Has anyone kayaked near the Mendenhall Glacier?

[PittsburghNative]

I’m looking for those that can recommend a tour that gets kayakers close to Mendenhall. I’ve been reading reviews of several companies and some have negative comments stating the kayaks never got close to the actual glacier.

[Raella B]

I haven't done it yet, but I'm booked on an excursion through my Celebrity cruise in May that is a canoe paddle and trek on the glacier.  The name of the excursion is "Mendenhall Glacier Canoe Paddle and Trek".  I was able to find the same or very similar excursion  offered by other tour companies by googling the tour name, but I ended up booking through the cruise because they had a sale and I had OBC to use.  If a canoe can land I don't see why a kayak couldn't.  I picked this tour specifically because it included the paddle to a more remote area for a glacier hike, where there are ice caves.

 

This is the description of the excursion from Celebrity:

 

Embark on a trek into the Alaskan wilderness, joining our expert guides for a canoe paddle and trek over the breathtaking Mendenhall Glacier. Begin your adventure with a paddle past ice bergs, giant waterfalls, and arctic tern nesting sites on Mendenhall Lake, marveling at incredible views of the glacier from your watercraft. Receive expert paddle instruction from guides certified by the American Canoe Association. Then, trade out your paddling gear for backpacks and crampons, and trek over the surface of the glacier. This once-in-a-lifetime experience will take you past glittering ice caves and dark crevasses. Admire pristine melt water streams and pure blue pools. Learn about the ecological timeline as you uncover the secrets of the ancient past locked in ice. The melt path of the glacier reveals the geological history of the region. This multi-sport adventure will allow you to discover the Mendenhall Glacier by land and water.

 

[PittsburghNative]

2 hours ago, Raella B said:

I haven't done it yet, but I'm booked on an excursion through my Celebrity cruise in May that is a canoe paddle and trek on the glacier.  The name of the excursion is "Mendenhall Glacier Canoe Paddle and Trek".  I was able to find the same or very similar excursion  offered by other tour companies by googling the tour name, but I ended up booking through the cruise because they had a sale and I had OBC to use.  If a canoe can land I don't see why a kayak couldn't.  I picked this tour specifically because it included the paddle to a more remote area for a glacier hike, where there are ice caves.

 

This is the description of the excursion from Celebrity:

 

Embark on a trek into the Alaskan wilderness, joining our expert guides for a canoe paddle and trek over the breathtaking Mendenhall Glacier. Begin your adventure with a paddle past ice bergs, giant waterfalls, and arctic tern nesting sites on Mendenhall Lake, marveling at incredible views of the glacier from your watercraft. Receive expert paddle instruction from guides certified by the American Canoe Association. Then, trade out your paddling gear for backpacks and crampons, and trek over the surface of the glacier. This once-in-a-lifetime experience will take you past glittering ice caves and dark crevasses. Admire pristine melt water streams and pure blue pools. Learn about the ecological timeline as you uncover the secrets of the ancient past locked in ice. The melt path of the glacier reveals the geological history of the region. This multi-sport adventure will allow you to discover the Mendenhall Glacier by land and water.

 

 

Which sailing are you on? I originally wanted to do that tour but I think I’m going to do Ben Fogles Great Adventures in Juneau. I’m a little apprehensive if the weather is rainy, it will make the rafting trip really cold.

[Raella B]

2 minutes ago, PittsburghNative said:

 

Which sailing are you on? I originally wanted to do that tour but I think I’m going to do Ben Fogles Great Adventures in Juneau. I’m a little apprehensive if the weather is rainy, it will make the rafting trip really cold.

 

 I'm sailing on Millenium out of Seward on May 17th.  I'll be in Juneau on the 19th.  Canoeing won't be any more fun than rafting in the rain.. 🙂  Fingers crossed. 

 

I was seriously considering the Ben Fogles rafting excursion, and it was agonizing to decide between the two.  Then I read a women on the Celebrity board describe the canoe\glacier trek excursion and in particular the glacier trek and how amazing the ice caves were and they've been calling to me ever since...

 

I think both are excellent choices.

[gskimmel]

Just wondering if anyone did either this.  I'm planning our May 2020 excursions and thought this was interesting.

[breezy_carol]

We were in Juneau this past August.  While my husband and I did a bike tour, my son and DIL took a 10 person canoe to the glacier and walked on it and went into an ice cave.  We were on the Radiance but my son booked this independently.  I believe this is the tour that he took and they enjoyed it.

Mendenhall Glacier Ice Adventure Tour