Hi there!
Mendenhall Glacier is THE glacier to see in Juneau!
It’s the most popular thing to see when arriving to Juneau on a cruise ship.
There are a few different ways to see the Mendenhall Glacier:
- Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center
- Mendenhall Glacier tour (one that doesn’t only go to the visitor center)
- West Glacier Trail
The most popular way to see the glacier is by going to the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center in Tongass National Forest.
The visitor center is on a higher level, and it serves as an overlook to see a distant view of Mendenhall Glacier.
Best way to see Mendenhall Glacier on your own
The Mendenhall Glacier is a retreating glacier, which means that every year it seems like it’s getting further and further away!
So if you see the Mendenhall Glacier from the visitor center.
You can get to the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center on your own.
But it is a bit of a distant view.
That’s why the best way to see the Mendenhall Glacier on your own is by hiking the West Glacier Trail or doing a Mendenhall Glacier tour that goes on or near the glacier!
You will get a closer look of the Mendenhall Glacier than how the vast majority of the people see it.
Just because you’re doing a Mendenhall Glacier tour doesn’t mean that you’re getting closer to it!
Many Mendenhall Glacier tours mostly just service as transportation (and narration) to get to the visitor center.
Other tours that include Mendenhall Glacier may not even go to the visitor center, and instead stop at a roadside lookout outside of Tongass National Forest. This is common in combination tours of whale watching and Mendenhall Glacier
The types of tours that will get you closer to the Mendenhall Glacier include helicopter tours, kayak tours, canoe tours, and hiking tours.
👆 You can get a view of the Mendenhall Glacier from the visitor center, but it is a bit of a distant view!
👆 One of the best ways to see the Mendenhall Glacier is to do a tour that will get you a closer view!
How to get to Mendenhall Glacier
There are also a few different ways to get to the Mendenhall Glacier:
- shuttle
- taxi
- car rental
- public bus
- Mendenhall Glacier tour
The most popular way to get to Mendenhall Glacier is to take a shuttle to get there.
You should know though, that shuttles only receive permission from the US Forest Service to take so many people to the Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area. In 2023, most of these permits were used up by July, so it was not as easy to get to Mendenhall Glacier by shuttle. But, just because the tour companies can’t do mass shuttles doesn’t mean you can’t go to Mendenhall Glacier.
Other people get to Mendenhall Glacier by taxi, rent a car, or take the Juneau bus.
I do not think that Uber from the Juneau cruise port is a reasonable way to get to the Mendenhall Glacier.
At least, I would not depend on Uber to get to the Mendenhall Glacier, but you can try. Maybe you will have good luck.
You might not get service, and/or you might find a limited amount of uber cars available in Juneau.
🏔
You will be visiting Tongass National Forest in Juneau!
By going to Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area, you are going to Tongass National Forest.
Tongass National Forest is very big. It’s the biggest national forest in the United States!
It actually covers most of Southeast Alaska, which is most of where you’re going if you are going to Alaska on a cruise ship.
Juneau is in Southeast Alaska, as is Ketchikan, Skagway, Sitka, and Icy Strait Point.
Best hikes in Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area
The best hiking trails in Mendenhall Glacier:
West Glacier Trail to see Mendenhall Glacier
The West Glacier Trail is the best hike to see the Mendenhall Glacier.
You will start the West Glacier Trail from the West Glacier trailhead. This is in a different part of the Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area from the visitor center.
So if you want to do the West Glacier Trail, you want to specify and/or look for West Glacier trailhead. (map)
The closest bus stop to the West Glacier trailhead is 1.5 miles away, but you can get there by bus.
Otherwise, you can request a taxi drop-off at the West Glacier trailhead… and you probably need to request a pick-up time too!
You will want several hours to do the West Glacier Trail.
I recommend downloading some sort of offline trail map before you go. I like to use mapsme. Be sure to download the Alaska map within mapsme.
The waterfalls near Mendenhall Glacier
Another one of the most popular things to do when arriving by cruise ship is to see the waterfalls in Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area, which is Nugget Falls.
You will start the Nugget Falls Trail near the Mendenhall Glacier visitor center.
You can do the Nugget Falls Trail and the visitor center in 1.5 hours from the parking lot. (And the Photo Point Trail too.)
👆 The final part of the trail to get to Nugget Falls!
Can you see the Mendenhall Glacier from Nugget Falls?
You can get a bit of a glimpse of the Mendenhall Glacier from Nugget Falls, but it will be a better view from the visitor center!
👆 You can see Mendenhall Glacier from Nugget Falls, but there are better viewpoints, like at the visitor center and Photo Point!
Mendenhall Glacier viewpoint
Aside from the Mendenhall Glacier visitor center, the main Mendenhall Glacier viewpoint is Photo Point.
Photo Point Trail is a short walk from the visitor center.
You can do the Photo Point Trail and the visitor center in 30 minutes from the parking lot.
Mendenhall Glacier parking lot
If you are driving yourself, there is a parking lot at the Mendenhall Glacier visitor center.
There is also a parking lot for West Glacier trailhead.
If you take a Mendenhall Glacier shuttle, it will drop you off at the visitor center parking lot.
And that’s a bit about seeing Mendenhall Glacier!
I went to Mendenhall Glacier in May 2023 and September 2023. Your experience may vary!
More for your Alaska cruise:
- Things to do in Juneau from a cruise ship
- Juneau excursions
- Tracy’s King Crab Shack (near Juneau cruise port)
- Whale watching in Alaska
- Seaplane tours in Alaska (to the wilderness!)
- Dog sledding in Alaska
HAPPY SEEING MENDENHALL GLACIER IN JUNEAU!
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