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Mendenhall Glacier is a mere 15 minute drive from downtown Juneau Alaska, making it one of the most easily accessed and well known glaciers in Alaska.
One of some 38 major glaciers in the vast, 5000 square mile Juneau Icefield, Mendenhall Glacier is one of the most popular day trips for visitors to Juneau, and it is also one of the top shore excursions for Cruise ship passengers touring the Inside Passage.
On my first Alaska cruise, after having seen several glaciers from the ship, I was eager to get up close and personal with one of these massive rivers of ice. An excursion to Mendenhall Glacier provided me with the opportunity to do just that.
Its one thing to watch a glacier "calving" from a hundred yards away. It's a completely different experience standing on a glacier, getting a sense of its true size. It is a truly amazing experience.
Mendenhall Glacier is located within the immense 16.9 million acre Tongass National Forest, a vast temperate rainforest with some of the most lush vegetation anywhere. This provides an extreme contrast - the white-blue ice of the glacier set against the deep green of the rainforest, making the location even more remarkable.
The rainforest also provides for some great hiking opportunities around the glacier itself. In addition, excursion onto the glacier itself are available, as are aerial tours in planes and helicopters.
The aerial tours, while expensive, provide you with an amazing view of the glacier, the forest, and the entire Juneau Icefield, making it an excursion you will never forget.
The area around the glacier is also known as a birder's paradise, especially during the spring and early fall.
The stream running from the lake at the base of the glacier is also packed with sockeye and coho salmon in the late Summer and early fall. On a trip to the Mendenhall Glacier, I saw several bears fishing in the stream, snatching the salmon with a quick swipe of their claws. It's a truly amazing site, and a very common one in Alaska.
Float trips are available as a shore excursion on most trips. These float trips involve a rafting trip in the Mendenhall Lake at the base of the glacier, allowing even novice rafters the opportunity to float beside the immense glacier, amongst the icebergs.
Ice climbs are also available on the glacier for those (like me) who seek a bit more adventurous excursions. These climbs require a decent level of physical fitness, but are incredible and rewarding experiences.
A trip to Mendenhall Glacier is a must for all visitors to Juneau. It's probably the closets you will ever get to a glacier, and it's an experience you will remember for a long time.
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