Read my article on Mount Roberts Tramway it is another spectacular Juneau attraction. The East Glacier Trail offers truly magnificent views of the glacier it can be muddy after rain. You can have plenty of fun with the activities at the visitors center. The name is Tlingit for going back clearwater trail. Expect a lot of traffic, including some bikes and horses on this zero elevation gain hike. The one-hour calm water cruise is narrated by a park ranger, and besides getting a good look at Portage Glacier, passengers are also treated to views of Explorer, Middle, Byron, Burns and Shakespeare glaciers. Note the last time I was in Juneau ( about 3 years) the buses from town to the Mendenhall Glacier were old school buses painted blue that did not have accessible lifts. You can also take some fun pictures with a lumberjacks afterwards! Let us simplify it for you, How much does an Alaska summer vacation cost? U.S. Forest Service Rangers staff the center and are available to answer questions and interpret the landscape around you. With your own personal driver and guide you can see Victoria at your own pace. As snow accumulates and is buried, it is gradually transformed into glacial ice. You can contact the Davis Long Cabin Visitor Information Center (888-581-2201) and the Forest Service Information Center (907-586-8751) regarding wheelchair accessible trails. Juneau lies 900 air miles northwest of Seattle and 577 air miles southeast of Anchorage. Some tours not included here for one reason or another might be suitable for you. Highlights plus less visited destinations. Located in Mendenhall Wetlands State Game Refuge. The Skagway White Pass Railroad Summit Excursion is easily the most popular Skagway shore tour. I just wanted to report back that Photo Point is the better trail for a manual wheelchair user in my humble opinion. It is paved and partially elevated boardwalk above the creek to offer great wildlife viewing of the returning salmon. Several trails are accessible from the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center. It is a story of good and bad news. . Features: access to fishing holes in Montana Creek; vivid wildflowers, including Siberian Irises. Your must-have activity guide + map while in Alaska. Experience the spectacular Mendenhall Glacier which is set in the Tongass National Forest. If you plan to go to the waterfall or out future that may be harder, as it was a gravel path. Having a experienced guide will be able to asses whether that particular cave is safe to enter. While cruise lines are getting better at providing wheelchair accessible options for shore excursions, they are still extremely limited. So they missed out. Sign-up for any of the following email series to help plan your Alaska trip. I would only recommend you go with a experienced guide. Overview Excursion Details Customer Reviews Points of Interest Mendenhall Glacier Mount Roberts Tramway Shopping Opportunities, Easy activity Description Glaciers flow from icefields high in the Coast Mountains where heavy snowfall accumulates year after year. Besides this site, Ive also found wheelchairtraveling.com, disabledholidays.com, newmobility.com , wheelchairtravel.org and more! The Watsons: August 26, 2021. She travels the Inside Passage each summer to explore new tours and hidden gems. a) talk to a travel agent who can help sort out the many options and details The Juneau Icefield encompasses about 1,500 square miles of ice and is the beginning of many glaciers including Mendenhall, Lemon Creek, Herbert, Eagle, and Taku Glaciers. Uses: hiking, dog-walking, biking, jogging. Accessibility: This tour is wheelchair accessible. There's a paved trail to the photo outlook, and then the trails to the left of the parking lot are hardpacked gravel dust, so it may take a bit of effort, but they're meant for wheelchairs. After that, we went to a rehabilitation facility for bears. Browse below to find the best Alaska trips for seniors, click the tour to learn more, and dont hesitate to contact us with any questions you might have, were here to help! Walk takes approximately 15 -20 minutes. The center has a range of state of the art interactive exhibits. Shorter jaunts include the 1.5-mile Nugget Creek Trail, a 1.5-mile Moraine Ecology Trail loop, and a 5-minute, 0.3-mile Photo Point trail that is wheelchair-accessible. If your just looking the rough location the caves are located under the Mendenhall glacier. Get in touch with us so we can help you find your perfect excursion! Scenic Photo Point and the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center are well worth a visit. You need to be aware this is not a little walk along paved trails. What's the Secret to Catching Salmon in Alaska. Located a short drive from Juneau, Mendenhall Glacier (www.fs.usda.gov/detail/tongass/about-forest/offices/?cid=stelprdb5400800) is a very popular shore excursion; however it can also be visited independently if you have a car. You will be introduced to Ice climbing. 