Mendenhall glacier by taxi

4 of us cruising to Juneau in August - repeat visit for two of us..

1. Can we just use a taxi to get to/from Mendenhall glacier? :confused:
   
2. Any idea of the fare each way?
   
3. Hoping to spend a couple of hours; are there typically cabs waiting for customers or do we need to make arrangements for a pick-up?
   
4. Not interested in a tour, etc. Any other suggestions?
   

Thanks in advance! :)

In May, I was hearing the $35+++ range. You also will have to purchase a park pass and the cab does have a small concession fee

There is no cab line at Mendenhall. You need to either call 30 minutes before you need it, or arrange the pick up ahead of time.

I asked just a few weeks ago and was told fairly similar- $40+. we have had to wait 30-45 minutes for taxi once before there. We have taken the city bus once too ;-)

We have rented a car the past 3-4 times in Juneau.

Process was a breeze. Salmon hatchery, Mendenhall Glacies, Glacier Gardens, Auke Bay Harbor, Gold Creek Salmon Bake then back to Downtown.

Thanks! :) We will probably just use a cab, but I will look into car rentals.

Looks like Uber is now in Juneau.

https://www.adn.com/business-economy/2017/06/15/uber-and-lyft-are-arriving-in-alaska-heres-what-you-need-to-know/

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I caught the local bus and then walked about a mile from the bus stop. Worked well for me and got to chat with a few interesting locals on the bus ride which took about 45 minutes.

The last time 2013 we took the blue school bus and it was reasonable and drove us by many of the sights. Will do in 2018 also.

yes UBER just started this summer in Alaska

I asked just a few weeks ago and was told fairly similar- $40+. we have had to wait 30-45 minutes for taxi once before there. We have taken the city bus once too ;-)

We have rented a car the past 3-4 times in Juneau.

Process was a breeze. Salmon hatchery, Mendenhall Glacies, Glacier Gardens, Auke Bay Harbor, Gold Creek Salmon Bake then back to Downtown.

Thanks for the info. We are planning on renting a car as well and I've added the Hatchery and Salmon Bake to our trip ideas. What car rental company do you recommend?

I would think with Uber and Lyft the surge pricing would be brutal every time a cruise ship rolls into town.

The buses, from what I've seen (I'm researching this for my upcoming trip too) are $35 round trip. Taxis are $40+ each way.

Renting a car will depend on the exact date, and how far in advance you reserve it, but figure around $100 plus gas used. Be sure it's in town and not at the airport.

It's only 13 miles from the docks to the glacier, but they sure have you cornered on transportation to get there.

We normally rent a car in Juneau from Juneau Car Rental near the AJ Dock for about $70. We were being dropped at Auke Bay the end of May this year and picked up a rental at the airport for $18 from Alamo. At the same time Budget had a car for $16. We booked months in advance and checked the rate daily and it kept dropping. Takes a little effort but well worth it.

Thanks for the info. We are planning on renting a car as well and I've added the Hatchery and Salmon Bake to our trip ideas. What car rental company do you recommend?

There are only 2 downtown, Juneau Car Rental and Avis. Both are near the AJ dock, so you need to take that into consideration. There is an express airport bus, but it runs only once per hour, that may be another option for an airport rental.

Avis was almost $100 plus gas :( We will check Juneau Car Rental but will likely stick with taxis or Uber. We plan on doing enough hiking around the glacier, so I don't think I want to add another mile from the bus stop to our plan. ;)

We went to Mendenhall last month (June 2017), via taxi. I went online and reserved with Evergreen. I received confirmation within 24 hours, along with the owner's cell phone number if we had any questions. We reserved for 7:30am (ship arrived at 7). Walked right off and taxi was waiting and then they picked us back up at 10am. It was so easy and loved getting there before the shuttles. They charge the park fee so I wanna say it was like $45 for the ride there then $35 for the way back, plus tip. Would definitely recommend!

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I just received this email from Evergreen taxi in Juneau. Makes the taxi much more expensive than before.

as of June 15th, the company has started to charge a $10.00 per person surcharge on all trips to the Mendenhall Glacier; this is on top of the Federal Forest Service Fees. The total cost per person is 17.00 per person 16 years and up and 12.00 per person 15 years and down.

We normally rent a car in Juneau from Juneau Car Rental near the AJ Dock for about $70. We were being dropped at Auke Bay the end of May this year and picked up a rental at the airport for $18 from Alamo. At the same time Budget had a car for $16. We booked months in advance and checked the rate daily and it kept dropping. Takes a little effort but well worth it.

Great prices! Good for you! Our experience with Juneau Car Rental this past week was less than stellar:mad:

From my review of Juneau......The young girl on duty called up our reservation, and we handed over our credit card. She said, "That will be $94.30." That gave us a moment of pause. We had our reservation from last October printed out and right there on the counter. The total was supposed to be $67.85. She said she would check the emails on the computer to see if we had been notified of this increase. I was pretty certain she would not find an email sent to us since we had never received anything like that. She called up the first email sent to us, the one which the confirmation number and letter had been attached, and pointed out to us on the screen that it said on the bottom of the email: These are 2017 prices and 2018 prices may be different. Okay. We certainly understand how the cost of running a business often necessitates increases, but a 30% increase?? She apologized and said she could call her boss, but she said she already knows what his answer will be. He will not budge. She said she has been running into this numerous times now, and it is what it is. Having no Plan B, we paid the bill with the increase and as we walked to the one of cars, I couldn't help but to hear my dear departed father's voice in my head saying, "You've just been put on the elevator, my dear."

She lead us to an Oldsmobile Alero with 150,000 miles on it and with multiple dings and rust spots. We were not expecting a pristine new car. I knew from researching and reading that one of the reasons for their low prices is that they rent out old cars. However, at this cost their price point is close to the nationally recognized car rental companies. So bottom line advice here: The Juneau Car Rental Company is no longer the price friendly car rental company in the area. I would seriously instead consider the other major car rental companies in the area. Shop and compare. And if you do decide to go with the Juneau Car Rental Company, be advised that from the time you make your reservation and then pick up the car, the price could increase by 30% or more.