DIPAC's Macaulay Salmon Hatchery
DIPAC's Macaulay Salmon Hatchery
4.5
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
DIPAC's Macaulay Salmon Hatchery Visitor Center offers a unique variety of attractions & a truly Alaskan experience! In May through September, we are open every day there is a cruise ship in town. In October through April, tours are offered by appointment only. Visit our website for more information on hours. In the summer months, get a birds-eye-view of the outdoor hatchery operations while a local guide shares with you the life cycle of Pacific salmon and the workings of the hatchery. Adult salmon start returning in Late June and continue through October. Bald Eagles and seals frequent the hatchery and provide a wildlife viewing opportunity. Once inside, explore our salt water aquariums displaying over 150 species of marine life, including touch-tank aquariums. Venture through our gift-shop where we feature shelf stable salmon products from local processors. A fun, affordable, & educational experience for the whole family!
Duration: < 1 hour
Meets animal welfare guidelines
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.5
561 reviews
Excellent
267
Very good
197
Average
78
Poor
10
Terrible
9
Robert D
Brooklyn, New York4,258 contributions
Jul 2022
A visit to DIPAC is enjoyable. Learn about the salmon and see the young smolt. Watch the adults jump in the outdoor pools. Enjoy the videos and exhibits inside. A pleasant way to spend an hour.
Written July 31, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for visiting, we're glad you enjoyed your visit!
Written September 1, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
R W
Dahlonega, GA368 contributions
Jun 2022
A great place to take children and adults. Nice displays. A real nice aquarium with various large fish. Many salmon in various stages and tanks. We spotted several eagles outside. It was a good use of time and very reasonable prices.
Written June 18, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1964Sara
Portland, ME20 contributions
May 2022 • Couples
It was an excellent lesson on what happens to a salmon in its lifetime .
I never knew they come back to spawn in the same area they were born.
Every one there was very knowledgeable. They care a great deal about continuing the salmon life cycle.
I never knew they come back to spawn in the same area they were born.
Every one there was very knowledgeable. They care a great deal about continuing the salmon life cycle.
Written May 13, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for taking the time to write a review. We're glad you enjoyed your visit!
Written May 28, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
mgmcpa
San Jose, CA229 contributions
Jul 2012 • Family
We came here on our own to see the salmon running up the ladder ... incredible! We just got the basic ticket and checked out the ladder (3rd week of July) ... so amazing to see in person! Inexpensive ticket, cheap taxi ride from the port ... do this if you are here during the run!
Written August 4, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RLRaceGirl
Sutter Creek, CA293 contributions
Great opportunity to understand the idfference between farm raised and hatchery fish. And you will want to understand that difference before you go to Alaska. The tour is good, great aquarium of local sealife that they do not advertise, and they should. The giftshop, however, is truly the tourist rip off shop. Fortunately, we had been in town and understood prices....too bad for those folks off the ships that thought they were getting a deal!
Written June 13, 2008
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
James W
Plainfield, IL31 contributions
Jul 2017
This place was nothing like I had imagined. There are so many salmon in the hatchery area and coming in from the forge that it sits next to. The staff there is very knowledgeable and can answer any questions you may have. I would recommend to children also I believe they would be excited to see all the salmon
Written January 5, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello James W,
Thank you for your review! We're so glad you enjoyed your time here!
Written January 8, 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Scotty18721
Cottonwood, AZ29 contributions
Jul 2015
We weren't sure what to expect when we got there, but it turned out to be a great stop! We did the deluxe tour which included a tour of the facility and the process of everything. It was a great educational experience on salmon and how they impact the salmon population in Juneau area. This is great for kids as they have an aquarium inside with an area to touch star fish, small crab and other marine animals. This is must do when you are in Juneau!
Written August 3, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you very much for your review. We are so glad you enjoyed your time learning about our hatchery. You came at a perfect time to see everything in full swing and really experience the excitement of the Macaulay Salmon Hatchery. We love having younger visitors that we can play in the touch tanks with. We love having fun and educating! Thanks for making us a part of your visit to Juneau.
