7 Mendenhall Glacier from Juneau cruise port tips in 2024! (on your own, shuttle, hiking, bus, visitor center, + more!) Alaska cruise tips

Hi there!

One of the most popular things to do in Juneau is to see the Mendenhall Glacier. It’s the “must-see” glacier in Juneau.

So… you must see the Mendenhall Glacier in Alaska! 😆

It’s the most popular glacier to see on land during an Alaska cruise.

The Mendenhall Glacier is located in a national forest. It’s a part of the Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area of Tongass National Forest. (A national forest is different from a national park, so the Mendenhall Glacier is not a part of a national park.)

Tongass National Forest is the largest national forest in the United States!

You can go and see the Mendenhall Glacier on your own from Juneau cruise port, or you can go and see it through an organized shuttle or tour through the cruise ship or by booking independently. There are dedicated Mendenhall Glacier shuttles and tours, and there are also combo tours that you might like to do.

If you’re looking for an easy way to see the glacier, you want to go to Photo Point and the visitor center. If you want the best way to see the glacier on your own, you want to hike the West Glacier Trail.

 

If you’re looking for an easy-going Mendenhall Glacier excursion, then you’ll want to consider: 1) Mendenhall Glacier trolley tour, or 2) Mendenhall Glacier and whale watching combo tour.

For the best way to see the glacier through a tour, my picks are 1) Mendenhall Glacier ice adventure tour that includes a canoe + short walk to an overlook, or 2) the West Glacier Trail guided hike! Both require great physical effort!

You can read the reviews there at partner website Viator.

 

I’ve been to Juneau several times by cruise ship and have seen the Mendenhall Glacier in several different ways. This includes the most popular way to see it (going to the visitor center), and I’ve also seen it by going by canoe, hiking through the forest, and a more distant drive-by view.

I’ll let you know about all of these different options below! This is based on my experience and understanding. Your experience may vary!

So now, here are tips to see the Mendenhall Glacier!

 

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I may earn a commission through partner websites.

 

Quick list:

• Mendenhall Glacier trolley tour
• Mendenhall Glacier adventure tour
  • Read the reviews: viator | getyourguide
• Photo Point
• Nugget Falls
• Brotherhood Bridge
• Mendenhall Glacier and whale watching combo tour
  • Read the reviews: viator | getyourguide
• Mendenhall Glacier canoe tour
  • Read the reviews: viator | getyourguide
• Mendenhall Glacier Ice Adventure canoe shore landing tour
• West Glacier Trail on your own
  • You can also do this trail as a guided hiking tour

 

🤔 Also consider! If you have all day in port, then you can do an excursion in the morning, head back to the cruise ship for lunch, and then go back out for an excursion in the afternoon!

So, a perfect day in Juneau cruise port can be: a dedicated whale watching excursion in the morning by doing the premier Juneau whale watching tour, and then the Mendenhall Glacier in the afternoon through a tour or on your own!

Juneau is one of the best cruise ports for whale watching! (The other is Icy Strait Point: whale watching tour with drone viewing)

 

 

1. Mendenhall Glacier visitor center and Photo Point

The easiest way to see the Mendenhall Glacier is by going to the visitor center and Photo Point.

It’s about a 5 to 10 minute walk from the parking lot (which is also the shuttle and tour drop-off spot) to get to the visitor center.

By going to the visitor center, you’ll get to view the glacier from higher up, so don’t miss it! (Like actually go UP to it, don’t just stay around it at ground level.)

 

👆 This is a view from the visitor center. You can see the Mendenhall Glacier across the lake.
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While you’re at the visitor center, you can learn more about the history of Mendenhall Glacier (like how close it used to be to the visitor center!), and you can also get a national forest stamp!

And then from the visitor center, it’s a few minutes walk to get to Photo Point. There are signs so it’s easy to find your way.

Photo Point will take you to the shoreline.

Whether you’re at the visitor center or Photo Point, you will see the glacier from across the lake.

The important thing to know is that you won’t be able to touch the glacier by going to the visitor center. It’s a bit of a distant view.

I went to the Mendenhall Glacier visitor center by bus. The bus stop “near” the visitor center is around a 1.5 mile walk one way. I used the google maps public transit option to navigate. A bit more about taking the bus from the cruise port below.

There are also reports of people taking a taxi to the visitor center. People also report renting a car. It’s not uncommon to hear of people using Turo for a car rental in Juneau. You can also look up the cost of a car rental in Juneau through a search for car rental deals.

I’ve used uber in at least 5 countries, so I once looked up availability of uber when I was in Juneau just out of curiosity and it didn’t work out very well for me. So I’m not sure I would count on that. But you can see the availability of uber drivers even if you’re not in Juneau, so you can check out the app when you’re at home. Have a look at the app during regular hours Alaska time to get an idea. Maybe uber will work out for you when you’re in Juneau. (Uber did work out well for me in Anchorage!)

