Fun Mendenhall Glacier tours in Juneau cruise port

Hi there!

Mendenhall Glacier is the “must-see” glacier in Juneau.

It’s the most popular glacier to see on land during an Alaska cruise, so… you must see it! 😁

There are a few different ways to see the Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau, and it just depends on how you want to see it and what type of activity you want to do when you are in Juneau!

The Mendenhall Glacier keeps getting further and further away (the glacier is retreating), so go and see it now before it gets even more distant!

These are the Mendenhall Glacier tours you need to know about!

 

First, here is the quick list of the Mendenhall Glacier tours you need to consider:

• Mendenhall Glacier Ice Adventure Tour (active tour!)
• Whale watching and Mendenhall Glacier combo tour (do the top 2 things Juneau is known for in 1 excursion!)

 

I make recommendations for tours for partner websites. I may earn a commission.

 

 

1. Mendenhall Glacier Ice Adventure Tour

Months this tour is available in 2024: May, June, July, August, September (Earliest available date is May 6. Latest available date is September 29.)

 

⭐ Rating: 5 stars (out of 5) by 886 people out of 903 who did this tour! ⭐
⏳ How long is the tour? 5 hours
🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Maximum group size: 14 people
🚶 How many miles do you hike? 1-2 miles on steep uneven terrain
💪 How fit do you need to be: You should have a strong physical fitness level. Not only will you be hiking, but you will also be paddling the whole way there. It is a group canoe, so you will all work together.
🎒 What gear is included? Rain gear (jacket and pants), waterproof boots, life vest, helmet, hiking pole.
🥶 What to wear? Warm non-cotton layers, beanie, wool socks, gloves, and non-cotton layers.
🧒 Age requirement: The minimum age requirement is 12 years old, so this tour is not for little kids.
🥺 Weight requirement: You need to be between 90 and 240 pounds to do this tour.
📍 Meeting point for cruise ship passengers: Goldbelt Tramway building (aka Mount Roberts tram station) which is pretty much right at the cruise port (map) If you are on the Norwegian Bliss or Norwegian Encore, pick-up at the AJ dock is included.

 

📆 Select your date to find out if it’s available: Check availability

 

Why choose this tour? You will have a unique Mendenhall Glacier experience and get much closer to the glacier than most people do to see the incredible blue ice of Mendenhall Glacier! If you’re an active traveler, this is the best Mendenhall Glacier tour because you get to both paddle and hike during this tour!

 

🤓 Be informed: While there is a hike during this Mendenhall Glacier tour, you will not be physically stepping foot on the glacier or seeing ice caves.

The walk on the glacier and ice caves that used to be a part of this tour have since melted away, as the glacier continues to get further and further away from us.

Still, it is a magnificent sight to see the glacier because you will be much closer than most other people who see it! Also, be ready to get to work! Rowing is a team activity!

Your participation in rowing the canoe is needed! You will paddle for around an hour to get to the “beach,” then you’ll walk around for an hour to go see the glacier, and then you’ll paddle an hour back. There are a couple of paddle breaks.

 

👆 After you paddle across Mendenhall Lake in a canoe, you’ll arrive at a “beach” that is a rocky shoreline. Then, you will start hiking towards the Mendenhall Glacier to get better views!

 

👆 Doing the canoe + hike Mendenhall Glacier combo tour, you will get incredible views of the Mendenhall Glacier that most people who see the glacier don’t get! (Because most people see it from far away across the lake from the visitor center!) By getting closer, you can really see the blue ice! Your tour guide might even find floating chunks of ice from the glacier that have made it to the shore line where you’re standing. So you might be able to touch the glacier ice too!

 

Here is what Sharon said in September 2023:

Epic.

This was a once in a lifetime experience!

If you only do one excursion make this the ONE!

From paddling through Mendenhall Lake to walking near the Mendenhall Glacier and getting to see and touch objects that have been uncovered after thousands of years was both sad and breathtaking.

 

Here is what Ben said in September 2023:

The best thing we did in Alaska with the best guides in Juneau.

Overall, this was the highlight of our trip.

 

Here’s what Linda said in June 2023:

Hands down this tour was THE highlight of our vacation.

 

⭐ Read more reviews and book this canoe and hike tour:
Mendenhall Glacier Ice Adventure Tour

 

 

2. Mendenhall Glacier Lake Canoe Tour

Months this tour is available in 2024: May, June, July, August, September (Earliest available date is May 5th. Latest available date is September 29th.)

