Mendenhall Glacier transport

So these blue buses that everyone talks about to go to Mendenhall Glacier are now $30 round trip per person this year!! That's outrageous! It was only $15ish round trip just two years ago!

There will be 4 of us, would a cab be economically better? How much should I expect to spend on the cab?

Is there a public city bus? Or another way to get there?

So these blue buses that everyone talks about to go to Mendenhall Glacier are now $30 round trip per person this year!! That's outrageous! It was only $15ish round trip just two years ago!

There will be 4 of us, would a cab be economically better? How much should I expect to spend on the cab?

Is there a public city bus? Or another way to get there?

It's been $20, What you aren't considering is the added - new- Mendenhall access fee. Yes a cab would be cheaper, $35 range plus the admission fee of $5 http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/tongass/news-events/?cid=STELPRD3839697

You will need phone number to call for a cab pick up at least a 1/2 hour prior to needing it.

You could also rent a car, and then do some other exploring. There's several threads about car rentals. We always use Juneau Car Rental. Others prefer Avis. I like the flexibility of driving myself.

It's been $20, What you aren't considering is the added - new- Mendenhall access fee. Yes a cab would be cheaper, $35 range plus the admission fee of $5 http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/tongass/news-events/?cid=STELPRD3839697

 

You will need phone number to call for a cab pick up at least a 1/2 hour prior to needing it.

Does the $30 round trip bus blue include the admission fee?

Does the $30 round trip bus blue include the admission fee?

No it doesn't

We were there last year in August - I don't remember it being $30 pp....

wow....talk about inflation !!!!!

eclue:rolleyes:

No it doesn't

Are you sure ?

I know that the $30 fee charged by Mighty Great Trips (the blue shuttle buses) includes the $5 entry fee.

The shuttle companies must get permits from the FS so it makes sense that the FS would ask for the new entry fee to be collected up front. Saves the FS from having to collect individual fees from every passenger as they step off the bus.

I'm wondering how they will collect it from people who get dropped off by taxi or who make the long trek from the city bus stop.

Another transport question...

If our whale watching tour drops us at Mendenhall, can we buy a one way shuttle ticket back to the cruise ship?

Are you sure ?

 

I know that the $30 fee charged by Mighty Great Trips (the blue shuttle buses) includes the $5 entry fee.

 

The shuttle companies must get permits from the FS so it makes sense that the FS would ask for the new entry fee to be collected up front. Saves the FS from having to collect individual fees from every passenger as they step off the bus.

 

I'm wondering how they will collect it from people who get dropped off by taxi or who make the long trek from the city bus stop.

I wondered about that - why they would increase the cost so much if they were not including the entry fee. I looked at the website and didn't see if they did or not.

I wondered about that - why they would increase the cost so much if they were not including the entry fee. I looked at the website and didn't see if they did or not.

I emailed them ... not that I have any plans to visit this summer; just curious.

Did you also notice that their web site is no longer Mighty Great Trips but M&MTours ?

Another transport question...

 

If our whale watching tour drops us at Mendenhall, can we buy a one way shuttle ticket back to the cruise ship?

In the past, you were able to buy walk on tickets from drivers.

You can verify this directly with the vendors, M&M/Mighty Great Trips, and Frontier?

I emailed them ... not that I have any plans to visit this summer; just curious.

 

Did you also notice that their web site is no longer Mighty Great Trips but M&MTours ?

Post what you find out. I did notice the name had changed. It has been years since I looked at it so I wasn't sure if this was recent or not.

And to think it used to be $10 back in the day....

Post what you find out. I did notice the name had changed. It has been years since I looked at it so I wasn't sure if this was recent or not.

 

And to think it used to be $10 back in the day....

I already posted their response .... the $30 includes the entry fee.

And Juneau Tours also responded that their $30 charge for the white bus includes the $5 entry fee.

I already posted their response .... the $30 includes the entry fee.

 

And Juneau Tours also responded that their $30 charge for the white bus includes the $5 entry fee.

Do I have to pay the $5 entry fee when I buy my White or Blue bus ticket if I have a National Parks senior pass?

Do I have to pay the $5 entry fee when I buy my White or Blue bus ticket if I have a National Parks senior pass?

I didn't ask.

If you want to know, just email both companies and ask them.

I received an email from M & M Tours and it is possible to take the blue bus one way return from Mendenhall Glacier. Just pay the driver at the time.

This is what we plan to do after being dropped off there after whale watching.

I received an email from M & M Tours and it is possible to take the blue bus one way return from Mendenhall Glacier. Just pay the driver at the time.

This is what we plan to do after being dropped off there after whale watching.

Thanks or posting this info. Good to know that at least the Blue Bus will still provide one-ways.

I already posted their response .... the $30 includes the entry fee.

 

And Juneau Tours also responded that their $30 charge for the white bus includes the $5 entry fee.

Thanks - I read where Kamloops said it didn't.

At least that justifies some of the cost. I appreciate you checking on this!

Thanks for emailing and for all the responses.

Even though I still think $30 is ridiculous, at least it includes the entrance fee. Guess we will go that way to the glacier.

Thanks for emailing and for all the responses.

Even though I still think $30 is ridiculous, at least it includes the entrance fee. Guess we will go that way to the glacier.

I agree....

I E-mail M & M tours in Juneau this afternoon and asked them if a person could get a $5 discount if they showed the ticket person there “National Parks Senior pass” when they bought a ticket on the Blue bus to go out to Mendenhall Glacier. There reply was kind of comical because I don’t think they had ever heard of such a thing “National Parks Senior pass” it was like “what’s that” as my 2 year old granddaughter would say. The person who replied to my E-mail asked me to call her on Friday. I’ll birddog this for the seniors who have the “National Parks Senior pass”. I’ll post my finding later. Everyone who is over 62 should have a “National Parks Senior pass” costs only $10 and it’s good for the rest of your life.

