Mendenhall Glacier Guided Hike
Love Hiking? This one is for you!
Duration
Day Trip
8-Hours
Activity
Hiking
Highlight
Rainforest hiking, glacier exploration
Price
$199 per person + tax
Difficulty
Strenuous
Transportation
Meet at "C" Sign by the Mount Roberts Tramway
Experience The Trip
The Mendenhall Glacier Tour begins with a 4-mile hike through the Tongass National Forest – the largest temperate rainforest in the world, dominated by towering Sitka Spruce and Hemlock Trees. As you follow your guide through the dense vegetation, around beaver ponds, and up rock scrambles, the wilderness trail becomes less defined.
This hiking tour is strenuous and requires excellent balance and sure-footedness. While total elevation gain is only 800 feet, the terrain is steep, uneven, slippery, and rocky. We’ll cover 4 miles, each way, in approximately 2-2.5 hours – if you require a faster or slower place, please consider booking the Privately Guided Mendenhall Glacier Trek.
As you emerge from the forest and approach the final ridge, the jagged face of the glacier bursts into view, it’s river of ice coursing behind it. We’ll embark on a guided trek to explore an array of glacial features along the edge. These features may include moulins, crevasses, and ice formations, if available. Because the glacier is in a state of constant change, not all features may be present or accessible. Every day is different at the ice!
After an adventure on the glacier, we’ll hike back on the West Glacier Trail and provide transportation back to your pick-up location.
**The Mendenhall Glacier is receding at a fast pace and due to this we are seeing drastic changes to the surface of the glacier.  For this reason, it is not safe to walk on the glacier. This trip will spend time exploring the glacier up close and hiking around the edges of it safely from the bedrock. The edge of the glacier has some of the most stunning features you will find; this is where ice formations, tunnels, and tubes tend to form creating those beautiful blue colors. These features are never guaranteed but do form throughout the summer.
The Trip Itinerary
8 Hour Trip
Pick up from Downtown Juneau
Van transportation to ABAK
Gear Outfitting and Orientation
Get to know your guide and gear!
Questions about the gear sizing?
Hike approximately 4 miles to the Glacier
A fun jaunt through temperate rainforest via the West Glacier Trail
Trekking & Exploration
Get up close to the Mendenhall Glacier and explore all the features along the edge!
Return Hike to the Trailhead
Don’t worry, it’s mostly downhill!
Return Van Transport
Practical Info
Client Pickup Information
Located at the base of the Mt. Roberts Tramway, the “C”-Sign is ABAK’s primary downtown meeting location for cruise passengers and clients staying in the downtown area.Â
Clients arriving at AJ Dock:
Clients who dock at the AJ Dock within 30 minutes of the ABAK pick-up time will be picked up directly from AJ DOCK.
Clients Staying Locally:
Clients can be picked up from any major hotel in the Mendenhall Valley. Â
Clients staying at major hotels in the Downtown area will meet at our Downtown meeting location.
ABAK is unable to provide pick-up in residential neighborhoods. Clients staying at private residences, Air BnB’s, VRBO’s, or have own transportation please contact our office for meeting location information at 907-364-2333 or info@beyondak.com. Â
Price
$199.00 + 5% sales tax = $208.95 per person
Group Size: Minimum of 2, Maximum of 12
Minimum Age: 10
Clients must be able to hike for at least 6 hours/9 miles round-trip on steep, rocky, slippery, uneven terrain carrying a 10 lb backpack, and provide their own hiking boots with adequate ankle support.
Included In The Price
- Professional guides
- Roundtrip van transport
- US Forest Service permits
- Rain gear (hooded jacket and pants)
- Hearty, healthy snack & bottled water.
- All glacier safety gear including helmet, micro-spikes, harness, and trekking poles if needed.
Not Included In Price
- Boots! Clients must provide their own hiking boots for this trip.
- Hot shower at the end of the day. But you can book your stay with us.
- Professional Photography
- Gratuity for your guide: If you feel that your guide went Above and Beyond to facilitate an exceptional experience, a gratuity is a welcomed way to show your appreciation.
Important Notes
- This trip operates in all weather conditions (barring unsafe conditions, to be determined by ABAK) – We can’t stress enough to dress appropriately.
- Accessing the Mendenhall ice caves, moulins, or any other glacial feature is not guaranteed: Due to the dynamic nature of the Mendenhall Glacier features are in constant change. Your guide will assess each available feature prior to accessing to determine if it’s safe to explore. The Mendenhall Glacier is receding on a daily basis and due to this we are seeing significant changes to the surface of the glacier. There are very limited safe areas to access and explore on the ice with crampons. Safety is our number one priority and we can not guarantee every trip will hike on the glacier. We assess conditions day to day. The edge of the glacier has some of the most stunning features; caves, tunnels, tubes, and crevasses which create those beautiful blue colors.
- Clients must be able to hike for at least 6 hours/9 miles round trip on steep, rocky, slippery, and uneven terrain carrying a 10 lb backpack.
- Clients must provide their own sturdy hiking boots for this trip.
- Clients must disclose information regarding pertinent medical conditions/history, allergies and any type of restrictions or limitations that might introduce a higher degree of challenge on this trip.
- Every participant must sign a Release of Liability/Assumption of Risk Form at the start of the trip. Alterations and/or deletions to the form are not permitted.
- Due to various fitness abilities and weather variables, we prefer clients not schedule other excursions directly before or after our trip. Please let us know if your clients have another excursion booked on the same day.
- Due to inherent risk involved in this type of tour, pregnant guests are not permitted to participate.
Departure Times: Please click on the Book Your Trip tab to find updated departures times.
Dates of Operation: May 1st – September 25th, 2022
Group Size: Minimum of 2, Maximum of 12
Minimum Age: 10 years old. Families with children under 10 need to book a privately guided trip, for which the minimum age is 8. The smallest shoe size we can accommodate is size 2. We do not permit clients to carry their infants/toddlers due to safety concerns.
Activity Level: Challenging & Strenuous – Participants need to be in good physical shape and able to climb over rocks, slippery surfaces, and have no major mobility issues. No hiking experience necessary.
Documentation Needed
- Name of each client
- Cell phone contact number of client
- Desired trip date and departure time
- Name of cruise ship or hotel
- Clients’ ages, especially anyone under the age of 18
- Rain gear & shoe sizes (please specify male or female)
- Any pertinent medical issues, allergies or dietary restrictions
- Primary language spoken, if other than English
