — big even by Alaska standards. The mixed pattern makes one high tower over the other, and the spring tides near full and new moons move almost unbelievable volumes of water through the channel.

Salmon and halibut

The waters around Juneau — Auke Bay, the channel, out toward Icy Strait — produce king and coho salmon plus barn-door halibut, and the tide change concentrates the bite. Shore anglers work the channel beaches on the moving tides. Check regulations: Alaska’s rules are specific and enforced.

Whales and currents

Humpback whales feed the summer waters, and the whale-watch fleet reads the tide like a current forecast — the channel rips on the big exchanges. Small boats should treat the channel’s constrictions with respect. For the state, see our Alaska tide guide.