Mendenhall Glacier Questions

[danny8826]

Hello,

 

The first time we were at Mendenhall Glacier, we were on a tour and the time is very limited.  We are cruising Alaska again and we want to spend more time in Mendenhall Glacier.  We can catch a taxi from the port to Mendenhall Glacier, but are there taxi readily available for the return to port?

We can use Lyft or Uber too if that is available.  

 

Thank you,

Danny

[JT1962]

You can use those options and others. Here is a list of transportation  from the Mendenhall website:

 

https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/tongass/about-forest/offices/?cid=fseprd495443

 

Depending on how many are in your party, Juneau Whale Watch Tours might be a good option. They have a bus that returns every 30 minutes, so you can stay as long as you choose. Just make sure to allow enough time to get back to your ship before the all aboard time. 
 

https://www.juneauwhalewatch.com/tours/mendenhall-glacier-shuttle/

[danny8826]

1 hour ago, JT1962 said:

You can use those options and others. Here is a list of transportation  from the Mendenhall website:

 

https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/tongass/about-forest/offices/?cid=fseprd495443

 

Depending on how many are in your party, Juneau Whale Watch Tours might be a good option. They have a bus that returns every 30 minutes, so you can stay as long as you choose. Just make sure to allow enough time to get back to your ship before the all aboard time. 
 

https://www.juneauwhalewatch.com/tours/mendenhall-glacier-shuttle/

 

Thank you so much for the helpful links.

 

 

Danny

[thehowlingroad]

I bought shuttle tickets from Juneau Tours: https://www.juneautours.com/tours/mendenhall-glacier-shuttle/; the bus leaves every 30 mins in front of the Mt. Roberts tram station, and every 30 mins from the glacier for the return trip. We plan on hiking to Nugget Falls, so we also wanted the extra time that a tour group just wouldn't be able to give us.

[disneylover89]

Is there a difference between booking the Blue bus or the White bus?  Is one better than the other.  They seem to cost the same

[thehowlingroad]

8 minutes ago, disneylover89 said:

Is there a difference between booking the Blue bus or the White bus?  Is one better than the other.  They seem to cost the same

It looks like Juneau Tours (the company I chose in the end) runs the white bus; I had to google that to find out. I think they just use the colors to differentiate between the two shuttle companies.

[disneylover89]

2 minutes ago, thehowlingroad said:

It looks like Juneau Tours (the company I chose in the end) runs the white bus; I had to google that to find out. I think they just use the colors to differentiate between the two shuttle companies.

Is one better than the other? Runs more frequently?  Does anything different?  Just curious which one I should pick.

[thehowlingroad]

2 minutes ago, disneylover89 said:

Is one better than the other? Runs more frequently?  Does anything different?  Just curious which one I should pick.

Not that I could tell! Maybe take a look at the TripAdvisor reviews for both companies or search the Alaska forum here to see if anyone’s talked about the differences recently (the last thread I could find was from 2013… not particularly reliable now), but it sounds like they run on very similar schedules. I think the main difference is actually between the city bus (which doesn’t drop off at the visitor center, you have to walk in yourself) and the tourist shuttles.

[danny8826]

22 hours ago, thehowlingroad said:

I bought shuttle tickets from Juneau Tours: https://www.juneautours.com/tours/mendenhall-glacier-shuttle/; the bus leaves every 30 mins in front of the Mt. Roberts tram station, and every 30 mins from the glacier for the return trip. We plan on hiking to Nugget Falls, so we also wanted the extra time that a tour group just wouldn't be able to give us.

Thank you.  How long is the hike to Nugget falls?

 

[Dancing Shoes]

It's 2 miles R/T.  On post #2 is a link to glacier info and limited hiking pictures and mileage.  If the link allowed a user to go to the home page, you could see detailed info I believe.  

[thehowlingroad]

9 minutes ago, Dancing Shoes said:

It's 2 miles R/T.  On post #2 is a link to glacier info and limited hiking pictures and mileage.  If the link allowed a user to go to the home page, you could see detailed info I believe.  

Yes, just about 2 miles RT. For reference, my dad and I did a 1.5 mile hike in Valley of Fire State Park back in February and it took about 45 mins each way (but we lingered in some places, and i think it was a more strenuous trail than Nugget Falls)

[danny8826]

Thank you.

 

[petuniaflower]

Not to hijack, but I am on a Mendenhall tour, I just read in addition to the Nugget falls hike there is another trail- Steep Creek, I havent heard anyone mention this one..anyone know how long it is, hoping we could fit both in.

[dfilpus]

53 minutes ago, petuniaflower said:

Not to hijack, but I am on a Mendenhall tour, I just read in addition to the Nugget falls hike there is another trail- Steep Creek, I havent heard anyone mention this one..anyone know how long it is, hoping we could fit both in.

The Steep Creek trail is a short boardwalk that overlooks the creek for salmon viewing during runs. It is just off the parking lot. If the salmon are not running, it is just a walk from the parking lot to the glacier views.

[don't-use-real-name]

21 hours ago, dfilpus said:

The Steep Creek trail is a short boardwalk that overlooks the creek for salmon viewing during runs. It is just off the parking lot. If the salmon are not running, it is just a walk from the parking lot to the glacier views.

Google Map for reference:

 

Google Maps

 

Steep Creek is in the middle of the image

[Kansas Gal]

Two different years we saw a mother bear and two cubs at the creek.  She was catching salmon for them, then scooted them up a tree while she ate.  Also saw a large black bear (tagged) along one of the trails.

[petuniaflower]

38 minutes ago, Kansas Gal said:

Two different years we saw a mother bear and two cubs at the creek.  She was catching salmon for them, then scooted them up a tree while she ate.  Also saw a large black bear (tagged) along one of the trails.

Wow, is this something we should be concerned about, any tips aside from no food and stay in groups?

[Kansas Gal]

23 hours ago, petuniaflower said:

Wow, is this something we should be concerned about, any tips aside from no food and stay in groups?

I think the bears are familiar with humans in their territory.  As I recall there was some sort of barrier around the creek where the mother and her cubs were and there was a park ranger there too.  The other bear simply walked close by us and never looked at us at all.  He obviously had his trail he was following.

[peachykiehn]

If you are traveling during the salmon run we have seen bears during all 5 times we walked the steep creek boardwalk trail. As others have mentioned rangers are close by and the bears are so intent on catching salmon they really don’t notice you. That said always stay alert especially for mother bears and cubs. We have found if a mother bear is close so is the ranger. 

[petuniaflower]

It will be early July.

 

So it sounds like rangers are there, Im not super familiar with what they do exactly, is it more so to guide people away from where the bears are?

[peachykiehn]

They are there to answer questions and often tell you where on the boardwalk bears have recently been spotted. Bears are a part of life in Alaska so they don’t guide you away just help promote safe viewing.