Mendenhall Glacier

[wolfie11]

Taken today showing the current extent of Mendenhall Glacier.

[Coral]

Wow. That has retreated quite a bit.

 

I personally don't think it is worth going out there anymore. There are other great things to do in Juneau.

 

Thanks for the pic. 

[Northern Aurora]

I also don’t think that Mendenhall merits much excitement, but it definitely illustrates the amount of retreat so many of our glaciers are experiencing.

[dmwnc1959]

10 hours ago, Northern Aurora said:

I also don’t think that Mendenhall merits much excitement, but it definitely illustrates the amount of retreat so many of our glaciers are experiencing.

Comparisons between a picture on cruise lines advertisement for shore excursions and the new one (cropped to better show the same area). 

 

Edited April 10 by dmwnc1959

[donaldsc]

30 minutes ago, dmwnc1959 said:

Comparisons between a picture on cruise lines advertisement for shore excursions and the new one (cropped to better show the same area). 

 

 

We have taken all of our grandkids on an AK trip as a coming of age trip when they turned 10 w/o their parents.  All of the trips were a joy to grandparents and grandkids.  Pictures like this are one of the reasons we do it.  We want them to have the opportunity to see stuff like this before they disappear.

 

DON

[Cruizer_J]

This is from a 2003 visit. I wonder when the advert pic was taken.

[Jnsplace1]

Suddenly I'm glad that I booked a whale trip on this stop.  I have strong fond memories of walking on that glacier back I think 12 yrs ago or so.

[dmwnc1959]

12 minutes ago, Cruizer_J said:

This is from a 2003 visit. I wonder when the advert pic was taken.

Looks like some of my pictures. Amazing the difference! I cruised Alaska five times between 1998 and 2003. It'll be interesting to see this change that's happened in just over 20 years when I return in April 2025. 

[karatemom2]

We have been visiting Alaska about every year to every other year since our first cruise there in 2006. The difference at Mendenhall is really profound. I still like to visit and enjoy the overall natural beauty and of course Nugget Falls, but it does make me a sad to see how it has diminished over the years. I'm very grateful that our family had the opportunity to see it back in earlier days.

[Glaciers]

We've been visiting Mendenhall Glacier for 30 years and used to go each visit. Haven't been for many years now as it kind of lost it's appeal. I do think for a first time visitor it still has some charm and will continue to be a main event in Juneau for several more years. The area itself is beautiful.

[Cruizer_J]

4 minutes ago, karatemom2 said:

We have been visiting Alaska about every year to every other year since our first cruise there in 2006. The difference at Mendenhall is really profound. I still like to visit and enjoy the overall natural beauty and of course Nugget Falls, but it does make me a sad to see how it has diminished over the years. I'm very grateful that our family had the opportunity to see it back in earlier days.

2003 was our first and I'm glad to have those pics. Can you confirm if there's a formal path out to Nugget falls now? I had heard talk that one might be constructed at some point. There was not one as of our 2005 visit.

[karatemom2]

2 minutes ago, Cruizer_J said:

2003 was our first and I'm glad to have those pics. Can you confirm if there's a formal path out to Nugget falls now? I had heard talk that one might be constructed at some point. There was not one as of our 2005 visit.

 

Yes, there is a very nice hiking path that takes you all the way to the beach and Nugget Falls. 

[dmwnc1959]

Not that this will make much difference, but I wonder if the picture was taken from the visitors center or from the pavilion, the latter which would be further over to the right of this and would give a better view of the glacier. I was still thinking of going out there next year to enjoy the area and walk up to Nugget Falls. Something definitely to look forward to. 

[Cruizer_J]

1 minute ago, karatemom2 said:

 

Yes, there is a very nice hiking path that takes you all the way to the beach and Nugget Falls. 

Good! We used to meander around water and mud puddles to get out there. 😊

[karatemom2]

1 minute ago, dmwnc1959 said:

Not that this will make much difference, but I wonder if the picture was taken from the visitors center or from the pavilion, the latter which would be further over to the right of this and would give a better view of the glacier. I was still thinking of going out there next year to enjoy the area and walk up to Nugget Falls. Something definitely to look forward to. 

 

Yes, it still is definitely worth the visit, not just for the glacier, but the whole area. It is very beautiful and there is other opportunity just to enjoy nature, the falls, and every once in a while a rare bear sighting. We also saw a beaver one year.

