How much time needed at Mendenhall Glacier if not walking to the falls?

[swdke]

How much time needed at Mendenhall Glacier if not walking to the falls?  I see that some Mendenhall Glacier tours spend about 2-3 hrs at Mendenhall, where as whale Watch and Mendenhall Glacier tours allow for only 35 min to 1 hr.  Wondering about others thoughts about this.?  Thanks.

[jean87510]

30 minutes ago, swdke said:

How much time needed at Mendenhall Glacier if not walking to the falls?  I see that some Mendenhall Glacier tours spend about 2-3 hrs at Mendenhall, where as whale Watch and Mendenhall Glacier tours allow for only 35 min to 1 hr.  Wondering about others thoughts about this.?  Thanks.

Do you want to see the falls?  Our 1st time in Alaska was last May.  We wanted to budget as much as possible and we took the bus to Mendenhall and walked to the falls which were just beautiful.  We arranged a cheap afternoon whale watching tour and a salmon bake.  We did see whales and salmon bake was really good.  

We did see the glacier on our walk but not close.  Being it was our 1st time, we were content.

[Coral]

Not much time if not walking to the falls. The glacier has retreated so much - I no longer consider Mendenhall glacier a must stop (unless arriving via helicopter). It is now underwhelming IMO.

[Glaciers]

If not walking to Nugget Falls your current tour may give you enough time there. Another option is Juneau Whale Watch. After the whale watch they take you to the glacier. Their busses depart the glacier every 30 minutes or so back to the ship and you can stay as long as you want, as long as you don’t miss the last bus.

[CruisinginWonderland]

18 hours ago, jean87510 said:

Do you want to see the falls?  Our 1st time in Alaska was last May.  We wanted to budget as much as possible and we took the bus to Mendenhall and walked to the falls which were just beautiful.  We arranged a cheap afternoon whale watching tour and a salmon bake.  We did see whales and salmon bake was really good.  

We did see the glacier on our walk but not close.  Being it was our 1st time, we were content.

 I'd love to know more about the cheap whale watching! First time in Alaska (August) and budgeting as well!

Edited March 29, 2023 by CruisinginWonderland

[jean87510]

3 hours ago, CruisinginWonderland said:

 I'd love to know more about the cheap whale watching! First time in Alaska (August) and budgeting as well!

We used shoreexcursioneer and credit from covid cancellations.  Juneau Whale Watching and Salmon Bake.  It's now $187 pp.  This may be the cheapest price for combo.  

[SightCRR]

Depends on if the black bears are eating salmon in the streams then no.  If no bears then yes.