 

 

2. Nugget Falls Trail

Another one of the most popular things to do around the visitor center is a walk to Nugget Falls.

It’s about one mile one way to get to the waterfalls from the visitor center, and it’s an easy gravel path. Once you’re at the “final destination” (the waterfalls!) you can get up close to Nugget Falls.

Along the way, there are some spots that you can veer off the trail and go to the shoreline.

You can look down and have some fun searching for different types of rocks! (I would say this is more of a LOOK and don’t take, though, since you’re on public lands!)

 

👆 You can take a walk from the visitor center to get up close to Nugget Falls!
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👆 On your way to Nugget Falls, you can stop along the shoreline.

 

 

By going to the end of Nugget Falls Trail, you walk out a bit to get a glimpse of Mendenhall Glacier.

When I was here, I heard someone who was a repeat visitor commenting about how the glacier seemed much further away compared to when they were there before, and they even were saying, “bye bye glacier”!

So no matter how you see it, have a look at the Mendenhall Glacier while you can do so more easily!

If you want to spend more time hiking from the visitor center, you’ll want to consider the East Glacier Trail.

 

See more easy walks to do in Juneau.

 

 

3. West Glacier Trail

“Everyone” sees the Mendenhall Glacier from Photo Point and the visitor center. If you want to be different 😉 then you can hike the West Glacier Trail to see the Mendenhall Glacier!

So again, the glacier view from the visitor center is a view from across the lake.

The West Glacier Trail is on the side of the glacier, so your view won’t be from across the lake!

You’ll start the West Glacier Trail at the West Glacier trailhead, which is in a different area of the recreation area. So you can’t do this hike from the visitor center.

This trail is a true rainforest hiking experience too. You will actually feel like you’re hiking in a rainforest!

Or maybe that’s just me feeling that since it was quite literally raining when I was hiking through the forest. 😅 Note: waterproof shoes are a good idea for this hike, in case it’s raining when you do it! I was super happy to have my rain gear, which can be a poncho or rain jacket! I was wearing rain pants too.

So if you choose to do the West Glacier Trail as your one and only Juneau experience, I don’t think you will be disappointed!

It’s a good idea to have all day in port if you want to do the West Glacier Trail. It was pretty much an all-day thing for me. I went to the West Glacier trailhead by bus. Once again, the bus stop “near” the trailhead is around a 1.5 mile walk one way. I used google maps!

You can also do a guided rugged hike that will give you a more adventurous wilderness experience. The West Glacier Trail guided hike picks you up at the cruise port and then starts the hike from the West Glacier trailhead. The guided hike takes you off the official West Glacier Trail and onto a spur trail which can give you even better views of the glacier.

 

See more hikes to do in Alaska cruise ports.

 

 

4. Shuttle

There is no free shuttle to the Mendenhall Glacier, but there is a shuttle that costs around $80 that will provide you with round-trip transportation to the glacier from Juneau cruise port.

For 2024, the shuttle to the glacier is a bit different from years past.

In 2024, the Mendenhall Glacier blue bus shuttle is $80 per person, and you get a certain amount of time at the visitor center. This is the Blue Bus Glacier Express shuttle (scroll down for blue bus) that will pick you up within walking distance of the cruise port.

In case you get suggestions from people who have taken the glacier shuttle in the past, I think it can be helpful to know what happened last year.

In 2023, one of the most popular ways to get to the visitor center until mid-summer was by taking the glacier shuttle, which was $50 last year. You hopped on the shuttle near the cruise port, got off at the visitor center, freely go do your thing to see the glacier spending as much time as you want, and when you’re done, you would go back to the shuttle drop-off/pick-up spot to take the next shuttle back. There were no times to abide by.

This only lasted until mid-summer because the companies running the shuttles were no longer able to get commercial (tour) national forest permits. They maxed out the number of commercial permits given out for the year by the US Forest Service which manages Tongass National Forest and the Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area.

It’s only the commericial permits that ran out, so the shuttle companies were not able to get permission to take people by shuttle.

After that happened, the only way to go to the visitor center was independently on your own (like by bus or renting a car) or through a tour.

How long will these permits last in 2024? That is the question. If you’re going to Juneau in May or June, you will probably have no issue. After that…???

Last year, there were reports of shuttles and tours people had booked for late summer getting canceled.

Presumably, you would expect that this year they are taking measures so they won’t have to cancel late summer shuttles and tours. So maybe they are doing less shuttle runs a day this year…? And/or those who are offering tours will be sure to have the permits…?

So book sooner rather than later if you’re interested in the shuttle!

But to be clear, these permits are for commercial operations only. It means that you will be unaffected by this permit situation if your plan is to go on your own.