12 hotels/motels, 50 bed and breakfasts (over 900 rooms), 64 restaurants, two large enclosed shopping malls, many other shopping centers in downtown and outlying areas. They will provide one. For information and services for travelers with special needs, contact Southeast Alaska Independent Living (SAIL) at 1-800-478-SAIL. Whether youre, Visiting Southeast Alaska and dont want to miss any of the highlights? Kayaking and the only place you can go dog sledding in the summer that I know. Juneau is accessible by air from Anchorage or Seattle with service provided by Alaska Airlines. Again, I can either reach out to ship-provided shore excursion operator to determine true accessibility, or find an independent tour operator at each port of call to make sure you can enjoy your time in port. Insider tips to pick the best Alaska cruise. Check out their promo video below. Enjoy a small group and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. This tour can be booked through your cruise line. The disappearance of the glacier but the return of the forest its flora and fauna and its wildlife. This latter process is known as calving and produces the icebergs floating in Mendenhall Lake. The public bus is the cheapest option to get to the Mendenhall glacier. The paved trail leads through a cottonwood forest and transitions into a hard-packed dirt trail topped with stabilized granite. It is in the mildest climate zone in Alaska. The main trail out to overlook the glacier is paved. The dock is a working dock this was the most difficult part for my grandparents. They may surprise you. It classed as one of the most strenuous and demanding hikes around Mendenhall Glacier taking around 8 hours. Its one of 38 large glaciers in the Juneau Icefield, and despite its vast expanse, its still quite accessible. Most of them are gravel, and would be difficult for you to maneuver in a manual chair (or for your pusher, if you have one). Youve come to the right spot! Capital Transit offers several buses equipped with wheelchair lifts. Written June 28, 2018. he choice of tours is varied and will make a tour at Mendenhall glacier the pinnacle of your Alaskan vacation. Thanks for any and all advice! The glacier is very accessible with recent improvements. This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies. chosen an itinerary with all docked ports of call, APTRO Womens Waterproof Snowboard Ski Jacket Windproof Snow Jacket, Everything You Need to Know About Wheelchair Accessible Cruising, 8 Wheelchair Accessible Things to Do in Auckland New Zealand, The Debate Over Beds in Wheelchair Accessible Hotel Rooms, The Best Wheelchair Accessible Vacation Spots in the World Spin the Globe, Tips for Finding the Perfect Wheelchair Accessible Alaska Cruise Spin the Globe, How the Winnebago Roam RV Makes Road Trips More Wheelchair Accessible, 15 Wheelchair Accessible Things to Do in Charleston, South Carolina, 15 Wheelchair Accessible Things to Do in Seattle, Q&A: Everything Wheelchair Users Need to Know About Airplane Bathrooms. Its active face regularly calves big icebergs and brash into its lake. The main attraction is the black bear population, mostly mothers and cubs. schedule in each port. Photo . The city bus drops visitors roughly 1.5 miles (2.4 . As if your in a cathedral of ice others can be small and you have to crouch to get in. c) read up on what different cruise companies offer in the way of transfers from a hotel to the ship at the beginning of the cruise and back again at the end. Mendenhall Glacier is a must see for anyone visiting Juneau. As an added bonus, Exit Glacier makes an excellent shore excursion, so put it on your must-see list if you ever dock in Seward. It is 3/4 of a mile one way. The visitor center is fully wheelchair accessible including plenty of room to move around the exhibits and in the theater where the film is shown. Cruises and land tours are great ways to see Alaska. Then going on a hike is a awesome other worldly adventure. Why not check out my article on Alaska Zipline Adventures (Juneau), Alaskan Blue is a participant is the Amazon Services LLC Associates Programme, an affiliate advertising program designed to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com, Automated page speed optimizations for fast site performance. It is fully ADA compliant and can easily accommodate guests with accessibility requirements. There are opportunities to walk around at designated areas but this is optional. This tour must be booked independently. Photo/video restrictions: No. The ice flows forward at an average rate of 2 feet per day, but at the very same time, it wastes away at a slightly faster rate. Cara, our resident Marketing Coordinator, shares her passion for Alaska through our blogs and social media. Embark on a 3-hour excursion