How much time did you spend at Mendenhall glacier?

[puppymama1]

Trying to plan out our day in Juneau for next June... We plan to rent a car from Avis and get to Mendenhall as early as possible to try and beat the crowds that will come on the tour buses from the ships.. (There are currently 4 cruise ships scheduled to be in port that day.)  We would also like to do a 3 hour whale watch tour with Jayleen's Alaska, but we don't know if we will have time, since the ship is supposed to be leaving at 5:00 pm, which means we need to be back onboard by 4:00.  So we are trying to see how much time we need to allow for Mendenhall... including taking the Nugget Falls trail.  For those who have been there.. how long did you stay?  Thanks!

[mapleleaves]

The Mendenhall brochure suggests 1 hr for the RT walk to Nuggett Falls.   https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd604841.pdf

 

With decent weather and no mobility issues,  you can easily walk to the falls, take a few photos, then walk back.  Obviously if you have great weather and kids that want to play in the water, you can easily spend 2 hrs there.   But i'd plan on an hour.   Plus about a 30 minute drive each way.

[geoherb]

I was there three and a half hours this summer, but I took my time in the visitors' center and hiked three trails (Photo Point, Nugget Falls, and Steep Creek). 

[SuperCrewBear]

The first time we only went to the visitor center and took some pics from the nearby little beach - maybe we were there 90 minutes. This past year we did the above plus walked to Nugget Falls and back with maybe 30 minutes there at the falls - total, about 2 hours.

[disneyochem]

We usually stay between 2 to 3 hours based on how crowded it is !  At the bare minimum, you should allow 90 minutes—hike to Nugget Falls and take a quick turn in the visitor center.  It will be very pleasant if you are there before the crowds.  When we rent a car, Mendenhall is always our first stop in order to beat the rush.

[puppymama1]

Thanks to all for the replies... we should be able to spend 2.5 hours there and still be back to Juneau by noon, which would give us time to do the whale watch and still get back to the ship in time!

[SightCRR]

Contact the whale watch folks to see about meeting them at their boat. That will save 1 hr of driving into the city and back to marina. Eat lunch near airport well before boat ride. sightcrr

[mapleleaves]

As SightCRR pointed out, there's no need to backtrack to the ship before the whale watching tour. 

The whale watch vendor will depart from Auke Bay so it will save time if you drive from Mendenhall and meet the vendor at their dock. 

[bulldogmommy]

19 hours ago, puppymama1 said:

Trying to plan out our day in Juneau for next June... We plan to rent a car from Avis and get to Mendenhall as early as possible to try and beat the crowds that will come on the tour buses from the ships.. (There are currently 4 cruise ships scheduled to be in port that day.)  We would also like to do a 3 hour whale watch tour with Jayleen's Alaska, but we don't know if we will have time, since the ship is supposed to be leaving at 5:00 pm, which means we need to be back onboard by 4:00.  So we are trying to see how much time we need to allow for Mendenhall... including taking the Nugget Falls trail.  For those who have been there.. how long did you stay?  Thanks!

Good plan on getting there early... especially with 4 boats in port.  We were the first people to snag our rental and headed straight there.  Spent about 3.5 to 4 hours.  By the time we were headed out the buses were driving up! Take your car to St. Theresa and picnic at Eagle Beach for a quiet relaxing beautiful day!

[latebuyer]

How do you find how many cruise ships are in port?

[latebuyer]

Found it! I was hoping it would be less busy in September but 4 in port. Good thread as my ship doesn't arrive until 1!

[Keioki]

How long is the hike from the visitor center to the glacier itself? Is it worth the effort? 

[SightCRR]

If you are talking about standing at the base of it or on the ice it is basically "you can't get there from here". 2-3 hr boat ride or 7-8 hr hard hiking from the west side. Check youtube for videos of the hikes and what they views at middle and  end of hikes.  Helo to stand on it is spectacular.  

[Ariyel]

Let's see, checking out time stamps on my photos - 

 

Got to the area behind the Visitor's Center for the far view to Mendenhall at 4:56 PM

 

Walked the Nugget Falls trail and got to the Falls at 5:30 PM (overlook a few minutes before, actual falls a few minutes after).

 

Spent about 20 minutes taking pictures, chatting with our friends, and looking around at the lake/falls.

 

We headed back a little before our friends because I'm a slow walker and that worked out well - they hung around at the falls a little longer and then caught up to us on the trail back just before the Visitor's Center.  I didn't keep track of the time on the way back, but working backward from our next picture I think it took about 30 minutes to walk back to the Visitor's Center as well.  And then 30 minutes for people to get to the bathrooms and back (lines!).

 

Sooo, all said - about an hour and a half including time at Nugget Falls.

 

Don't forget to include your transportation time to/from the Visitor's Center area.  It's not super close to the docks.  It was probably a 20-30 minute drive (and find parking) from AJ Dock/Juneau Rental Cars.

Edited August 7, 2019 by Ariyel
added transportation time info