Written August 5, 2015
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Texasmom04
Arlington, Texas367 contributions
Aug 2011
We were absolutely fascinated by the salmon harvesting process at the hatchery. Be sure and pay for the basic tour ($3.25 per adult and $1.75 for children 12 and under) as it made the whole experience worth the trip. Not sure if you'd get much out of it without their explanations of what is going on. From the outside decks they walked us through the process of harvesting and fertilizing eggs,the growth of the baby salmon, releasing them into the ocean and their return years later. We were there the first part of August when there were thousands of salmon returning, working their way up the fish ladder. It was truly amazing. We watched as they sorted the King Salmon from the others. They did a great job explaining how this process benefits the state of Alaska to sustain and enhance the valuable salmon resources. You can see everything in less than an hour but we were so fascinated that we stayed much longer. What an incredible process. We took a taxi from the dock downtown. It is very difficult to get a return taxi and we were told that the taxis in Juneau are notoriously unreliable, so be sure and have them call a taxi for you well before you are ready to leave.
Written October 17, 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CarlanneNewJersey
Manahawkin, NJ135 contributions
Inexpensive attraction ($3.09 per) with an interest display of undersea life, and the life story of salmon. We went in early June and the fish ladders were still quiet, but when they are in action it would be more fun to visit. The money goes to a good cause also.
Written June 19, 2009
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CruisinJ
Vancouver, Canada104 contributions
Jun 2018 • Couples
We went to this facility as part of a package of Juneau highlights from our cruise. We didn't expect to be entertained, but we did expect common courtesy from the staff. Instead our small group was given a 5 minute intro outside the facility and told to go on inside ourselves. We tried to ask a quick and simple question and were told that there was not time and that the people inside would answer it. When inside, we asked the young man at the door the same question, and he said he was only taking tickets right now. Neither of these people responded in a courteous or friendly way. Next we went into the area where the tiny salmon are housed. There was a staff person talking to a family. Before she left, we asked if we could ask her a question. She said it was a self-guided area and left abruptly. We then went up to a young woman in the "touch and learn" area and she was intelligent, friendly, and went out of her way to answer our questions. We enjoyed speaking with her and she definitely appeared to enjoy her job. There was a fish tank with mature fish and a gift shop. Not much else. I would not recommend this tour at all. As we left, we asked one last question of a staff person on the walkway. Even though he was not talking at the time to two gentleman sitting on a bench, he replied "No, I'm in the middle of a presentation right now" in a very pompous manner. With the exception of one staff member we encountered, these people need a good lesson in customer service. With all the wonderful things to do in Juneau, leave this place to the school aged children who are likely used to this type of treatment.
Written June 29, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi CruisinJ,
I am sorry that your experience was as you have stated. We train our staff to be hospitable and available to answer questions. Due to the volume of visitors that come through every day, we do our best to maintain the delicate balance of being available to visitors as well as ensuring our overall operation is running smoothly. We have different stations for our staff, at which they are assigned very specific duties. Though you should never be brushed off, the staff member who provided your commentary likely had another group waiting for the same presentation. They should have gently pointed you to the staff inside, whose main role is to answer questions and interact with guests. Depending on the day of the week, there are many more guests on certain days and if we happened to be short-staffed, which does unfortunately happen in the high-paced tourism realm, the staff do their best to fill all the roles. On an average day, we have one staff member for every 100 visitors, as you can imagine it is very difficult to answer everyone's questions. This is not an excuse for your question being brushed aside. I hope this helps you understand the struggle of ensuring that the 500+ daily visitors to our facility all have a good experience. Thank you for taking the time to let us know where we can improve.
Written July 3, 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We will be visiting Juneau on a NCL cruise in June, 2020, We are scheduled to be in Juneau on June 23rd. Is that late enough in June that we might see some salmon in the salmon ladders? We have 4 children, ages 5 to 10, in our group of 12, and they are very excited to see the salmon.
Written March 3, 2020
Hello! Thank you for your interest in visiting us this summer. Adult salmon typically start returning in late June and we continue to see more and more fish through mid-late July. If adult salmon have not started to return yet, you will still be able to see hundreds of thousands of baby salmon in our public rearing facility. We hope to see you in June!
Written March 4, 2020
Did not find info on amount and species released. What percent of Kings are released at your four? Sites
Written June 23, 2019
Hi, We release king salmon at Fish Creek (on Douglas), Lena cove, Auke Bay, Macaulay Salmon Hatchery and Thane. Depending on survival, we typically release the following amounts per location in order of listing above: 280 thousand, 150 thousand, 90 thousand, 215 thousand, 150 thousand.
Written June 24, 2019
How far are you from the cruise terminal? My wife and I will be visiting on a cruise in June.
Thank you
Written May 11, 2017
Hello ggd!
We are located 3-5 miles from the cruise ship terminals, depending on where your ship moors. There are several options for getting to the hatchery including taxis, trolleys and buses. But the best option is to sign up for a tour package offered on board your cruise ship. If you're here in late June, you may be able to see the salmon returning. We look forward to your visit!
