MENDENHALL GLACIER ICE ADVENTURE TOUR

UPDATE: Due to recent flooding and glacial ice erosion, this tour has been adjusted in price and itinerary to no longer include walking on the glacier. Instead, the tour will explore the areas directly in front of the glacier.

The Mendenhall Glacier is a 13-mile-long river of flowing ice. It is 1,800 ft. deep and a half-mile wide and even though it is the most visited glacier in Alaska, most people only see it from afar. Our extended Alaska glacier tour gives you ample time for pictures and exploration while trekking with your guides next to the glacier ice itself. Be one of the few to experience the beauty of the Mendenhall Glacier this closely, exclusively, and safely. This is as close to the glacier as you can get without stepping foot on the ice.   

Tour Details

Your exploration begins at the cruise ship docks in downtown Juneau, where you’re greeted by our professional guides to officially start your adventure. Your group size will be limited to enhance the experience of this excursion. You will be carried away on a narrated van ride deep into the Tongass National Forest, the largest National Forest in the United States, which is where the Mendenhall Glacier resides. You will go directly to the West side of Mendenhall Lake where your equipment and safety gear awaits you. After getting suited up, your guides teach you how to paddle safely and efficiently across the Mendenhall Lake.

The journey is just as important as the destination and that’s why we access the area directly in front of the glacier via a canoe ride across Mendenhall Lake. As you cruise speedily across the lake you will pass icebergs and wildlife. You will get the chance to experience the serenity of the Alaskan wilderness throughout the entire tour. Surrounded by steep cliffs, the thundering Nugget Falls, icebergs, and native wildlife; this voyage to the glacier is unforgettable.

Once arriving on the rocky shore next to the glacier, your guides will lead you on an exploration trek around the rocky moraine to view the glacier up close. This excursion brings you right in front of the glacier for front-row exploration of the glacier water land recently exposed by the quickly-receding glacial ice.

One of the most unique aspects of our trip is the constant state of movement and change to the wilderness area on this tour, meaning no one tour is the same as the next. The Mendenhall Glacier is one of the most visited glaciers in North America and the United States Forest Service limits the number of permits allowed in this area each year. We invite you to join the exclusive group of visitors who get to experience the beauty of the Mendenhall Glacier so closely and uniquely!