 

⭐ Rating: 5 stars (out of 5) by 638 people out of 653 who did this tour! ⭐
⏳ How long is the tour? 4 hours
🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Maximum group size: 10 people
💪 How fit do you need to be: You should have a strong physical fitness level. Not only will you be hiking, but you will also be paddling the whole way there. It is a group canoe, so you will all work together.
🎒 What gear is included? Rain gear (jacket and pants), waterproof boots, life vest, helmet, hiking pole.
🥶 What to wear? Warm non-cotton layers, beanie, wool socks, gloves, and non-cotton layers.
🧒 Age requirement: The minimum age requirement is 12 years old, so this tour is not for little kids.
🥺 Weight requirement: You need to be between 90 and 240 pounds to do this tour.
📍 Meeting point for cruise ship passengers: Goldbelt Tramway building (aka Mount Roberts tram station) (map) If you are on the Norwegian Bliss or Norwegian Encore, pick-up at the AJ dock is included.

 

📆 Select your date to find out if it’s available: Check availability

 

Why choose this tour? Paddling to the face of a glacier is one of the most epic excursions you can do in Alaska!

 

🤓 Be informed: Once you are in the canoe, you won’t be getting out of it until the tour is over.

There is no hike with this canoe-only tour.

Still, it is a magnificent sight to see the glacier because you will be much closer than most other people who see it! Also, be ready to get to work!

Rowing is a team activity! Your participation in rowing the canoe is needed!

While there are a few of paddle breaks, you will basically be paddling and using your arms for 2 hours.

 

👆 Paddling the canoe to the Mendenhall Glacier is a team sport!

 

Here is what Julia said in October 2023:

Best way to see Mendenhall Glacier!

Hands down one of the best experiences I’ve had in Alaska!

 

Zaira says it was the best family experience in October 2023:

Being able to be up close to the Mendenhall Glacier was an amazing experience.

I was lucky to have experience this with many family members, some who were older.

We truly loved it!!!

 

Here is what Cesar said in June 2023:

Highlight of our trip!

 

Here is what Angela said in June 2023:

Our favorite tour!

We had an amazing time on this excursion!

The paddling of the canoe (about 5 miles RT) itself is strenuous especially with the wind coming off of the glacier.

But the up close experience of getting to the base of the glacier and Nugget Falls was a once in a lifetime moment.

 

⭐ Read more reviews and book this canoe tour:
Mendenhall Glacier Lake Canoe Tour

 

 

3. Juneau Wildlife Whale Watching and Mendenhall Glacier

Months this tour is available in 2024: April, May, June, July, August, September, October (Earliest available date is April 22nd. The latest available date is October 7th.)

 

⭐ Rating: 5 stars (out of 5) 3,756 people out of 3,957 who did this tour ⭐
⏳ How long is the tour? 4.5 hours
🐋 How much time whale watching? You will have around 2 hours on the whale watching boat to search for whales.
🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Group size: There will be up to 49 people on your whale watching boat.
📍 Meeting point for cruise ship passengers: Under the tent on the wooden pier on the water-side of the Mt. Robert’s Tramway Building which is pretty much right at the cruise port (map)

 

📆 Select your date to find out if it’s available: Check availability

 

Why choose this tour? Two of the absolute most popular things to do in Juneau are the Mendenhall Glacier and whale watching! So do a convenient tour that combines them both and maximize your time in Juneau. Juneau is one of the best cruise ports for whale watching. (The other top contender is Icy Strait Point.)

 

🤓 Be informed: Once you are at the Mendenhall Glacier visitor center, you’ll be given free time to do as you wish.

The time that you get at the visitor center is listed as 45 minutes, but it seems like you have more time than that since there are several reviews that report that they went to Nugget Falls.

It’s a pretty easy walk to the waterfalls, but it’s 2 miles round trip, so if you want to go here, you’ll want to confirm that you have time to do so.

Otherwise, you will have plenty of time to go to the Mendenhall Glacier lookout at Photo Point and learn things at the visitor center.

The other glacier lookout view will be from the visitor center so you do want to go there.

Generally speaking, whale watching season is in the summer. Whales are wild, and they do what they want so there’s no guarantee to see them.

That said, you have a very good chance of seeing whales in the summer as Juneau is one of the best places to see whales in Alaska.

