Photo Point
The classic view.
Enrico Blasutto — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gillfoto — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ben Hohenstatt — CC BY 2.0 · Gillfoto — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Enrico Blasutto — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Photo by Joe Mabel — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Enrico Blasutto — CC BY-SA 4.0
Mendenhall Glacier is a river of ice about 22 km long that flows down from the Juneau Icefield into Mendenhall Lake, in the Mendenhall Valley about 17 km in a straight line north-west of downtown Juneau, the capital of Alaska. It is part of the Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area in the Tongass National Forest. The glacier has been retreating for centuries: since 1929, when the lake formed, its face has pulled back almost 3 km, and markers along the trails make the change easy to see. Its blue ice ends in a wall above the grey water of the lake, where pieces sometimes break off and float away as small icebergs. From the visitor centre on a rocky point, short paved paths lead to Photo Point for the classic view. The Nugget Falls Trail, about 1.3 km each way, follows the lakeshore to a tall waterfall beside the glacier, and longer trails climb the valley sides. In late summer salmon run up Steep Creek near the visitor centre, and black bears often come to fish, best watched from the viewing platforms. The trails and views are free, and a fee is charged at the visitor centre in the summer season. Most visitors come on cruise ships from May to September, when buses run from downtown.
The classic view.
Beside the glacier.
In late summer.
Mendenhall Valley, Juneau, Alaska, United States
The trails are free; the visitor centre charges a fee in summer.
May to September.