Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center, Alaska, United States
4.5 (7.076 reviews) Sunday: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM Spent More than 3 hours Ranking #5 in Juneau Visitor Centers • Geologic Formations
Easy, Free & Breathtaking
Mendenhall Glacier is easily accessible via roads from the local airport, cruise ship terminal and state ferry terminal. Our facility and lands are managed by the federal government through the United States Forest Service. Federal passes are accepted and sold as well as daily passes. There is a visitor center with a theater showing a 15-minute film on Mendenhall Glacier, a bookstore operated by nonprofit organization Discovery Southeast, and exhibits on wildlife, history, and glacial and geological changes. Rangers provide talks at various indoor and outdoor sites in summer. Open hours in summer are daily 8am to 7:30pm. Due to wildlife and bears, no food is allowed outdoors from April-November. There is no beverage or food service available to prevent bears from becoming food-conditioned. Nearby Steep Creek is the spawning stream for wild sockeye salmon from late July through early September. Later in the fall, a run of coho salmon spawn in the creek. Porcupines can be seen foraging on leaves in deciduous trees. Beavers are visible early in the morning and in the evening. Learn about Alaska and the natural world around the glacier and lake. Enjoy a one-hour hike to 400-foot-tall Nugget Falls. Other trails lead to different habitats. In winter, the visitor center is open Friday-Sunday from 10am to 4pm and closed on federal holidays.
Address
8150 Mendenhall Loop Rd Tongass National Forest, Juneau, AK 99801
Mobile
Website
https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/tongass/about-forest/offices/?cid=stelprdb5400800
Working hours
Monday :
Tuesday :
Wednesday :
Thursday :
Friday : 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday : 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday : 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Current local date and time now
Sunday, April 28, 2024, 3:43
User Ratings
4.5 based on (7.076 reviews)
Reviews
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5PBlyth 5:00 PM Jan 3, 2023
Beautiful Side Trip to Mendenhall Glacier
Impressive and beautiful views of the Mendenhall Glacier both from the visitors center and from the ends of the walks thru the woods. The trail off to the right that carries you to the base of an ice cold roaring waterfall is a worthwhile 1 mile stroll. Small pieces of glacier float up to the shoreline so you can pick them up for photo opportunities. Easily reached by taking one of the many small buses from the cruise docks that will drop you off within a few 100 ft of the visitor center and return multiple times for a return trip. You can set this up yourself and save quite a bit of money from the cost charged by the cruise ships. Simply get off the boat and walk up to one of the many booths selling tickets.
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5Choobyrooesq 5:00 PM Jun 29, 2022
Amazing!!!
This is a must do while in Juneau. We did this while on a stop on our cruise - and like everyone who is visiting by cruise ship , they give you very little time in port. Do yourself a favor and save some money and control your time by booking bus tix to Mendenhall via Big Blue Bus. $45 round trip booked thru TripAdvisor/Viator and they pick up and drop off every hour and half hour on the clock. We spent as much time as we wanted taking pics of the glacier , going thru the visitor center and walking to the falls (none of which is strenuous). It’s about 0.5 mi flat walk to the falls (you can get right up to it). You won’t be able to get super close to the glacier btw, but some broken off pieces of ice will be within reach that you can touch. My dad was just so amazed by the beauty - he has come to Alaska via cruise before but never went here. And this definitely was his favorite thing on this cruise. FYI there is another restroom in the visitor center and a little hike in a loop near the parking lot area. Also if you come by prepaid bus, that covers any fees for entering the park.