[dmwnc1959]

Just now, karatemom2 said:

 

Yes, it still is definitely worth the visit, not just for the glacier, but the whole area. It is very beautiful and there is other opportunity just to enjoy nature, the falls, and every once in a while a rare bear sighting. We also saw a beaver one year.

I'll be in Juneau twice next year (April 25th and May 1st) and the snow might still be fresh on the ground. 😉 Several shore excursions have already popped up, the one heading out to Mendenhall Glacier is $39 and gives 2hrs for self-exploration. Was thinking about booking that one just for the convenience. 

[Lirio]

19 hours ago, Coral said:

Wow. That has retreated quite a bit.

 

I personally don't think it is worth going out there anymore. There are other great things to do in Juneau.

 

Thanks for the pic. 

Can you suggest some? I will be there in september/24.

[Lirio]

3 hours ago, dmwnc1959 said:

Comparisons between a picture on cruise lines advertisement for shore excursions and the new one (cropped to better show the same area). 

 

Global warming.....😢

[Crew News]

Walking on Mendenhall Glacier remains one of my favorite memories. The 1/4-inch layer of flowing water surprised me.  Even in the summer, the temperature was cold.

 

 

 

[Coral]

3 hours ago, Lirio said:

Can you suggest some? I will be there in september/24.

Landing on Mendenhall Glacier via helicopter. 

 

Taku Lodge.

 

Whale Watching.

 

Tracy Arm small boat experience. 

 

I was underwhelmed about Mendenhall (Visitor Center) when I was there several years ago. I had been going since 2002. A friend who I often cruise with went last year and said it wasn't the trip last year. He did a combo tour - that is the only reason he went.

[karatemom2]

Some other things we enjoy in Juneau:

 

Eagle Beach

Shrine of St. Therese

Treadwell Mine Trail

Fishing salmon at Macauley Fish Hatchery dock

Hiking trails at top of Mount Robert’s Tramway

Salmon Bake - touristy but fun and tasty!

[sharon_pei]

16 hours ago, karatemom2 said:

Some other things we enjoy in Juneau:

 

Eagle Beach

Shrine of St. Therese

Treadwell Mine Trail

Fishing salmon at Macauley Fish Hatchery dock

Hiking trails at top of Mount Robert’s Tramway

Salmon Bake - touristy but fun and tasty!

May i ask if one needs to worry about bear risk in any of these recommended places? We are planning to hit most of these and want to be conservative, but the fact that one can't bring bear spray back to cruise ship is a bothering us. 

[karatemom2]

5 minutes ago, sharon_pei said:

May i ask if one needs to worry about bear risk in any of these recommended places? We are planning to hit most of these and want to be conservative, but the fact that one can't bring bear spray back to cruise ship is a bothering us. 

 

No, I would not be particularly concerned about bears in any of these locations. Actually, the only place we have ever seen a bear in Juneau is at Mendenhall Glacier.

[jeromep]

17 hours ago, karatemom2 said:

Some other things we enjoy in Juneau:

 

Eagle Beach

Shrine of St. Therese

Treadwell Mine Trail

Fishing salmon at Macauley Fish Hatchery dock

Hiking trails at top of Mount Robert’s Tramway

Salmon Bake - touristy but fun and tasty!

I'm not an Alaska expert, but this is about the best list of things in Juneau to do which are not related to Mendenhall.

 

We got a self-guided Jeep rental excursion that went out to Eagle Beach, but we knew the Shrine of St. Therese from a previous visit to Juneau and wanted to return.  The road to Eagle Beach goes right by the Shrine, so it was easy to spend some time there.  Plus we used our own GPS to meander around Juneau and explore a bit.

 

On our next visit we'll probably just rent a car for the day and explore on our own.

 

As for the current condition of Mendenhall, I still like going out there to visit.  The visitors center is pretty typical NPS, it does its job.  I've never been overwhelmed with NPS visitors centers, and I've been to quite a few.  They are utilitarian and provide basic interpretation for the NPS site, they aren't meant to outshine the natural environment they are set up to serve.  I'm not sure on our next cruise if we will go out there, but we'll keep our minds open to it.

[Crew News]

3 hours ago, sharon_pei said:

May i ask if one needs to worry about bear risk in any of these recommended places? We are planning to hit most of these and want to be conservative, but the fact that one can't bring bear spray back to cruise ship is a bothering us. 

Locals advise to make a lot of noise while hiking so you don't scare a sow with cubs.  One method is an empty soda can partially filled with rocks and shaken vigorously as you walk.