Mendenhall bus drop off

[styme123]

I want to see the Mendenhall when we are in Juneau this July. I know they have charter buses that go r/t for $30 but there are 7 of us. I was thinking about taking the public buses for $2 and saving a bit of money. When I looked into it I heard that there is about a 1.5 mile walk from the stop to the visitors center. Is it very hilly or an easy walk? I want to do a bunch of the trails at the glacier, not too sure if I'll be wiped out by then and not looking forward to the 1.5 mile walk to the bus.

If anyone has taken the public bus ride is it interesting? Meaning do you see any interesting buildings/sites on your route or is like a typical city bus route?

[epixx]

We rode the public bus from Juneau to Mendenhall. The walk from the bus stop to the Mendenhall Visitor's Center is VERY easy, but we found it unpleasant in the pouring rain.

 

The most interesting aspect of the bus ride is the people who ride it. There is some great people watching of the locals. Otherwise, we found the scenery very dull, and the trip was rather annoying as it took about an hour with all the stops and starts.

 

With that many people, I would rent a minivan.

[mapleleaves]

it's an easy walk but there's nothing to look at.

 

Why don't you rent a minivan for the drive, then take advantage of the car by driving to the coast ... Eagle Beach, Shrine of St Therese. There's less than 100 miles of road in Juneau so impossible to get lost. Look at Arymay's trip report in 2014 for photos of their time with a car.

 

Distances to popular locations in this link. click on the map to make it larger

http://www.traveljuneau.com/cms/d/juneau_area_map.php

[bepositive]

We rode the public bus from Juneau to Mendenhall....

The most interesting aspect of the bus ride is the people who ride it. There is some great people watching of the locals. Otherwise, we found the scenery very dull, and the trip was rather annoying as it took about an hour with all the stops.

 

Did the bus ride take about an hour round trip or each way?? We only have a limited time to get spend at Mendenhall, as we booked a whale watching excursion. Thanks for sharing the info!!

[mapleleaves]

Did the bus ride take about an hour round trip or each way?? We only have a limited time to get spend at Mendenhall, as we booked a whale watching excursion. Thanks for sharing the info!!

 

Check the schedule or call. It's been several yrs since I took the bus but I recall it being around 40-45 minutes one way.

http://www.juneau.org/capitaltransit/index.php

Edited May 5, 2016 by mapleleaves

[mapleleaves]

if you don't want to rent a car, another option is a taxi, about $35 each way.

 

I'd recommend a reservation given that more people are using taxis and rental cars now that the shuttle price has gone up to $30 RT.

 

There are 2-3 companies listed on the Juneau web site.

[tee_harbor]

If anyone has taken the public bus ride is it interesting? Meaning do you see any interesting buildings/sites on your route or is like a typical city bus route?

 

Well, it goes by the prison... :D

[styme123]

Well, it goes by the prison... :D

Haaaa Haaaa.lol:D

[Budget Queen]

Did the bus ride take about an hour round trip or each way?? We only have a limited time to get spend at Mendenhall, as we booked a whale watching excursion. Thanks for sharing the info!!

 

With short time and going on a whale watch- DO NOT waste your valuable time backtracking. Go direct between the two with either a vendor arrangement- or a cab to/from the whale watch. Otherwise you are adding an hour. It is about 20 minutes each direction, with the shuttle buses, the city buses can take a lot longer.