The Mendenhall Glacier Paddle and Trek experience is a favorite among Juneau glacier tours and an experience you’ll be unlikely to forget! Imagine paddling a canoe over the tranquil waters of a serene glacial lake, with the grand peaks of snow-capped mountains and cascading Nugget Falls reflected in the surface; skimming around glowing blue icebergs; and marveling at the region’s diverse wildlife, from gulls and terns nesting along cliffs to mountain goats, porcupines, river otters, beavers, bald eagles, black bears, and other inhabitants of this magical landscape. At the edge of the awe-inspiring Mendenhall Glacier, the adventure continues as paddles are traded for trekking poles and your guide takes you right onto the ice for a two-hour trek, which sometimes even includes the opportunity to explore other-worldly ice caves!

With the glacier only twelve miles from Juneau, the Mendenhall Glacier Paddle and Trek adventure is conveniently situated near the historic port town. 2017, though, is only the second year in which guests have been permitted to venture across Mendenhall Lake and right onto the glacier itself, so don’t miss this still-exclusive opportunity! If conditions are judged by the guides to be sufficiently safe and ice caves have formed, your trek across the massive 13.6-mile-long river of ice will feature a cave journey into the glacier itself! With a maximum group size of just 12 participants, this intimate favorite among Juneau glacier tours allows plenty of time to question your knowledgeable guides and learn more about all you are seeing and experiencing. Your excursion is followed by a leisurely paddle back to your retrieval point by the lake’s edge. Pick-up and return from the cruise docks, as well as from many Juneau hotels, is included in this stunning, family-friendly 6 ½-hour experience. Join us on this top tour, because after all, no visit to Juneau is complete without a close-up experience of the legendary Mendenhall Glacier!

To explore Mendenhall Glacier without the paddling portion of the tour, consider the Mendenhall Glacier Trek.

6 ½ Hours Duration

From pick-up to drop-off

Most Glacier Time

~2 hours spent on Mendenhall Glacier

An Exclusive New Tour

Not available through all cruise lines

Limited Permits Available

Book early for this high-demand tour

Port	Juneau
Type	Glacier Interaction, Paddle Adventure, Top 10
Length	6 ½ hours
Adult Rate	$349.00
Child Rate	There is no child rate for this tour. All participants will be charged at the adult rate.
Minimum Age	The minimum age for participants is 12 years old.
Accessibility	Must be fit enough to paddle for 5 miles and be able to sit in a canoe for up to 3 hours.
Cancellation Policy	In the event your cruise ship is late, delayed, or doesn't make it into port we always issue a full refund for the tour., Changes or cancellations are allowed up to 14 days prior to the tour departure with absolutely no penalty., Including 'Flex Cancel' allows refunds up until 24-hours before the tour., Any cancellations made within 14 days of the tour departure (or within 24-hours with 'Flex Cancel') are nonrefundable.

