Cross the Juneau-Douglas Bridge from the Downtown area of Juneau and you will find yourself on Douglas Island. At just over 75 square miles, the island is mostly undeveloped but has a small business district with shops and restaurants, which is near Sandy Beach. Sandy Beach is the only sand beach in the Juneau area and was made from the mine tailings from the nearby Treadwell Mine. This mine closed operations almost one hundred years ago, however you can still find some remains of buildings and mining tools on the site maintained by the Treadwell Historic Preservation & Restoration Society.
On the north end of Douglas Island are views of Mendenhall Glacier, the Chilkat Mountains as well as the road to Eaglecrest Ski Area.