Juneau Mendenhall Lake Canoe Tour

Photo of Juneau Mendenhall Lake Canoe Adventure Tour

Photo of Juneau Mendenhall Lake Canoe Adventure Tour Panoramic Views while Canoeing

Photo of Juneau Mendenhall Lake Canoe Adventure Tour Serenity of Mendenhall Lake

Photo of Juneau Mendenhall Lake Canoe Adventure Tour Waterfall

Photo of Juneau Mendenhall Lake Canoe Adventure Tour Group Photo

Photo of Juneau Mendenhall Lake Canoe Adventure Tour Break Time

Prepare to come face to face with the magnificent Mendenhall Glacier on this ultimate Alaskan adventure. Traveling with a small group in a canoe, your guide will help you navigate past icebergs, waterfalls, and steep cliffs once carved by ice. You will help paddle the canoe as close as possible on the expedition toward the face of the Glacier.

This small, intimate adventure begins by meeting your professional guide at the Mt.Robert's Tram building. You will enjoy a narrated scenic drive to a more remote part of the Tongass National Forest, where you will first lay eyes on the ever-changing Mendenhall Glacier. One of the most beautiful and accessible glaciers in North America, the Mendenhall Glacier is just 12 miles from downtown Juneau but feels like a million miles away from the everyday. The 13-mile-long river of ice, which ends on the far side of Mendenhall Lake, is one of Alaska's shining gems. A half-mile wide with ice up to 1,800 feet deep, it's no surprise that Mendenhall is the most visited glacier in Alaska.

Gaze upon the other-worldly beauty and serenity of Mendenhall Lake from the seat of your canoe as you paddle across the lake. Keep an eye on the cliffs adorned with nests of Arctic terns, a giant waterfall, and wildlife while navigating past beautiful blue icebergs. You will come as close as possible to the face of the Mendenhall Glacier and be rewarded with front row views of the "ice falls", where miles of glacier ice flow steeply over the mountainside, and continue down to the lake in front of you. Your guide will steer the canoe to the best viewpoints of the glacier's towering ice seracs and blue crevasses. So make sure you bring your camera!

Group sizes are kept small and personal, with a maximum of 8 to 10 guests. You will be equipped with top quality gear including rain pants, rain jackets, waterproof boots, and everything else you will need to ensure your comfort and safety. Each guest is provided a dry bag filled with bottled water and snacks, to be used to store personal belongings while canoeing.

Important notice: This tour is canoe only and does not include hiking on a glacier. For a glacier tour experience, please view our Mendenhall Glacier Ice Adventure Tour.

Included: Necessary rain gear and life jackets. Snacks and beverages.

Please note: Minimum age to participate is 12 years.

Duration: 3.5-4 hours (Paddle time: 2 hours.)

Inclusions:

Roundtrip transportation
Gear/equipment: Rain jacket, rain pants, Xtratuf rain boots, paddling gloves, and a dry bag for personal items.
Bottled water, snacks and hot beverage

Requirements:

Minimum age: 12 years old
Minimum weight: 90lbs
Maximum wight: 240lbs
Not recommended for guests with back, shoulder or hip problems
Pregnant guests are not permitted on this tour
Full use of limbs for up to 2 hours canoe paddling
Signed liability waiver

Duration: 3.5-4 hours. Tour times below are approximate:

30 minutes narrated transport to glacier launch site
15 minutes equipment and safety briefing
2 hours+ canoe paddling
15 minutes equipment unload and hot beverage rest time
30 minutes transport back to port

Meeting Instructions:

This tour meets in front of the Mt. Robert's Tramway building. Fully detailed instructions are included on your finalized ticket vouchers.

ADA Accessibility of Tour:

This tour is not wheelchair or limited mobility accessible. This is an active tour which requires guests to get in and out of a canoe in the water as well as paddle for a duration of 2 hours, so full use of limbs is necessary.

Do I have to paddle?

Yes, we will be using a native-style canoe and everyone is expected to paddle along with guide.

How large is the canoe?

This tour is geared towards small, intimate groups. We will be using a 8 person, native-style canoe.

How close will we get to the glacier?

Our guides will bring you as close to the glacier that safe and accessible. The distance ranges depending on the weather as well as the group, but typically around 200 meters away.

Will I see any bears or wildlife on this tour?

Bald eagles, herons, shorebirds, arctic terns, mountain goats, porcupines are all common sights, but this is not a designated wildlife tour and nothing can be guaranteed.

Is it cold on the canoe?

This really depends on the weather. Typically the wind coming off the glacier causes it to be around 5-10 degrees cooler. We suggest you to be prepared for everything!

What should I wear on my canoe trip?

We provide everything you need to stay dry. Rain pants, rain jackets with hood, "Alaskan Sneakers" a.k.a Xtratuf rain boots, as well as paddling gloves. We suggest dressing in layers and according to the weather that day. Sunglasses if it is sunny and if you tend to get cold, please bring a hat/beanie as well as gloves.