So… is going to the glacier on your own reasonable for YOU?! Next!

 

 

 

5. Bus

You can take the bus from downtown Juneau to the Mendenhall Glacier visitor center… kind of! The bus stop “near” the Mendenhall Glacier is a 30 minute walk from the visitor center.

Plenty of cruise passengers do take the bus to the glacier, so you can be assured that it’s easy enough.

From the cruise ship, you’ll walk 10 to 15 minutes to get to the downtown transit center bus stop. From there, you can get on a bus that goes to Mendenhall Valley.

All that said, the city bus in Juneau to get to the Mendenhall Glacier isn’t for everyone, mainly because many people don’t like the walking distance required with the bus option.

You need to be ready to walk a lot.

And it does take extra time.

But if you don’t mind walking and time is not an issue, then the cheapest way to get to the Mendenhall Glacier visitor center is by bus! And it’s totally fine to take the bus! Personally I am happy that there is a cheap option to see the Mendenhall Glacier!

From the bus stop in downtown Juneau, it’s a direct bus to the bus stop near the Mendenhall Glacier, whether you want to go to the visitor center or the West Glacier trailhead.

Google maps is very helpful in navigating the Juneau bus system. (And Ketchikan too! You can go to Totem Bight State Historical Park by bus for example!)

The bus stop near the Mendenhall Glacier visitor center is the “Mendenhall Loop Road and Dredge Lake Road” bus stop. (map)

The bus stop near the West Glacier trailhead is the “Mendenhall Loop Road and Montana Creek Road” bus stop. (map)

Be sure to have exact change for the bus fare, as none will be given. It’s $2 per person per bus ride. See current bus fares. I’ve gotten dollar bills from guest services on the cruise ship.

 

 

6. Mendenhall Glacier visitor center tour

Instead of taking the shuttle, you can book a Mendenhall Glacier tour.

The most common type of Mendenhall Glacier tour is one that gives you time on your own around the visitor center.

On these types of tours, you will have time to walk to Photo Point and see the glacier from the visitor center. Depending on the tour, you may also have time to walk to Nugget Falls.

There are also combination tours that include a stop at the visitor center, and also another worthy Juneau experience. The most popular combo tour is the Mendenhall Glacier + whale watching tour. Juneau is one of the best cruise ports for whale watching, which makes it another one of Juneau’s most popular activities.

There are also hiking tours that go hiking in Tongass National Forest, like the Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area rainforest trek, with the focus being on hiking through the forest.

There are also tours that say you will make a stop for a view of the glacier.

A stop at the Brotherhood Bridge to see the glacier is quite the distant view, and it’s nowhere near a similar experience compared to going to the visitor center. So make sure you understand that if you are booking a tour with this kind of stop. (You don’t want to see “glacier view” in the description and be thinking that you’ll get a view from the visitor center when it’s actually a view from the bridge!)

 

👆 This was Mendenhall Glacier information that was posted up when I went. You can see a blown up version on facebook by looking for the zoom.
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👆 This map of things to do around the Mendenhall Glacier visitor center was posted up when I went. You can explore the US Forest Service website and download the map to your phone.
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7. Mendenhall Glacier canoe tour

An epic way to see the Mendenhall Glacier is through a canoe tour.

 

👆 I did a Mendenhall Glacier tour. Part 1 was canoeing as a group! Part 2 was walking to get a closer view of the glacier!
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You still won’t be able to touch the glacier during a canoe tour (unless you count touching a piece of ice that has fallen off the glacier, which you might be able to do!), but you will get a lot closer to the glacier than most people do. (Most people = visitor center!)

There is the canoe-only Mendenhall Glacier tour, where you paddle to get close to the glacier and you’ll stay in the canoe the whole time.

And then there’s a canoe tour with a wilderness shore landing where you will paddle in the canoe to a shoreline that’s closer to the glacier, and then walk to a glacier viewpoint.

I did the canoe tour with the shore landing that’s called the Mendenhall Glacier Ice Adventure tour and I thought it was amazing!

 

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More for planning out your time at Mendenhall Glacier:

• Mendenhall Glacier trolley tour
• West Glacier Trail guided hike (difficult)
• Photo Point
• Nugget Falls
• West Glacier Trail on your own
• Brotherhood Bridge
• Mendenhall Glacier tours
• Mendenhall Glacier and whale watching combo tour
• Mendenhall Glacier Ice Adventure canoe shore landing tour

 

 

To get a better idea of the area around the Mendenhall Glacier, see the Juneau cruise port map I created. (This also includes where you cruise ship will be docking.)

 

 

Happy seeing the Mendenhall Glacier!

 

👆 Top: West Glacier Trail. Bottom, left to right: Photo Point, canoe tour, shore landing during tour!