offering the most time (2 hours) at Juneau's marquee attraction, the famous Mendenhall Glacier, which includes entry to the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center. Your pilot will be . Mendenhall Visitor Center. I will report back in a few weeks when I get back. This tour can be booked through your cruise line. Mendenhall Glacier. You can find the entrance to this one-hour showright across from the cruise ship dock. Mendenhall Glacier & Wildlife Quest; Whale Quest & Orca Point Lodge; Best of Juneau; . Which was once buried under the glacier since the last Ice Age. Theres accessible parking near the nature center, with level access over to the small building. Is a 1 mile hike and this hike heads away from the glacier and is a ecological walk through time. But if you want a once in a life time glacier experience. Care-a-Van Transportation provides prescheduled para-transit service - call 907-463-6194. The Mendenhall Glacier continues to provide us with new insights into past, present, and future climatic conditions. 2-5 day small ship explorations. Spin the Globe is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. If you are wanting to experience the ultimate Alaskan glacier hike. You type Alaska shore excursions into google, trying to figure, Taku Glacier Adventure by Air, Water & Ice, Alpine Wilderness Trail Adventure by Segway, Skagway Glacier Discovery Helicopter Tour, Private Wildlife Photo Safari, Beachcombing, and More, Private Wilds of Sitka Sound Expedition by Boat, Anchorage Helicopter Glacier Dogsled & Lower Glacier Landing, Anchorage Helicopter and Glacier Dogsled Tour, Glacier Blue Kayak & Grandview Train Tour, 8 Things Your Cruise Ship Wont Tell You About Shore Excursions, 7 High-Demand Alaska Cruise Tours Youll Want to Book Early, My Alaska Travel Tips: How to Get the Perfect Alaska Cruise Photos, Mendenhall Ice Caves & Beyond: Juneau Glacier Tours Explained, Your Guide to Inside Passage Weather in Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan Alaska Map and Walking Guide. The tour guides started cutting up pieces of fish, and tossing them into the water. In this complete guide I am going to share with you everything I know about Juneaus Mendenhall Glacier. Getting back to the second bus stop to go back to the ship was quite a bit further 200 to 300 yards. There are many ways for you to enjoy the glacier. And that was when the show began! For an up-close-and-personal look at Portage Glacier (www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/chugach/recarea/?recid=71943), hop aboard the mv Ptarmigan (www.portageglaciercruises.com) for a scenic cruise out to this Portage Valley must-see. This time I am going to try the city buses some of which are wheelchair accessible. However, our guides are there to help! This tour must be booked independently. I will answer the questions I often get asked about the Ice caves and hope it helps you out. Also, should I take him on the ship's shore excursion, or go there independently? This hike is less crowded than the visitors center and the smaller hikes. I did fine with my power chair on the trails on the side of the parking lot opposite the glacier, but you might have issues. They are an equal opportunity service provider. Boat and only by boat. The Mendenhall glacier has been receding since the late 1700s and currently retreats at a rate of 25-30 feet per year. They offer a wonderful service for mobility challenged people taking . Is a 2 mile there and back hike to Mendenhall Glaciers stunning sister attraction. 7-10 days is the most common. The area boasts several self-guided scenic trails that allow you to learn about the role the glacier had in carving the landscape. The hike takes approximately 1 1.5 hours depending how long you stay at the falls. The staff at the center are very helpful. Visit scenic Photo Point Trail, which winds along Mendenhall Lake for an unobstructed view of the glacier's face. They do not have the time to head into the forest. You needed to know more about this wonder of nature well your in the right place. Click here to reload the page in order to enable certain features. You will find a range of tours that leave from the cruise ship terminal. Camping fees are $8.00 per day with a 14-day limit. There is wheelchair service on all CVS tours, but guests are required to contact them at least 48 hours in advance to make sure that space is available. The show takes place in a small open-air amphitheater, and there are several spaces in the front reserved for wheelchair users and their companions. Theres plenty of accessible parking next to the accessible restrooms, with level access out to the dock. You can reserve an accessible taxi by calling 813 . And you wont get this feeling on a crowded, less personal tour boat. Wheelchair-accessible trail that follows the Mendenhall River greenbelt area, starting at Brotherhood