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Mendenhall Glacier

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Re Carroll
Re Carroll
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4 out of 5
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Mendenhall Glacier

  • February 21, 2008
  • Rated 3 of 5 by sizemoretravel from Jacksonville, Florida
Mendenhall Glacier

Juneau Alaska was our first port call during our Alaskan Cruise. We first decided to visit Mendenhall Glacer 13 miles from downtown Juneau, Alaska. Here are the visitor's center hours of operation:

May-September
8 a.m. - 7:30 p.m. Sun-Sat
Admission: $3.00

October-April
10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Thurs-Sun
Admission: free

We did not pay to go to the visitor's center. The view of the glacier from the public area was wonderful.

You can choose to take a tour of the glacier from your cruise ship if you want, but there are shuttles and city buses that go to the glacier. We paid around $1.50 for the city bus, but it let us off a mile or so from the glacier and it seemed like a long walk. On the way back, we caught a shuttle from the glacier and it was $5 only. It was worth it not to have to walk so far.

In mid-May, the weather was cold, but not horribly so. We wore sweatshirts and lined rain parkas in case of bad weather. The brisk walk to the glacier warmed us up.

From journal Alaskan Cruise from Seattle

Glacier Gardens & Mendenhall Glacier

Glacier Gardens & Mendenhall Glacier

The day dawns cool and drizzly. We eat at the Windjammer Buffet for breakfast and head to the gangplank. As we disembark, we see the bus for our tour. It is a BUS - not a motorcoach (no bathroom on it). It is not quite at the same level as a schoolbus, but not luxurious either.

First stop is at the Glacier Gardens. Upsidedown trees hold gardens of annuals. The blooms are larger than those in my garden and I marvel at their size and color. We are driven to a viewing platform 600 feet above sea level where we can see most of the valley. The air cools rapidly during our climb and the vegetation changes from lush flowers to lush moss. It seems that moss covers anything that doesn't move - it must be the kudzu of the Alaskan panhandle.

After the ride and walking the gardens, we are bused to the Mendenhall Glacier. We are given enough time to walk the grounds, take photos, and see the film before we are driven back to the pier to catch our tender to the ship.

If you enjoy plants and seeing the vegetation, then this is the tour for you. Even though it was drizzly and cool - especially on the top of the "mountain" - we enjoyed our time at the gardens and at the glacier.

Be sure to see the interpretive film at the visitor center by the glacier. It is very informative and relates to global warming in a way that few will fail to comprehend.

From journal Cruise to Beautiful Alaska

Mendenhall Glacier Helicopter Tour

  • July 18, 2005
  • Rated 4 of 5 by RyanT from Sachse, Texas
Mendenhall Glacier Helicopter Tour

If you are ever in Juneau, I highly recommend you to go see Mendenhall Glacier. It was one of the best parts about the cruise. You can the see the glacier either by land or by air. My preference would be to see it by air and take a helicopter to see it. It is just a several minute helicopter ride to the top of the glacier. You can see so much more from the air than from the ground. From the ground you only see the face of the glacier. But by air you can see all 7 miles of it. And then helicopter lands on the glacier and you get out and walk on it. It was a neat experience to walk on a glacier. I would do it again.

From journal Norwegian Dream: Alaska

Mendenhall Glacier

  • June 18, 2005
  • Rated 5 of 5 by HnlGirl from Hermosa Beach, California
Mendenhall Glacier

I cruised the Mendenhall on my first trip to Alaska in 1984. This time the rivers were just starting to form, and it was an amazing and beautiful hike to the glacier. With the changing of the seasons and the air growing warmer, the waterfalls were everywhere to be seen on the short hike. There were small lakes forming and glacier pieces floating everywhere. The bald eagles and wildlife were sounding off, and you would think that 2 to 3 hours is enough time, but you can really just watch all day.

From journal Alaskan Cruise 2004

Mendenhall Glacier and Whale-Watching Tour

Mendenhall Glacier and Whale-Watching Tour

A coach bus picks you up from the ship and first takes you to Mendenhall Glacier, probably your first view of a glacier on the trip and, possibly, in your life.

The driver did a countdown to what he calls the "WOW" point, which he was correct about - the view was amazing. You arrive at the park and are given an hour to walk around the park and building.

After the glacier, everyone re-boards the bus for another short trip to the harbor to take a whale-watching tour. This part of the trip is guaranteed to see whales; if not, everyone get $100 back at the end of the day. Right out of the harbor was a whale. The boat toured around, showing a light house and a couple of bald eagles nests. Also, we checked the buoys and channel markers of sea lions. After a successful trip, we returned to the harbor for the bus ride back to the ship.

From journal Affordable Alaska Cruise on a Modest Budget

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