How long for Mendenhall Glacier on your own?

[IWannaBeAMousketeer]

We really want to do Mendendall Glacier and do the trail to Nugget Falls. We will probably take the blue or white bus, but are not opposed to taking a cab. How long should be plan to spend there?
We also want to book one of the summer dog sled excursions and aren't sure if there is time for both. The dog sled excursions are 2-2.5 hours.

 

[saxmangeoff]

On my one previous visit, we had about an hour (as part of a tour). That was just enough time to do the visitor center and walk out to Photo Point, and the whole visit felt rushed. Fine for those who want to see the glacier and take a picture, but not if you want to actually explore the area. Next time, I plan on going on my own and taking a lot more time. Minimum 2 hours.

 

[Jess_S]

I agree with the previous poster re the 2 hour minimum. We spent about 2.5 hours when we went just to see the glacier, walk to the waterfall and explore the visitor center. We actually would have stayed longer, but we got hungry. Food is not permitted near the glacier because of bears so we had to leave in order to eat.

 

[dcassetta]

I also recommend spending more time at Mendenhall, we were there about 2 1/2 hours total. If I recall correctly the trail was about a mile and a half round-trip, so keep in mind walking speed of your party.

 

[Disneyteachers]

Advice on best way to get there from the ship? We are on the 8/1 sailing and are going to do Mendenhall on our own -- 2A/2C

 

[anricat]

We're renting a car. The Juneau Car Rental company is located at the AJ dock, which is where the Wonder docks. We have reserved a midsize car for $60 for the day. This way we can leave early and get to the glacier before the buses even start running. And we don't have to wait for a bus to return to town (again, maximizing our time at the glacier). Our plan is to be at the glacier as early as we can (the visitor's center opens at 8 AM) and then spend a couple of hours there before we head back into town, eat and early lunch and be back at the Wonder for our whale watching tour at 12:30.

 

[saxmangeoff]

We're renting a car. The Juneau Car Rental company is located at the AJ dock, which is where the Wonder docks. We have reserved a midsize car for $60 for the day. This way we can leave early and get to the glacier before the buses even start running. And we don't have to wait for a bus to return to town (again, maximizing our time at the glacier).

Wow! The bus is $30 per person round trip, so the car rental is a no-brainer! Definitely putting that on the list for next year when I'm there.

 

[xlxo]

You may want to shorten your Mendenhall stay if it rains.

 

[saxmangeoff]

It was raining pretty heavily when we were there. You could barely see the glacier. We put on rain gear and enjoyed it anyway. Given more time, we might have waited for the rain & clouds to lift, which they eventually did.

 

[Keyser]

I'd agree with the 2.5 hour estimate to see the visitor center, walk out to the waterfall, and not feel rushed. You could do it in less time, too.

You can also get there (and back) by cab. Two years ago, a cab from the glacier to the ship was $37. We took a whale watching tour that dropped us off at the glacier instead of the ship for an additional small amount (maybe $5 per person?). We just assumed we could find a cab back, but I took a number with me to call just in case. When we were ready to leave, we just went outside and there was a cab waiting that we took (it was the only one at the time, though, so I don't know if you can always assume there's one or not).

 

[China Expat]

Little known secret for seeing bears at Mendenhall. Across the street from the parking lot is a sign that says Nature Walk, or similar. Head up the trail and when you come to the bridge over the river, sit and wait. Every time I am at Mendenhall I see bears fishing in the river!

 

[cruisehopeful]

The nugget falls trail is about a mile each way. You'll want to spend some time while you are there. You'll probably want to go through the visitor center, which can take 30 mins or longer depending on how much time you like to spend looking at stuff. There is a marked bear walk, which I think is probably the what the above poster is talking about. So, you can mentally add up how much time you need for all of that stuff. For me, it's about a 3 hour visit, even in the rain. You cannot carry food there (because of bears). If you need to eat often, you'll want to shorten your time there.

 

[anricat]

We are now home from Alaska, so I just thought I'd report back regarding our timeline of how things worked out for us in Juneau, in case it's helpful to you.

8 AM - disembarked
8-8:10 - got the car rental squared away
8:10-8:30 drove to Mendenhall
8:30-10:30 visited the glacier including the photo point, Nugget Falls trail (and spent some time near the waterfall) and part of Steep Creek Trail (the official name of the trail that @China Expat was referring to) - we were traveling with an 8 year old with varying speeds when it comes to walking. I think each way down Nugget Falls was around 15-20 minutes.
10:30-10:50 drove back to town
10:50-11:45 shopped in town ($2 to park in a paid lot)
11:45-12 returned car
12-12:30 lunch back on board the Wonder at the buffet on deck 9
12:30 we met the driver at the Wonder for our whale watching trip

Hope this helps!