I was researching this topic too, and found this page from the US Forest Service about Tongass National Forest to be super helpful in finding out how to get to Mendenhall Glacier:

http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/tongass/about-forest/offices/?cid=fseprd495443

To answer some of the questions in this thread:

Is there a public city bus?

Yes, there is. It is $2 each way. Route 4 will get you closest to the park, after about 50 minutes on the bus. I believe you'd want to get off at the Mendenhall Blvd Stop. As noted by others in the thread it is a 1.5 mile walk to the visitor center, BUT the first trailhead, called Powerhouse Trailhead is only 0.3 miles from the bus stop. That is the start of Power Line Trail which connects the main shorter trails in the park 1.1 miles up. So if you like hiking you can take the scenic way up.

($5 Fee) I'm wondering how they will collect it from people who get dropped off by taxi or who make the long trek from the city bus stop.

I think the fee is specifically for the Visitor Center, so you may be able to avoid the $5 fee if you stay outside.

"If our whale watching tour drops us at Mendenhall, can we buy a one way shuttle ticket back to the cruise ship?"

My in-laws went last year and did report they were able to find a company offering $10 pp one way ride back to the cruise ship.

 

 

I think the fee is specifically for the Visitor Center, so you may be able to avoid the $5 fee if you stay outside.

 

This used to be the case. It is supposedly different this year.

I was researching this topic too, and found this page from the US Forest Service about Tongass National Forest to be super helpful in finding out how to get to Mendenhall Glacier:

http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/tongass/about-forest/offices/?cid=fseprd495443

 

To answer some of the questions in this thread:

I think the fee is specifically for the Visitor Center, so you may be able to avoid the $5 fee if you stay outside.

 

If you open your link to NEWS and EVENTS you will see that the new $5 fee starts May 1. The fee is not just for the Visitor Center anymore. The 2 transfer companies whi have permits from the Forest Service are expected to collect the fee from their pax.

http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/tongass/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD498331

 

My in-laws went last year and did report they were able to find a company offering $10 pp one way ride back to the cruise ship.

That was last yr ...this yr both companies increased their RT fare to $30 to include the new fee. However it appears that the companies don't have a plan yet for how to handle the Sr Passes..... the Forest Service bulletin reminds people that the fee is waived if you have a Fed Pass, but the transfer companies don't have a reduced fare yet for those people with passes.

definitely some details to be worked out before cruise season hits.

Was just in Juneau last week and took the public bus to and from Mendenhall Glacier. A report:

It is a short walk from the cruise ship terminal to the downtown transit center (Unless you are on NCL, they were docked farher away). We got there about 15 to 20 minutes early then jumped on the Route 4 bus when it was ready to leave. Because the DTC is the end/beginning of the route the bus will arrive several minutes before the departure time, but waits until at least the departure time before heading back out. Check the bus schedule if you want to time it up: http://www.juneau.org/capitaltransit/index.php

When we got on the bus the bus driver sensed we weren't local and asked where we were going, we told him the glacier. We dropped our $2 per person in the pay box and after about 50-60 minutes so when we got near the appropriate stop the bus driver made sure to announce it and stop for us knowing we may not know when to signal at stop. There was one other group of cruisers on the bus with us. I was also following along with the GPS on my phone and knew the intersection we should be looking for. The closest bus stop is at the corner of Mendenhall Loop Rd where it connect to Glacier Spur Rd.

After getting off the bus we walked about 1/3 of a mile up the wide sidewalk along Glacier Spur Road and veered right when we got to Gladstone St which looks like a gravel road. It is a short road that quickly ends with a fork. On the right is someone's driveway and the left is a well marked trailhead with a map. This is the beginning of Powerline Trail.

It was a beautiful scenic hike, and every trail intersection was well marked. Before long we joined up with the Trail of Time, crossed Steep Creek and got our first view of the glacier. We continued on the Trail of Time until we got to the Visitor center. We then took the popular hike along Nugget Falls Trail to get an up close view of Nugget Falls and a good view of the glacier itself.

After hanging out near the falls for a while we walked back to the visitor center. The vistor center is very nice with great bathrooms, water fountains a gift shop and spotting scopes that we used to see mountain goat. It didn't appear it was anyones job to take any visitor fees or checking if we paid but we made sure to drop some cash in the donation box. One thing they did reprimand us for was eating, they are worried about bears smelling food on humans.

We then headed through the back of the nearest parking lot along a trail marked with M. The signs call this Moraine Ecology Trail, Google Maps has it labeled Steep Creek Trail. This began the prettiest part of our hike. There are lots of short trails with connectors that you could make a short wrong turn but we followed the markings west to Old River Trail and then south on Moraine Lake Trail. At the next series of intersections we worked our south-west along Moose Lake Trail. I noticed time was getting close so if we kept walking we would be back at the bus stop at the perfect time. So we took Dredge Lake Trail to Dredge Lake Road and walked along the quite neighborhood road to Mendenhall Loop Road basically right where the bus stop is located.

Buses going either direction (routes 4 or 3) will take you back to the downtown transit center in about the same amount of time. We paid $2 each again and were told the quickest way back downtown was to transfer at the mall (for free) and then take the express route back. We opted for the simpler option and rode without transferring for about 50 minutes until we got back downtown near the cruise ship docks.

All in all with was a beautiful hike, about 6 miles in total. I'm so glad we decided to do the more scenic option. The only part where it was crowded was the visitors center to Nugget Falls since so many people take the $30 round trip shuttle to see the glacier but miss out on some amazingly scenic, basically flat hiking.