Bridge off Glacier Hwy. Trips available from Whittier, Homer, Seward, Juneau, and Sitka. The local public transit system is useful and widely accessible. If your reading this then you have been googling. Please understand that I have experienced all of these companies, and I recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions I make if you decide to buy something through my links. For the following three tours, guests must be able to walk up and down a few steps to board the bus. You can contact the Davis Long Cabin Visitor Information Center (888-581-2201) and the Forest Service Information Center (907-586-8751) regarding wheelchair accessible trails. Contact me at Spin the Globe/Travel and book today! The massive 13-mile long and 220-foot deep glacier is clearly visible on the opposite shore of the lake; and to be honest its really hard to take a bad photo from this vantage point. From $ 239 . Snowfall averages 101 inches. Overwhelmed by choices? The Mendenhall Glacier is one of many rivers of ice in southeast Alaska formed during the Little Ice Age which began about 3,000 years ago. Trail of Time is about twice as far as Photo Point so we'll see how much time we have and go from there. The boats have water-propelled jets, so theyre fast! And we got some great pictures with them afterwards! They had grizzly bears and black bears, and there were also many bald eagles just flying around like it was no big deal. There's an elevator to the observatory past the ranger's hut. Your excursion continues when you board a 34-foot covered exploration vessel, specially built to get you up close to the natural environment and custom designed for photography expeditions. So the combo trip is king in Juneau tour operators offer whale watching flight seeing and glacier hiking. This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies. This tour can be booked through your cruise line. We are also going to ride the bus to the gardens, or try to! Whether it is a 4 Hour Grand City Tour, a half day Wine Tour, or a Tour to Butchart Gardens, they can be of service. And a great Whales and trails tour incorporating the Mendenhall Glacier and Nugget Falls. After you book this shore excursion, you will have to call the company directly to let them know you will need a wheelchair accessible spot on the train. With so, If youve already booked your Alaska cruise, its a pretty safe bet that youve also been bombarded by, At Alaska Shore Tours, 5% of our profits go directly to organizations that help preserve Alaskas natural resources, When booking tours for your Alaskan cruise, its important to know how early in the season a given, The time has finally arrived. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Get to know #JuneauFlavor! The Deadliest CatchCrab Fishermens Tour. There are 7 walk-in units for backpackers. Which one is right for you? Nugget Falls which is Mendenhall Glaciers sister attraction, the visitors center, hikes in the area, Mendenhall Ice Caves, tours and activities. 5 Glacier Seaplane Exploration This tour is rated as easy, though some limited mobility is necessary for entering and exiting the aircraft. Or how about going under the glacier and exploring the magical Ice caves. Mendenhall Glacier & Evening Whale Quest Juneau City & Glacier Tour The bus has a couple of steps and is not equipped with a wheelchair lift. . Also, there is an elavator up to the viewing area if you choose to go in. I use a powerchair and had no problems at all. This hike takes approximately 5 6 hours maybe more depending on how long you want to explore the forest and once at the top you will want to take in the expanse of the river of Ice as it carves its way down to Mendenhall Lake. Click here to reload the page in order to enable certain features. In front of the South Sawyer Glacier, icebergs of various sizes provided nice resting places for at least one hundred of harbour seals. Any exceptions are noted in the tour descriptions. The GreatAlaskan Lumberjack Show. Birds, Bears, & Barnacles. The name is Tlingit for "going back clearwater trail." These combo tours usually last 4.5 6 hours. I hope that information is useful to someone. Be aware that at peak times of salmon returning to spawn steep creek trail is partially closed. Combined weight of guest and mobility device cannot exceed 600 pounds. The walk takes 20 30 minutes. Alaska Shore Tourshave a few heli tour you can choose from. With the majority of visitors to Juneau arriving on cruise ship and time being limited. Expect a lot of traffic. I have read on google that sometimes there will be Rangers available to direct people and provide a map. Does anyone know if they have W/C to rent there? Meander through the Tongass National Forest as you explore the Moraine Ecology Trail and the Steep Creek Trail the latter offers multiple views of wild sockeye salmon during the mid- to late-summer months.