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This 13.6-mile river of ice drops 4,500 feet from the Juneau Icefield, ending right beside a 377-foot waterfall. You can reach the visitor center and bear-viewing boardwalks via a 12-mile drive from downtown Juneau.
Find Guided ToursMendenhall Glacier is a 13.6-mile river of ice dropping 4,500 feet from the Juneau Icefield. It's the only glacier in Southeast Alaska accessible by road. Just 12 miles from downtown Juneau, the 5,815-acre site draws 700,000 people a year to the Tongass National Forest. The ice at the terminus spans 1.5 miles across, rises over 100 feet above the water, and reaches depths up to 1,800 feet.
The Tlingit call it Sitaantaagu, or "the Glacier Behind the Town." Naturalist John Muir named it Auke Glacier in 1879 after the local Aak'w Kwaan people. Twelve years later, it was renamed for scientist Thomas Corwin Mendenhall. The U.S. Forest Service built the first visitor center in the National Forest System here in 1962. Originally meant for 23,000 annual guests, the building underwent a massive expansion in the late 1990s to add an exhibit gallery and theater for the growing crowds.
The glacier is shrinking fast. Following its Little Ice Age peak in the mid-1700s, the ice has pulled back more than 2.5 miles. Mendenhall Lake didn't even exist until 1929—melting water filled the basin as the terminus retreated.
The Juneau Icefield Research Program has tracked this movement since 1942. That continuous data makes Mendenhall a globally recognized site for studying climate change and glacial dynamics. In November 2025, the ice face officially separated from Mendenhall Lake for the first time in modern history. To see the changing terminus up close, skip the paved paths and take the two-mile round-trip hike to Nugget Falls.
Discover the full history and cultural significance on our About page.
A two-mile gravel and boardwalk path puts you at the base of a 377-foot waterfall. It crashes directly into Mendenhall Lake just yards from the glacier's face. This is the closest ground-level view of the ice you can get on foot. Wear waterproof shoes.
Black bears fish for sockeye and coho salmon right off the elevated boardwalks. The salmon run from mid-July into October. August and September offer the best odds of spotting mothers and cubs feeding in the water. Just stay on the path.
Walking onto the lake ice is extremely dangerous. Book a permitted kayak or canoe tour instead. You'll navigate around blue icebergs in Mendenhall Lake, getting much closer to the calving face than the walking trails allow.
Ground views only show the glacier's 1.5-mile-wide face. Take a floatplane or helicopter from Juneau to see what feeds it. You'll fly directly over the 1,500-square-mile Juneau Icefield, exposing massive crevasse fields and jagged nunataks entirely hidden from the trails below.
Choose an excursion starting at $79 that includes roundtrip port transport and free cancellation up to 24 hours.
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Free Cancellation 5h 30min May through September is the best window, offering full visitor center access and the mildest weather. Go in early summer to dodge heavy crowds, or wait until August for peak black bear viewing at Steep Creek.
March remains cold with weekend-only building access. May shifts into the prime season, opening the center daily from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. with clearer skies and active mountain goats.
Expect the mildest temperatures and longest daylight. June keeps trail traffic low, while August draws black bears to Steep Creek for the salmon run. Summer glacial floods occasionally close the area.
September wraps up the bear-viewing season with full facilities. By October, operations become intermittent, and November brings weekend-only hours alongside persistent overcast skies that obscure the ice.
Cold sets in, and the visitor center only opens Fridays and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The lake freezes, but officials strictly warn against crossing the dangerously thin ice.
The surrounding recreation area stays open daily from 6:00 a.m. to midnight, year-round. Visitor center hours change with the seasons. During summer (May 1 through September 30), the building operates seven days a week from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Winter operations shrink drastically. From November through March, the center only opens on Fridays and Saturdays between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., and closes entirely on federal holidays. Expect intermittent hours in April and October.
| Category | Price |
|---|---|
| Day Use Pass (May–September, ages 16+) | $5 |
| Season Pass (covers holder and one guest) | $15 |
| Children (15 and under) | Free |
| America the Beautiful Interagency Passes | Accepted (covers holder plus 3 guests) |
| Nugget Falls, East/West Glacier Trails, and parking | Free |
You only need a paid pass to access the visitor center, Pavilion, Photo Point Trail, Steep Creek boardwalks, restrooms, and the bus shelter. Buy your pass at the automated vending machines in the parking lot to skip the line inside.
For complete schedules and ticket prices, visit our Hours & Fees page.
The visitor center sits 12 miles from downtown Juneau and five miles from the airport. Driving directly to the parking lot is straightforward, while public transit demands a lengthy walk.
📍 End of Glacier Spur Road, Juneau, Alaska
Companies like M&M Tours run dedicated buses directly from the downtown cruise ship docks to the glacier. Departures happen roughly every 15 minutes during the summer cruise season. This is the most efficient choice if you arrive by ship and don't have a car. You bypass the long walk required by public transit. Book ahead on busy port days.