May I bring a backpack?

Small backpacks are allowed on this tour. We provide dry bags that contain bottled water as well as snacks that may be used to store your personal items during the paddle.

Are there any physical requirements for this tour?

Minimum weight is 90lbs and maximum weight is 240lbs to fit into the required lifejacket. You must be able to get in and out of the canoe and full use of limbs. You must be able to paddle 2-2.5 hours on the canoe. We take frequent breaks to enjoy the surroundings and take photos.

May I take photos?

Yes, we encourage you to take photos. We take frequent breaks to enjoy the glacier, the waterfalls, as well as the beautiful Alaskan wilderness.

Want to learn more about our Mendenhall Glacier tours?

Check out our page for more details on all of the Mendenhall Glacier tours we offer: Mendenhall glacier!

Not seeing answers to your questions?

Check out other frequently asked questions here!

Customer Reviews

Jul 2019 - Carolyn S.

This was an incredible adventure. Our guide Ryan was informative and entertaining. Would highly recommend this tour. The paddling was not too strenuous as we had 60 and 70 year olds in our group. We saw several eagles and arctic terns which was so cool. And the glacier was breathtaking. Thanks again.

Jul 2019 - Sue S.

Top notch from start to finish. Quality guide (and from our hometown!), equipment, and snacks! We truly enjoyed our paddle to Mendenhall Glacier.

Jul 2019 - Scott H.

Excellent all around! Easy logistics with pick up and drop off near the cruise dock. Great tour and top of the line gear and healthy snacks too! I was most impressed by the new and high quality equipment and gear they used. Our guide and all the staff at the starting point were very personable and knowledgeable too. I'm not normally a guided tour company sort of client but I was most pleased and impressed with my experience. Only hiccup was the one person in our party that wanted to take off his life preserver a few times! Significant safety violation on account of the tour company guidelines and for personal safety too considering the water is 34 degrees. Our guide handled a difficult situation firmly and well

Jun 2019 - Mitch B.

Mendenhall Lake Canoe Tour was a fabulous experience. Our tour guide Casey's knowledge of the area was excellent and made our experience a memorable one not to forget.

Jun 2019 - David R.

Spencer was awesome! Had a fabulous time! Beautiful scenery and a great trip!

May 2019 - Samuel S.

This is a highlight of the day! A wonderful experience and a good exercise to burn all calories from the ship buffet! The tour guide very informative and friendly.

May 2019 - Laine T.

I totally enjoyed the experience! It was a great way to get out in Nature, get some exercise, and see the glacier up close. The staff was friendly, knowledgeable, skilled, and well prepared. I would recommend this excursion to anyone, in a heartbeat. :-)

Sep 2018 - Michael S.

Would have been a good experience except there were 5 children( ages 10-15) in our canoe and they did not paddle which make the trip harder on everyone else. Should be an age limit of of 16 or older. It was twice as hard as it needed to be which affected our enjoyment.

Sep 2018 - Dana Marie F.

wonderful experience-guide was knowledgeable and pleasant

Sep 2018 - Rhiannon I.

Tour guide was great, lots of good information, beautiful views, and TONS of fun! Would definitely recommend to others.

Aug 2018 - Linda N.

Great excursion, highly organized and enthusiastic member who guided us. I recommend this tour excursion to anyone who is interested. You won't be disappointed.

Aug 2018 - Darlene T.

OMG, this excursion was wonderful, our tour guide Mitch was well educated in the glaciers and surrounding area. Our canoe only had 8 people to canoe to the glacier, but Mitch was wonderful. Got us up close to the glacier and the falls. This is a must see and do excursion, a break at the falls with a light snack. I would book again with Alaska Shore excursions without a doubt. Thanks to Mitch and I wish him success with his future endevours. The excursion goes rain or shine, lucky for us, we had great weather!

Jul 2018 - Mark C.

Colin and Mitch we're great guides. Together with the beach crew we were suited up and on our way in a unrushed but quick manner. Was a great tour with a few funny jokes and a great visit to the glacier and nugget Falls where are we got pretty darn close to the base of the waterfall well paddling to the beach!

Jul 2018 - Penelope F.

Our family loved Alaska and we loved the canoe trip with your company. We had the best guide, a young guy finishing his degree in Kentucky, so fun and he had so much information he sounded like a local ( a local with a slight southern accent).

Jun 2018 - Isaac D.

Most beautiful excursion! We had great weather and the canoe ride was very enjoyable. The glacier was beautiful and really cool to see up close. We did not walk on the glacier, but it was still a lot of fun. Rain gear is provided so no worries about getting wet.

Jun 2018 - JULIANNE E.

Nice excursion Did not get as close to the glacier area as expected Knowledgable guides Felt safe in the canoe

Sep 2016 - Jennifer W.

Extroadinary.up close and personal to nature's wonders. Great guides. Thank you