THE ADVENTURE COLLECTIVE® · Independent discovery and booking for outdoor travel
Paddle across Mendenhall Lake and hike the rocky shore for close-up views of Mendenhall Glacier and Nugget Falls. This half-day adventure combines guided canoeing, wildlife spotting, and glacier-edge geology without stepping onto the ice.
Paddle across Mendenhall Lake and hike the rocky shore for close-up views of Mendenhall Glacier and Nugget Falls. This half-day adventure combines guided canoeing, wildlife spotting, and glacier-edge geology without stepping onto the ice.
You push off from Mendenhall Lake as gull calls cut across a gray-blue sky. The canoe rocks under your shoulders, guides call cadence, and the spruce-and-hemlock rim of the lake narrows toward the shimmering face of the Mendenhall Glacier. Nugget Falls thunders nearby, Arctic terns dart overhead, and small icebergs bob as the glacier looms like a moving wall of compressed seasons.
Verified experiences and guided adventures in the surrounding area.
Operated by Above and Beyond Alaska · Juneau, Alaska
You push off from Mendenhall Lake as gull calls cut across a gray-blue sky. The canoe rocks under your shoulders, guides call cadence, and the spruce-and-hemlock rim of the lake narrows toward the shimmering face of the Mendenhall Glacier. Nugget Falls thunders nearby, Arctic terns dart overhead, and small icebergs bob as the glacier looms like a moving wall of compressed seasons.
This route threads natural history with recent change: Mendenhall is a remnant of the last ice age and has retreated noticeably over the past century, exposing moraine, bedrock, and fast-changing ice features—crevasses, seracs, and calving faces visible from shore. The area sits within Tongass National Forest and reflects Tlingit presence and place-based names that predate modern maps.
Expect a balanced day of lake paddling (roughly 5–6 miles round-trip) and a rocky shore hike of about 2 miles round-trip to reach close vantage points — guides keep the group off the ice for safety while explaining glaciology and human impact. Weather shifts quickly: rain, wind, and cold are common even in summer. You'll be outfitted with rubber boots and rain gear, and guides provide paddling instruction and safety briefings.
Practical tips: arrive in Juneau’s downtown meeting zone, be ready to paddle in groups of up to 12, and disclose weight and medical info in advance. This trip rewards steady fitness, good footwear, and curiosity; the payoff is an intimate, front-row encounter with a landscape still reshaping itself.
Guides take you to exposed bedrock and shorelines that provide intimate views of the ice face and calving activity, but the tour does not go onto the glacier itself for safety.
No—guides provide instruction and safety briefings, but participants must be physically able to paddle 5–6 miles and be competent swimmers.
Provide full names, raingear and shoe sizes, ages, heights, weights, and any medical conditions or restrictions at least 72 hours before departure.
Participants must be age 12 or older; all guests must meet the maximum weight limit and be capable of the physical demands of paddling and hiking.
Above and Beyond Alaska operates guided outdoor trips and adventures with an emphasis on safety, stewardship, and memorable experiences.
You push off from Mendenhall Lake as gull calls cut across a gray-blue sky. The canoe rocks under your shoulders, guides call cadence, and the spruce-and-hemlock rim of the lake narrows toward the shimmering face of the Mendenhall Glacier. Nugget Falls thunders nearby, Arctic terns dart overhead, and small icebergs bob as the glacier looms like a moving wall of compressed seasons.
You push off from Mendenhall Lake as gull calls cut across a gray-blue sky. The canoe rocks under your shoulders, guides call cadence, and the spruce-and-hemlock rim of the lake narrows toward the shimmering face of the Mendenhall Glacier. Nugget Falls thunders nearby, Arctic terns dart overhead, and small icebergs bob as the glacier looms like a moving wall of compressed seasons.
This route threads natural history with recent change: Mendenhall is a remnant of the last ice age and has retreated noticeably over the past century, exposing moraine, bedrock, and fast-changing ice features—crevasses, seracs, and calving faces visible from shore. The area sits within Tongass National Forest and reflects Tlingit presence and place-based names that predate modern maps.
Expect a balanced day of lake paddling (roughly 5–6 miles round-trip) and a rocky shore hike of about 2 miles round-trip to reach close vantage points — guides keep the group off the ice for safety while explaining glaciology and human impact. Weather shifts quickly: rain, wind, and cold are common even in summer. You'll be outfitted with rubber boots and rain gear, and guides provide paddling instruction and safety briefings.
Practical tips: arrive in Juneau’s downtown meeting zone, be ready to paddle in groups of up to 12, and disclose weight and medical info in advance. This trip rewards steady fitness, good footwear, and curiosity; the payoff is an intimate, front-row encounter with a landscape still reshaping itself.