Written May 12, 2017
I will be in Juneau early May. Do you have scheduled tours? If so, at what times? How long are the tours? We don't have much time in Juneau and would like to take another excursion as well. Also, what is the best way to get to hatchery from pier?
Thank you
Angie
Written February 17, 2017
Good Morning Angie, thank you for your interest in the hatchery! In regards to your questions, there are several transportation options. If you are arriving via cruise ship the best option is to buy a tour on board your cruise ship that includes the hatchery. Every cruise line has a tour option that includes the Mendenhall Glacier, the hatchery, and sometimes one other location. You can also purchase from an independent tour vendor that will pick you up downtown. We recommend a tour with Dennis Harris of 12th Street Tour Company, which can be booked online. Our facility is conveniently located just 3-5 miles from downtown, so taking a taxi is also an option, but they are not very reliable on timing in Juneau. Some people choose to use the public transit system but that can take a bit of time and will include a quarter-mile walk to our facility across the main highway. If you sign up for a cruise ship tour, your group will receive a brief, 10 minute guided commentary upon your arrival at the hatchery and you will spend about 30-45 minutes here in total, with extra time to explore our exhibits, aquariums and touch tanks filled with local critters, view our slide show with more details on our operation and shop in the gift shop! If you arrive independently, the guided commentaries take place on the hour and half hour and also last about 10 minutes, following which you can take as much time as you would like here. Let us know if you have more questions. You can also find our website by google searching DIPAC. We look forward to your visit!
Written February 21, 2017
July is a great month to visit the hatchery!
Our chum salmon are typically here in full force, and we usually have quite a few large adult king salmon in the holding tanks outside as well. If you scroll through our photos on the tripadvisor page, you can see some of what I'm talking about. In a normal year, it will seem as if you could walk across the water on the backs of the returning adult salmon.
Inside the visitors center our Aquariums are well stocked with over 150 local species, and our baby king and coho salmon can be seen from the sky bridge in their rearing facility.
Hope to see you in July!
Written December 30, 2016
Hello, we will be in Juneau in June on a cruise and we have a rental van to our Juneau. I have read we do and do not need to make a reservation to visit. Please clarify, do we need to make a reservation for 9 of us, all adults? Thanks!
Written April 25, 2016
Hey There!
We ask for reservations with groups larger than 15. No reservations are necessary for 9 people. However, if you like, you can give us a call on the day of to let us know you're coming and we'll be ready for you!
We're glad you're coming to Juneau! See you at the Hatchery!
Written April 26, 2016
Hi,
We are going to be in Juneau on a Holland Cruise in early August. None of cruise tours seem to accomodate those individuals with handicaps. My husband uses a scooter for mobility. Is your tour ADA accessible if we arrived by taxi?
Written July 4, 2015
Hello and thank you for your question. Yes! We are ADA accessible. We have a ramp that leads into our visitor center and a lift that can get you to the upper level rearing facility to see millions of baby salmon. We look forward to seeing you in August.
Written July 5, 2015
How much does it cost per head? Planning not to book any tours and explore Juneau on our own. Reply soon please. :) Will be in Alaska late May.
Written May 2, 2015
Hello,
Our admission costs $3.25 for adults and $1.75 for children. There is no need to make a reservation. We look forward to seeing you in May!
Thank you,
Megan
Tourism Supervisor
Written May 4, 2015
Hi Reba,
Thanks for your question. There are a couple options for transportation to the hatchery: City bus- the bus picks up downtown near the cruise dock and drops off across the highway from our hatchery. From the drop there is a 10-15 minute walk. The bus costs $2 per person each way. You can also take a taxi which would cost around $15 each way.
The cruise ships also offer many bus tours that stop at the hatchery.
We look forward to seeing you this summer.
-Megan, Tourism Supervisor
Written April 6, 2015
We will be visiting Juneau the week of May 17. Is there any activity in fish ladders or hatchery then or is this later in season??
Bruce
Written February 21, 2015
Hi Bruce-
Thanks for your question. If you are at the hatchery in mid May you will have the opportunity to see smolt salmon in net pens and baby salmon in the raceways. Adult salmon do not start returning and making their way up the ladder until late June. May is a nice time to visit the hatchery because their are less crowds and you will receive a short, fact-filled commentary from one of our knowledgeable guides. We also have beautiful aquariums that are filled with over 150 species of local marine life.
We hope to see you in May!
-Macaulay Salmon Hatchery Staff
Written February 24, 2015
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