In 2023, I was on the last whale watching tour of the season at the end of October in Juneau with Harv and Marv’s, and they said they saw a whale on every single tour of 2023.

 

👆 If you do a combination tour that includes a stop at the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center, you will have a chance to do the Photo Point Trail to the glacier lookout to see the Mendenhall Glacier across the lake.

 

Here is what Linda said in September 2023:

Lots and lots of whale sightings!

A must do!!!

Of all the excursions I went on this was the absolute best.

The tour guides were informative, funny, but most importantly dedicated to ensuring you saw multiple whales and saw their tails go up!

They were interactive with everyone on the tour working together to see whales!

The time at Mendenhall Glacier was perfect!

We got enough time to hike to the falls, take pictures of the glaciers and other scenic shots and saw the salmon swimming upstream!

Highly recommend, worth every penny!

 

⭐ Read more reviews and book this whale watching tour:
Juneau Wildlife Whale Watching and Mendenhall Glacier

 

🤔 Alternative suggestion to do both the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center and whale watching tour: If you have a 12-hour day in Juneau, consider doing the Juneau whale watching tour with Harv and Marv’s in the morning, going back to the cruise ship for lunch, and then heading out to the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center on your own so you will have more time on your own.

You can go to the visitor center by shuttle (maybe) or taxi. If you don’t mind walking an extra 3 miles round trip, you can take the public bus to the bus stop closest to the visitor center. (In 2023, shuttles ran out of national forest permits in the middle of the cruise season so they stopped selling tickets for the Mendenhall Glacier shuttle at the cruise port in July. This does not affect you if you go to the visitor center on your own. But it does mean that if you don’t want to take a public bus or taxi, it’s a good idea to book a tour ahead of time to get to the Mendenhall Glacier visitor center.)

 

 

4. Private Rainforest and Waterfalls Trek

Months this tour is available in 2024: April, May, June, July, August, September, October

 

⭐ Rating: 5 stars (out of 5) by all 13 people who did this tour ⭐
⏳ How long is the tour? 5 hours
🚶 How many miles do you hike? 2-4 miles for views of waterfalls, temperate rainforest, and Mendenhall Glacier.
🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Minimum group size: This is a private tour, and you need to have at least 4 people in your group.
💪 How fit do you need to be: You should have a moderate physical fitness level.
🧒 Age requirement: The minimum age requirement is 8 years old.
📍 Meeting point for cruise ship passengers: You will receive instructions when you book. Pick-up is offered.

 

📆 Select your date to find out if it’s available: Check availability

 

Why choose this tour? Tongass National Forest is the largest national forest in America, and it covers much of Southeast Alaska. Make it a rainforest hike in Juneau and you will have a classic Southeast Alaska experience!

 

🤓 Be informed: While you will see the Mendenhall Glacier during this tour, the focus is on being able to experience a true Alaskan rainforest! It is a RAIN-forest, so it’s possible that you will be hiking in the rain! Hiking in the rain in a rainforest just adds to the experience!

Just be sure you are prepared for it! (Wear waterproof shoes and rain gear! Read about which waterproof shoes to choose!)

 

Here is what Aman said in June 2023:

Great family hike with a great guide!

What a fun outing!

We probably hiked more than an hour before seeing another person.

If you truly want to get away from the cruise ship crowd and be in nature, this is the excursion for you.

There were 4 or 5 cruise ships in that day, but we felt like we had the forest all to ourselves!

 

⭐ Read more reviews and book this hiking tour:
Private Rainforest and Waterfalls Trek

 

 

5. Segway Alaska Coastal Rainforest Trek

Months this tour is available in 2024: May, June, July, August, September (Earliest available date is May 1st. Latest available date is September 30th.)

 

⭐ Rating: 5 stars (out of 5) by 119 people out of 134 who did this tour ⭐
⏳ How long is the tour? 3 hours
🛴 How much time do you get on the segway? You will have around 1 hour on the segway.
🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Group size: The maximum group size is 10 people.
💪 How fit do you need to be: You should have good balance. You should be able to balance on 1 foot while looking down for 10 seconds.
🧒 Age requirement: You need to be between age 8 and 70. If you have 8-14-year-olds, they will ride a different type of scooter, electric Pon-e, and you want to be sure to inform them of that.
🥺 Weight requirement: You need to be between 100 and 265 pounds to do this tour.
🎒 What to wear? Be sure to wear regular shoes. (No sandals.)
📍 Meeting point for cruise ship passengers: Goldbelt Tramway building (aka Mount Roberts tram station) which is pretty much right at the cruise port (map)

 

📆 Select your date to find out if it’s available: Check availability

 

Why choose this tour? Get a glimpse of Juneau’s coastal sights with your method of transportation being a segway!