Driving gives you total schedule control. From downtown, head north on Egan Drive and turn right onto Mendenhall Loop Road. This street eventually becomes Glacier Spur Road, dead-ending right at the visitor center parking lot. The 12-mile drive takes less than half an hour. Pay the $5 day-use fee upon arrival.
Capital Transit buses leave from the downtown transit center, but they never reach the glacier. Riders must disembark at a stop 1.5 miles away. From there, you'll face a 30-minute walk along the road to reach the visitor center. This route saves cash but burns up a lot of time. Skip it if it's raining.
For detailed transport options and routes, visit our Directions page.
Staffing shortages at the visitor center mean long waits during peak cruise ship arrivals. Skip the main desk and buy your $5 day-use pass at the automated vending machines in the parking lot. You can also get them inside the Discovery Southeast bookstore. This gets you immediate access to the Pavilion, Photo Point Trail, and Steep Creek.
Capital Transit buses cost just a few dollars, but they drop you 1.5 miles from the visitor center. That adds a 30-minute walk each way to your trip. Book a private shuttle like the Glacier Express instead. You'll pay around $45 to $49 round trip, but they run every 15 minutes right from the cruise ship docks.
Black bears fish for sockeye and coho salmon right next to the Steep Creek boardwalk. You have the best chance of spotting mothers and cubs from August into September. Go early in the morning or later in the evening when they are most active. Always stay on the elevated walkways.
Do not walk across frozen Mendenhall Lake to get closer to the glacier. Juneau officials warn the ice is dangerously thin and unpredictable. The winter ice caves are equally hazardous, prone to sudden collapses and falling rock. If you want to get close to the calving face, book a guided kayak tour.
Juneau gets rain nearly year-round. Even on sunny summer days, the unpaved sections of the two-mile Nugget Falls Trail get muddy and slick. Leave the sneakers on the ship and pack waterproof footwear. A rain jacket is also mandatory if you plan to spend the two hours it takes to see the falls and visitor center.
Glacial lake outburst floods from Suicide Basin happen during the summer and can trigger emergency closures. River levels hit record highs in August 2025, destroying structures in the recreation area. Check the Tongass National Forest alerts page before driving out. If the Forest Service shuts down the roads or bridges, you must obey the closures.
This 377-foot waterfall crashes directly into Mendenhall Lake beside the ice face. The flat gravel trail takes you close to the water for the best ground-level view of the glacier.
Most local whale-watching tours leave from these docks. You can easily pair a morning on the ice with an afternoon tracking humpbacks, orcas, and sea lions.
The compact city center packs in Gold Rush architecture, the Alaska State Capitol, and the Mount Roberts Tramway. Ride the tram up for alpine views across the Gastineau Channel.
Read what travelers share about their experience visiting Mendenhall Glacier — from practical tips to personal highlights.
Planning advice, comparisons, and practical tips.
Mendenhall Glacier sits just 12 miles from downtown Juneau, and its recreation area packs eight named trails into 5,815 acres of rainforest, moraine,…
Short answer: no, not the caves you've seen on Instagram. The blue-ice tunnels that made Mendenhall famous between roughly 2010 and 2020 have mostly…
A day-use pass costs $5 per person from May through September, and visitors 15 and under get in free. You'll only need this pass for the visitor center, Pavilion, Photo Point Trail, and Steep Creek. The parking lot and longer paths like the Nugget Falls Trail are free year-round.
Private shuttle buses run directly from the downtown docks to the glacier roughly every 15 minutes during cruise season for $45 to $49 round trip. You can take the public Capital Transit bus for a few dollars, but it drops you 1.5 miles away. That adds a 30-minute walk each way.
Black bears show up at the Steep Creek boardwalk starting in August and stick around into September. They're there to feed on the sockeye and coho salmon runs. Go in the morning or evening when the bears are most active.
No, you can't walk directly onto the ice from the visitor center. The closest you can get on foot is the end of the 2-mile round-trip Nugget Falls Trail, which puts you near the glacier's face across the lake. To actually touch the ice, you'll need to book a guided kayak, canoe, or helicopter tour.
No. The Forest Service and local officials strongly warn against entering the ice caves or crossing frozen Mendenhall Lake due to severe risks of collapsing rock and thin ice. The caves melt and shift constantly, so don't trust any private tour claiming guaranteed access.
Pack a waterproof jacket and sturdy, waterproof shoes no matter when you visit. It rains in Juneau nearly year-round, and the unpaved sections of the Nugget Falls Trail get muddy fast.
Yes, the visitor center has an elevator and a switchback ramp. Outside, the short Photo Point Trail and parts of the Moraine Ecology area are fully paved and flat. Just skip the East and West Glacier Trails, which climb steep, unpaved hillsides.
From May through September, the center is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Winter hours drop to just Fridays and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The outdoor trails and recreation area stay open from 6:00 a.m. until midnight all year.
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