Customers' review

Rated 4.78 out of 5 stars

41 reviews

5 stars 35 85 %

4 stars 3 7 %

3 stars 3 7 %

2 stars 0 0 %

1 star 0 0 %

Most recent reviews Most helpful reviews

41 reviews for Mendenhall Glacier Paddle & Trek

5 out of 5
Stephanie Sjoblad June 17, 2018
Mendenhall Glacier Paddle and TrekBen and Ian did a great job making this tour fun, yet keeping safety in mind. My husband and I went with our tween and teenage sons. The tour company had all the gear prepped and ready for each person which was a great time saver. They had gear that fit our sons appropriately too. After paddling 2.5 miles in a large canoe carrying 12 people plus the tour guides we took a quick snack break and started the hike to get on the glacier. We spent a decent amount of time actually on the glacier learning about glaciers, ice crevasses, etc. One comment, the tour company should not post photos on their website of people walking in ice caves. This apparently is not usually part of the tour, so the website is rather misleading. Understandably safety is a factor but there were no ice caves present and it’s something we really thought we’d experience since it was so early in the season and the photos are so prominently featured on the webpage. Having said that, for what the tour was, we enjoyed it learned a lot and would go it again. We still give it 5 stars.
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3 out of 5
RUSSELL UMEKI June 16, 2018
No ice cavesThe web page has lots of cool pictures of ice caves and the trip description says you might get to see ice caves but there are no ice caves. We even called a few times to ask if the caves were open and the answer was no not yet. The caves collapsed a year ago. They should say that there are no caves. The guide was knowledgeable and the trip was enjoyable but it is overpriced. We had about 2 hrs of paddle time, 2 hrs on the glacier, and 2 hrs of busy time. There is no way to justify the cost without caves.
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5 out of 5
Matthew Bold June 15, 2018
Awesome trip and crewThe team was excellent. They were enthusiastic. The whole trip felt relaxed and we never were rushed. Even though we arrived back exactly on time, we never felt like we were on the clock. They packed a snack pack for us that had everything. Could not finish it and it had wonderful variety. Our daughter has a food allergy and they adjusted it perfectly.

The glacier was beautiful. It was just mesmerizing. There is some work involved in getting there, but it is well worth it.
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5 out of 5
Robert Vestal June 15, 2018
Robert VestalIt was a great adventure hiking up on a glacier. We were disappointed that there were no ice caves, but that was not the tour's fault, simply a nature thing. Our guide was named Beau. He was great!
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5 out of 5
Sean Chester June 7, 2018
As cool as Mendenhall Glacier!We took a 7 day cruise of Alaska and this was by far the best part of the cruise. Highly recommended to those that are seeking a little adventure during their trip to Alaska and tired of seeing all the jewelry stores. A few specific points of the excursion:
1. The staff is extremely knowledgable about the site and are really fun to be around.
2. Safety is a priority and it's evident from the start. We were given full rain gear, a harness, a helmet, and a life jacket for the excursion. The guides go through rigorous training as well before they can lead tours.
3. It can be a little physically demanding but at least you can skip the gym the day of the excursion!
I can't say this enough but GO ON THIS EXCURSION. I wish I had more time to do an even longer excursion with this group. Can't say enough good things about it!
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Will the trip still operate if it is raining?

Answer: Because much of SE Alaska is a rainforest, these trips do operate rain or shine. Rain jackets and pants are provided on this trip. If weather conditions are unsafe, the trip will be canceled and we will provide a full refund. This can happen on canoe trips from time to time and will be typically related to sea or lake conditions, not rain.

What if our ship is delayed or doesn't make it into port? Refund?

Answer: It's very rare that a ship is delayed into port, but in those cases we will try our best to work with you to reschedule the tour to a later time. If that is not a possibility or your ship doesn't make it into port, we will of course refund the full cost of the tour.

What about restroom facilities along the way?

Answer: You'll have a chance at the kayak base to use the restroom but after that we will be entering the great outdoors. We recommend all guests follow 'Leave No Trace Principles' and should the need arise, we request packing all trash from the trip including toilet paper. If this is of concern for you, we recommend bringing toilet paper and a ziploc bag for easy packing.

How many guests can attend on this tour?

Answer: There can be up to 12 participants on this trip and there is a minimum of 2 guests for the trip to operate. With advanced notice we can accommodate larger groups on private tours.

Are we guaranteed to see ice caves?

Answer: We don't guarantee ice cave visits. Because the caves are dynamic and change rapidly, visits are condition-dependent. Your guides will ultimately make the call whether or not it is safe to enter an ice cave.

What's the weather like on the glacier? Is it cold?

Answer: Juneau temperatures during the summer are typically between 50 and 65 degrees, with an average of 56 degrees Fahrenheit (13 degrees Celsius). The temperature on the glacier is about 5 degrees cooler, but can feel up to 15 degrees cooler due to katabatic winds (cold downslope winds coming down the glacier). Please bring layers of clothing including a warm hat and gloves.