Juneau Shore Excursion: Mendenhall Glacier Trek

Getting a little stir-crazy from being on the ship? Stretch your legs on vast, rugged terrain on this day-hike shore excursion into Mendenhall Glacier. The Mendenhall Glacier trek and climb is suitable for most ages and abilities, however, you should be in good enough shape to hike for up to 6 to 6.5 hours, covering about 8 miles (12.8 km) round-trip. You’ll be wearing a backpack, weighing about 10 to 15 pounds with mountaineering gear, snacks/water, and any extra clothing that you’d like to bring.

Your Alaskan glacier adventure begins on a 3.5 mile (5.6 km) trail through the rainforest along Mendenhall Lake. This rocky terrain is challenging and not for the fainthearted. While the first mile is easy enough, on a well-maintained path with a few switchbacks, for the rest of the trail you’ll be hiking on bedrock in steep areas.

When you arrive at Mendenhall Glacier, you’ll be outfitted in trekking gear. Professional guides will provide a safety briefing and make sure you remain safe and enjoy your time adventure on the glacier. With the help of crampons, trek across moderate glacial terrain that overlooks Mendenhall Lake. Your route gets you great views of crevasses, streams, ice caves and other beautiful glacial formations.
With plenty of gorgeous pictures taken, enjoy transport back to port.

Worry-free Shore Excursion:

We will ensure your timely return back to the ship in Juneau for this activity. If your ship is delayed and you are unable attend this activity, your money will be refunded. See our terms and conditions for full details.

Spend your time in Juneau on an Alaskan wilderness hiking adventure as you get up close to the Mendenhall Glacier! This exhilarating tour will show you a stunning piece of Alaskan nature as you hike through the Tongass Rainforest towards the glacier. Then explore the edge of the glacier on foot where you could see ice caves, dramatic crevasses, and fascinating glacial formations.

Accessing ice caves, moulins, or any other glacial feature is not guaranteed: The Mendenhall Glacier is in constant change. Your guide will assess each available feature prior to accessing to determine if it’s safe to explore. The Mendenhall Glacier is receding on a daily basis and we are seeing significant changes to the surface of the glacier. There are very limited safe areas to access and explore on the ice with crampons. Safety is our number one priority. We can not guarantee every trip will hike on the glacier.

Cancellation Policy: standard

Cancellation Cutoff: 24 hours

Cancellation Notes: All sales are final and incur 100% cancellation penalties.

You must include the following in the comments section when booking: raingear & shoe sizes for each passenger, (for adult men and women, S-XXL and youth, S-L) and any pertinent medical information. Smallest shoe size that can be accommodated is Youth 2 and largest is Adult 14.
This small group adventure has a minimum of 2 and maximum of 12 participants
Minimum age is 10 years
WAIVER FORM: Every participant on the trip must sign a waiver form at the start of the trip. Alterations and/or deletions to the waiver is not permitted
Clients must be in good enough shape and conditioned to hike for up to 6-6.5 hours, covering about 8 miles roundtrip. The hike is challenging and clients need to bring sturdy hiking boots that provide good ankle support while hiking on rocky terrain. All clients will need to hike with a backpack the entire way on this trip. The backpack (provided) weighs approximately 10-15 pounds and holds mountaineering gear, snacks/water, etc.
Accessing ice caves, moulins, or any other glacial feature is not guaranteed: Due to the dynamic nature of the Mendenhall Glacier features are in constant change. Your guide will assess each available feature prior to accessing to determine if it’s safe to explore. The Mendenhall Glacier is receding on a daily basis and due to this we are seeing significant changes to the surface of the glacier. There are very limited safe areas to access and explore on the ice with crampons. Safety is our number one priority and we can not guarantee every trip will hike on the glacier. We assess conditions day to day. The edge of the glacier has some of the most stunning features; caves, tunnels, tubes, and crevasses which create those beautiful blue colors.
Hiking boots with with good stability and traction
Comfortable hiking pants
Warm sweater or fleece pullover, hat. and gloves reccommended
Sunglasses and sunscreen
Safety harnesses fit up to 42 inch waist size and 28" inch leg size. Not able to accommodate larger waist/leg sizes.
Not wheelchair accessible
Not recommended for travelers with back problems
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Travelers should have a strong physical fitness level
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travelers