 

🤓 Be informed: While you will see the Mendenhall Glacier during this tour, it will be from a distance. The focus is on having a fun experience riding the segway in Juneau to your destination that is a short rainforest trail. You won’t be riding a segway through the rainforest, but you will get off the segway to walk through it. You will mostly be riding on a bike path.

 

Here is what Aman said in June 2023:

Great family hike with a great guide!

What a fun outing!

We probably hiked more than an hour before seeing another person.

If you truly want to get away from the cruise ship crowd and be in nature, this is the excursion for you.

There were 4 or 5 cruise ships in that day, but we felt like we had the forest all to ourselves!

 

⭐ Read more reviews and book this segway tour:
Segway Alaska Coastal Rainforest Trek

 

 

Mendenhall Glacier tour or on your own?

The most popular way to see the Mendenhall Glacier is by going to the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center to see the glacier from Photo Point and the visitor center itself.

It is possible to get from Juneau cruise port to Mendenhall Glacier on your own, and the method you want to do so will depend on how much money you want to spend, how much time you want to spend, and how much you want to walk. The cheapest way to get there is the longest in time and walking. The public bus from downtown Juneau will get you a mile away from the visitor center.

Once at the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center, you can go to Photo Point and Nugget Falls.

If you’re an avid hiker, you may also consider doing the West Glacier Trail to see the Mendenhall Glacier.

 

If you want to have an epic Mendenhall Glacier experience, then choose one of the Mendenhall canoe tours, whether that’s the Mendenhall canoe-only tour or the Mendenhall combo canoe + hike tour!

If you don’t have all day in Juneau, then do the whale watching + Mendenhall Glacier visitor center combo tour so you can conveniently do the best of Juneau!

 

 

Where are the Mendenhall Glacier ice caves?

According to the US Forest Service:

There have been several ice caves in past years, but the cave that appears in many recent internet photos has collapsed and disappeared.

It was located along the west flank of the glacier but the ice has completely melted out of that area and cave presence is seasonal and inconsistent.

 

 

Where do you meet for your Mendenhall Glacier tour if you’re arriving by cruise ship?

All Mendenhall Glacier tour companies are very experienced with serving cruise ship passengers, and as such, have a system to make it as easy as possible to meet you!

Tour companies will meet you at the Juneau cruise ship docks in downtown Juneau!

If you are on Princess, Holland America, Royal Caribbean, Carnival, or Celebrity, among others, then your meeting point will be a 1 to 10 minute walk as soon as you walk off the cruise ship. Yes, it might be as little as a 1 minute walk from the moment you step off the cruise ship, depending on where your cruise ship is docked and where your meeting spot is!

If you are on a Norwegian cruise ship, you may be docked at the AJ dock. This is the dock that’s the furthest away from the rest of the cruise ships, and this is about a mile away from the tram. So it is only if you are docked here that you will have a 20 minute walk… or there will be a shuttle so you can minimize your walk. You will want to allow for extra time for this, including wait time for a shuttle. Tour companies may not offer a pick-up at the AJ dock.

You will receive specific meeting instructions when you book, so be sure to read that carefully. No matter where your cruise ship is docked, you will walk no more than 10 minutes, unless you are at the AJ dock. Once at the meeting area, you will look for the sign of the tour you are taking. Have access to the contact phone number included in your booking email in case you have trouble locating your tour guide.

Once you’ve arrived in Juneau, you can use google maps to navigate you through walking directions to your meeting spot.

I have booked a couple of Juneau tours not through the cruise line, and it was easy to meet the tour guide. Just follow the instructions you’re given! Note carefully of the meeting time. Some might be 15 minutes before the official tour start time.

 

To get a better idea of the visual, take a look at my post with the Juneau cruise port map which includes where cruise ships dock. If you like to know things ahead of time, this also includes how to know exactly where your specific cruise ship will dock.

 

More for your Alaska cruise: All things Juneau on the blog!

 

Happy doing a Mendenhall Glacier excursion!