Celebrity Millennium Dawes Glacier intinerary--- Can we paddle onto a glacier?

[Taishartrueblood]

Good morning, thank you as always for your help!

We booked a trip on Celebrity Millennium (September 17, 2021)  and it stops in:

Ketchikan 7:00AM - 4:00PM

Juneau 1:30PM - 10:00PM

Icy Strait Point 7:00AM - 5:00PM

 

We would like to get on a glacier without helicoptoring in (we get motion sick) so does anyone know if it would be possible to canoe, sail, hike, etc. onto a glacier instead? We think that the only possible port where we could get onto a glacier would be in Juneau.

 

If anyone has any recommendations, i would greatly appreciate it! 

Edited August 8, 2021 by Taishartrueblood

[PNW Traveler]

No you cannot get onto a glacier via paddling.  They are immense rivers of ice.  Dawes Glacier, for example, is 600 feet tall.

 

If you are a hiker, there are trails exploring the area and viewpoint near Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau.

https://www.alaska.org/detail/mendenhall-glacier

 

[Glaciers]

In Juneau you might try something like this:

https://beyondak.com/trips/glacier-canoe-paddle-trek/

[Taishartrueblood]

Thank you both! 

[Glaciers]

For an alternative to walking on a glacier, there is a good hike in Juneau that is referenced in PNWs post. The West Glacier Trail. It affords fantastic views of the glacier from above it. If you hike far enough you will be able to see the helicopters landing on the glacier.   Although it’s also the path to get on the glacier it’s not recommended as there are some difficult areas to navigate to get to the glacier from the trail where many have had to be rescued in the past.   

[Heidi13]

3 hours ago, Taishartrueblood said:

Good morning, thank you as always for your help!

We booked a trip on Celebrity Millennium (September 17, 2021)  and it stops in:

Ketchikan 7:00AM - 4:00PM

Juneau 1:30PM - 10:00PM

Icy Strait Point 7:00AM - 5:00PM

 

We would like to get on a glacier without helicoptoring in (we get motion sick) so does anyone know if it would be possible to canoe, sail, hike, etc. onto a glacier instead? We think that the only possible port where we could get onto a glacier would be in Juneau.

 

If anyone has any recommendations, i would greatly appreciate it! 

 

Approaching the face of a glacier from a small boat/canoe/kayak is extremely dangerous, as the glaciers calve large blocks of ice, which can drop into the water from a great height. Even if the boat isn't hit directly it could be swamped by the wave.

[Taishartrueblood]

Good points 🙂 

[Glendakayself]

There are usually some excursions you can take off the ship that leave the ship during the glacier visit and take you closer to the glacier. They are offered on our MIllie cruise. In addition to the glacier in Juneau, there is Exit Glacier in Seward where your Millie cruise either begins or ends. There are hiking tours of Exit Glacier

 

Oops...I forgot that the 2021 cruises are round-trip Seattle. So, you will not visit Seward. Enjoy your cruise.

Edited September 15, 2021 by Glendakayself

[donaldsc]

I can't remember which glacier it was but on one trip which wasn't on a cruise, we did see a kayak group paddling near a glacier.  I am sure that It isn't going to happen at all off a cruise ship.  As one person noted, it might be interested if there was a major calving near your kayak group although some kayaks are designed to handle white water so the wave from a calving event might not be any worse.

 

DON

[geoherb]

We kayaked in Mendenhall Lake on one cruise. We were warned not to get closer than a half mile. We stayed even farther back. That was in 2012. There were lots of small chunks of ice in the lake then. When I went in 2019, I did not see any ice in the lake. The glacier has retreated significantly.