West Glacier Trail (from Juneau cruise port) “real” hike to see Mendenhall Glacier on your own! 🏔 Alaska cruise tips

Hi there!

The West Glacier Trail is the best hike to do on your own to see the Mendenhall Glacier.

Most people go to the Mendenhall Glacier visitor center and Photo Point to see the glacier. That’s the easy way to see the glacier, and it will be from a distance across the lake.

The West Glacier Trail is in a different area from the visitor center, on the glacier side, and you can get a closer view of the glacier. It does require time and energy to do it, though!

But it will be a special experience because you’ll see the Mendenhall Glacier in a different way than most people.

If you choose to do the West Glacier Trail as your way to see the Mendenhall Glacier, then you will miss out on seeing Nugget Falls up close. Nugget Falls is the most popular waterfalls to see during an Alaska cruise. So you’ll want to decide on your priorities.

I think a glacier is a good priority to have! There are waterfalls all across the United States. You can’t say the same about glaciers!

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First: Juneau tours you need to know about!

1. Mendenhall Glacier visitor center + whale watching combo
   • THE top 2 things Juneau is known for!
2. The Blue Bus glacier express shuttle
   • Round trip transportation with 2 hours at Mendenhall Glacier visitor center.
3. Lighthouse + whale watching combo
   • Your boat lands on a small island so you can walk to the lighthouse!
4. Whale watching only tour
   • Spend more time out on the water = chances for more whale sightings!
5. Juneau Icefield helicopter flightseeing with wilderness glacier landing
   • Walk on ancient ice. Epic Alaska excursion you will remember forever!

Any visitor center tours will not allow you to do the West Glacier Trail.

I did the West Glacier Trail as a hike to see the Mendenhall Glacier during a Juneau cruise port visit on a Princess cruise ship in September 2023. I did this hike on my own and got to the trailhead by bus.

I first learned about this trail when someone posted their pictures in a cruise facebook group of themselves in front of ice caves in the summer of 2023. (I think it was a June cruise ship visit.)

Whaaaat?! It’s possible to go to ice caves on your own?!

Well as it turned out, I think they went on a spur trail off the West Glacier Trail to get super close to the glacier.

This is an unmaintained trail that is basically a “wilderness” trail. You can do it, but know the risks involved. And if you do make it to the ice caves, it’s a good idea to not venture inside too far (if at all), since it can be unstable. Glaciers can be dangerous!

I started down the spur trail, but I ended up turning around for a few reasons.

First, I wasn’t even sure if the trail would lead to what I wanted to see. (The glacier up close!) It also wasn’t just a regular trail, and there was some scrambling. On top of that, it was raining, and I wasn’t sure if the trail conditions would further deteriorate. All of this made me very NOT confident in continuing ahead, especially since I was alone, so I turned around.

Then, I continued on the regular West Glacier Trail.

And, while I didn’t get the super up close view of the Mendenhall Glacier that I initially set out for (ice caves), the West Glacier Trail does still provide a great view of the Mendenhall Glacier, so it made it worth it!

So while staying on the regular West Glacier Trail won’t get you to the Mendenhall Glacier ice caves, I still think it is a great way to see the Mendenhall Glacier.

Another cool thing about the West Glacier Trail is that you can get some perspective on just how much the Mendenhall Glacier has changed. Along the trail, there are signs that tell you where the glacier used to reach in what year.

It’s continuing to get further and further away, so go to see the Mendenhall Glacier while you still can!

It seems like you can go quite far on the trail past when you see the glacier. I ended up turning around when I came across a couple of literal stream crossings that seemed to be there because it was raining. I was not interested in walking through so much water, and I was also afraid that the water would become deeper on the way back.

West Glacier Trail is a part of the Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area in Tongass National Forest. You will pass the Tongass National Forest sign on your way to the trailhead!

See more welcome signs in Alaska you’ll want a picture of!

There are also some steep parts so it’s not like the West Glacier Trail is an easy stroll to see the Mendenhall Glacier.

How to get to the West Glacier trailhead

I went to the West Glacier trailhead by bus. The nearest bus stop to the trailhead is about a mile away. So on top of the walking distance of the trail itself, you’ll be adding on 2+ miles just to get to and from the trailhead, if you go by bus. I used google maps to navigate by using the public transit option.

The cruise ship docks in downtown Juneau, and you can get a bus from the Downtown Transit Center that is in downtown Juneau. This will be about a 10-15 minute walk from the cruise port, depending on where your cruise ship is docked.

Each bus ride is $2, and be sure to bring exact change. (See current fees.) I have gotten dollar bills by going to guest services on the cruise ship.

Here is the West Glacier trailhead on the map. If you’re finding that it shows no public transit options available, it will help to select your final destination as something closer to the bus stop. If you zoom in on google maps, you can look for the little bus icons to know where the bus stops are located.

The West Glacier Trail on its own requires a lot of walking. It is really a lot more walking if you go by bus. Just be aware of that!

Note that the West Glacier trailhead and the Mendenhall Glacier visitor center are in different parts of the national forest recreation area. Going to the visitor center will not get you to the West Glacier trailhead.

I did see a taxi dropping some people off at the West Glacier trailhead. I would imagine you would need to arrange for a pick-up time as well. You could always take a taxi one way, and take the bus the other way! Given how this hike turned out for me, I personally would not want to be under pressure to have to make it back to the trailhead by a certain time.

How much time do you need?

I got off the bus near the West Glacier Trail at around 11:30am. I got back to that bus stop to head back to downtown Juneau at around 4:45pm.

That right there is over 5 hours, and that does not include the bus time, the bus wait time, or the walk to and from the cruise port.

The bus ride is around an hour each way.

So basically, you should only do the West Glacier Trail if you have all day in Juneau.

You can do it in less time, since I was walking at a mostly leisurely pace and I also didn’t go straight to see the glacier and straight back.

In addition to the spur trail that I went off on for a little bit, I went over towards the lake (which you will see on the way to the trailhead) and I did rest a little at Skaters Cabin. (map)

But it’s best to think of it as an all-day thing. Be sure to bring snacks and water!

If you haven’t yet booked your Alaska cruise, then it’s always good to look at port times when deciding which cruise to choose!

On the day I did the West Glacier Trail, my cruise ship was in port for around 14 hours. The arrival time was 7:30am, and the back-on-board time was 9pm. The back-on-board time is usually 30 minutes before the ship departure time that is listed on your cruise itinerary.

Can you do the West Glacier Trail and Mendenhall Glacier visitor center on the same day?

If you have all day in Juneau cruise port, and you have the time, patience, energy, and motivation, then yes, you can do the West Glacier Trail, Mendenhall Glacier visitor center, Photo Point, and Nugget Falls in one day.

If you have a car, it’ll make it easier. (There are people who arrive by cruise ship and rent a car in Juneau.)

You can do it by bus too, but that’s where the time, patience, and motivation will be needed, as you’ll spend a lot of time waiting for the bus.

Energy will be needed whether you do it by car or bus! It will be a lot of walking.

Reviews

Before doing any hiking in Juneau or any other Alaska cruise ports, it’s a good idea to read through the reviews so you can know what to expect.

Read the reviews for the West Glacier Trail:

• google maps
• alltrails
• US Forest Service (general info)

I did the West Glacier Trail in September 2023. Your experience may vary!

More hiking in Juneau

Also be sure to consider the Goldbelt tram trails near the cruise port!

If the West Glacier Trail seems like your kind of trail, you also may like the Mount Roberts Trail to get to the tram station. (No glacier views, but it is a forest hike.)

HAPPY HIKING THE WEST GLACIER TRAIL!