Hi there!
The Nugget Falls Trail is one of the most popular things to do from the Juneau cruise port.
Nugget Falls is located in the Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area in Tongass National Forest.
The Nugget Falls hike is pretty easy, as the trail is gravel and flat.
With a detour to Photo Point to a straight on view of the Mendenhall Glacier, it will take around 30 to 40 minutes to walk to Nugget Falls from the visitor center.
You will pass by the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center on your way to Nugget Falls, and that is the best view to see the Mendenhall Glacier.
So, your trip to Nugget Falls will include 2 of the most iconic sights of Juneau!
You can see Nugget Falls and the Mendenhall Glacier!
👆 You can see Mendenhall Glacier from Nugget Falls, but there are better viewpoints!
👆 Spot Nugget Falls! You will have mountain views on the Nugget Falls Trail!
👆 Spot Nugget Falls! It’s the most popular waterfalls in Juneau!
👆 You’ll walk a tree-lined trail in Tongass National Forest to get to Nugget Falls!
As of July 2023, it has become a little bit more difficult to do Nugget Falls from the cruise port, but it’s still possible.
It was easier earlier in the Alaska cruise season because there were tons of shuttles to the Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area that you could take from the cruise port.
The tour permits, that includes shuttle tickets, that were allotted for 2023 were mostly used up in the middle of the summer, and this has limited the Mendenhall Glacier shuttles for the rest of the year.
While commercial permits are limited for tour companies, there is no limit for being able to do Mendenhall Glacier and Nugget Falls on your own.
Nugget Falls on your own
The cheapest way to do Nugget Falls on your own is to take the bus to get there.
But taking the bus to get to Nugget Falls is not for everyone, because it requires around 3 miles extra of walking, on top of the walk you will do on the actual Nugget Falls Trail.
The bus stop “near” Nugget Falls is really not all that near.
You can see more about if you want to take the bus: Bus to Mendenhall Glacier
You can also do another Alaska cruise port on your own: How to take the bus in Ketchikan (+ where to go!)
How much time do you need for Nugget Falls?
I walked at a relatively leisurely pace and spent a little bit of time at Nugget Falls, and I had around 1.5 hours in Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area.
Of course, you can always spend longer if you want to take in your surroundings in more slowly.
So for example, here is how my Nugget Falls afternoon went:
- 2:10pm: bus from downtown transit center (bus stop near Juneau cruise port)
- 3pm: arrived at bus stop closest to Nugget Falls, start walking to Nugget Falls Trail and the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center!
- 3:05pm: Tongass National Forest sign
- 3:30pm: arrived at the parking lot, start doing things in Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area!
- Photo Point Trail, Nugget Falls Trail, Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center overlook
- 5pm: started walking to bus stop to go back to cruise port
- 5:35pm: got on bus back to downtown Juneau and cruise port
- 6:20pm: arrived at downtown Juneau bus stop, walk back to Juneau cruise port!
- 6:30pm: arrived at Tracy’s King Crab Shack, located a few minutes walk from the cruise ship
Can you see the Mendenhall Glacier from Nugget Falls?
The Mendenhall Glacier is the most famous glacier in Juneau.
Yes, you can see the Mendenhall Glacier from the Nugget Falls area, but it is not a great view.
It is far away and hidden.
👆 Spot the glacier!
👆 Spot the glacier!
👆 You can see a little of Mendenhall Glacier at the end of the Nugget Falls Trail.
The view of Mendenhall Glacier from Nugget Falls used to be much better, but it is not so much anymore.
Like most glaciers in Alaska, the Mendenhall Glacier is retreating.
This means that it is getting further and further back.
The Mendenhall Glacier used to be much closer to Nugget Falls.
When I was at Nugget Falls, there was someone was saying “bye bye glacier!” and waving at the Mendenhall Glacier.
He was at Nugget Falls a few years earlier, and it was a noticeable difference.
In a few years, you might not even be able to see any of the Mendenhall Glacier from Nugget Falls.
For the best view of the Mendenhall Glacier, you will want to go up to the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center overlook.
You will pass the visitor center on your way to Nugget Falls, so you can go before you start the Nugget Falls Trail, or you can save it for afterwards.
You can also go to the lake shoreline in front of the visitor center to see the glacier, and you can also see the glacier by doing the Photo Point Trail.
If you want to get closer to the glacier, you can do a Mendenhall Glacier tour by canoe!
👆 You will pass the stairs to the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center on your way to Nugget Falls.
👆 Keep walking past the Mendenhall Glacier visitor center to start hiking to Nugget Falls.
Nugget Falls parking lot
Many people rent a car to go to Nugget Falls and the Mendenhall Glacier.
If you will be driving yourself, there is a parking lot near the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center.
More below about what the trail to Nugget Falls looks like!
🏔
Hiking trail to Nugget Falls
I did the hike to Nugget Falls on May 4, 2023. Your experience may vary!
👆 This is in front of the visitor center. Walk straight ahead here to the lake shoreline before you start walking to Nugget Falls and Photo Point. You will get a nice view of the glacier across the lake. (And you can skip Photo Point if you want to save time.)
And that’s a bit about seeing the waterfalls at Mendenhall Glacier!
More for your Alaska cruise:
- Things to do in Juneau from a cruise ship
- Tracy’s King Crab Shack (near Juneau cruise port)
- Yakutania Point Trail
- Juneau excursions
- Whale watching in Alaska
- Seaplane tours in Alaska (to the wilderness!)
- Dog sledding in Alaska
HAPPY SEEING NUGGET FALLS IN JUNEAU!
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