Mendenhall Glacier Excursions .. How Do You Choose?!?

[JeannyJ]

Hubby and I are going on an Alaskan Inside Passage cruise with HAL July 12-19. We will be in Juneau on the 14 (our 25th anniv) and after much debate we've decided that we want to head up to the Glacier over going to the Salmon Bake.  There are 2 cruise excursions up to it that we can afford ... Mendenhall Glasier Explorer (a tourbus ride through the city and up to the visitor centre) and Juneau Tram On Your Own. My hubby REALLY wants to do the tram but I'm really afraid of heights and would need to sit on the ride up (esp if the tram swings at all). Soo I need your wisdom and help in choosing!  I need to know about the bus on the first excursion and if it's accessible for larger people, and about the tram (how stable is it and how far from the cruise terminal is it, etc) and the ride up and back down. Also how groomed are the trails to where you can see the glacier?   I'm really excited about our trip and leaving the prairies behind for a while! 😊

[CCJack]

I assume the Tram excursion is the Mt. Roberts tram.   I remember it as being very stable, no swaying at all.   It was very close to where our ship docked - no more than a couple blocks, however, if there are multiple ships in dock, then I am not sure if you would be further than that.

 

The trails at Mendenhall are flat and easy to walk.  However the main trail takes you from the visitor center towards the glacier but not all the way.  You need a more extensive excursion if you want to climb on the glacier, etc.

 

In short I think both the tram and the glacier trail are easy excursions for most folks.

 

I hope you enjoy your time there.

 

[Coral]

I would not book Mount Roberts Tram through the ship. You can just walk up and book it. This way - if it is rainy, you can skip it if you want. It is in a very central location to where ship's dock. Though some ships dock farther than others. AJ Dock is probably farthest. They ran a shuttle last time I docked there but I enjoyed the walk.

[JeannyJ]

4 minutes ago, CCJack said:

I assume the Tram excursion is the Mt. Roberts tram.   I remember it as being very stable, no swaying at all.   It was very close to where our ship docked - no more than a couple blocks, however, if there are multiple ships in dock, then I am not sure if you would be further than that.

 

The trails at Mendenhall are flat and easy to walk.  However the main trail takes you from the visitor center towards the glacier but not all the way.  You need a more extensive excursion if you want to climb on the glacier, etc.

 

In short I think both the tram and the glacier trail are easy excursions for most folks.

 

I hope you enjoy your time there.

 

It's the Goldbelt Tram so I think that's the one you're  talking about. We're not looking to climb on the glacier just get close enough for some nice pics of the ice and wildlife. I'm glad the bottom is near the cruise port so it'll be easy to get back to the ship.

[Coral]

3 minutes ago, JeannyJ said:

It's the Goldbelt Tram so I think that's the one you're  talking about. We're not looking to climb on the glacier just get close enough for some nice pics of the ice and wildlife. I'm glad the bottom is near the cruise port so it'll be easy to get back to the ship.

I didn't realize they renamed it:

 

The Goldbelt Tram (formerly Mount Roberts Tramway) is an aerial tramwaylocated directly south of downtown Juneau in the U.S. state of Alaska.

[Coral]

4 minutes ago, JeannyJ said:

It's the Goldbelt Tram so I think that's the one you're  talking about. We're not looking to climb on the glacier just get close enough for some nice pics of the ice and wildlife. I'm glad the bottom is near the cruise port so it'll be easy to get back to the ship.

Mendenhall glacier has retreated quite a bit. It is no longer impressive IMO. If there is something else you are interested in doing such as whale watching - I would do that instead. JMHO.

[CCJack]

1 minute ago, Coral said:

I didn't realize they renamed it:

 

The Goldbelt Tram (formerly Mount Roberts Tramway) is an aerial tramwaylocated directly south of downtown Juneau in the U.S. state of Alaska.

yes, it looks like the same Tram on the website... this is the first I had heard of Goldbelt.  Perhaps a recent name change.

 

[JeannyJ]

28 minutes ago, Coral said:

Mendenhall glacier has retreated quite a bit. It is no longer impressive IMO. If there is something else you are interested in doing such as whale watching - I would do that instead. JMHO.

LOL We would love to go what watching but can't afford it. And we live in Saskatchewan (the heart of the Canadian prairies) so it's all pretty cool for us 🙂

[Coral]

15 hours ago, JeannyJ said:

LOL We would love to go what watching but can't afford it. And we live in Saskatchewan (the heart of the Canadian prairies) so it's all pretty cool for us 🙂

I would look into the private companies and see if they are affordable. I live in the heartland (prairie) part of the US. I have just been underwhelmed with Mendenhall and I am amazed at how much it costs now to go. Whales are pretty scarce where I live and that is always fun. Maybe put tram and Mendenhall money towards a whale watching trip. Just an idea.

 

Have a great trip.

[BarbinMich]

When my great aunt traveled to Alaska back in the 1920s or so, Mendenhall came out to the highway.  We've been there several times and there's really nothing to see of the glacier unless perhaps you hike to it (never have done that).  From the Visitors Center you can't see the glacier.  😒

[Coral]

3 hours ago, BarbinMich said:

When my great aunt traveled to Alaska back in the 1920s or so, Mendenhall came out to the highway.  We've been there several times and there's really nothing to see of the glacier unless perhaps you hike to it (never have done that).  From the Visitors Center you can't see the glacier.  😒

I agree! Even hiking to it is not that great. Now, if you took a helicopter to land on it - that is another story. I find the tram underwhelming also. 

 

I would have loved to see Mendenhall back in the day. I was there in 2002 for the first time and it blows my mind how much it has retreated since then.

[Northern Aurora]

On 2/7/2023 at 5:46 PM, CCJack said:

yes, it looks like the same Tram on the website... this is the first I had heard of Goldbelt.  Perhaps a recent name change.

 

 

Goldbelt is the name of the native corporation which owns the Mt. Roberts Tram.  For more history regarding the history of our native corporations google the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act.  ANCSA also explains the lack of reservations (Metlakatla is a reservation and Venetie at times has claimed reservation status but isn't official).

 

While we enjoy the tram we don't go every time we are in Juneau.  The hiking trails at the top are lovely, as are the views on a lovely day.  I have always found the tram stable and there is some bench seating along the sides of the cars.  And we never pre-purchase tickets as even if the ticket line looks long it moves very quickly.

 

 

[dreams_of_travel]

On 2/7/2023 at 8:31 PM, JeannyJ said:

Hubby and I are going on an Alaskan Inside Passage cruise with HAL July 12-19. We will be in Juneau on the 14 (our 25th anniv) and after much debate we've decided that we want to head up to the Glacier over going to the Salmon Bake.  There are 2 cruise excursions up to it that we can afford ... Mendenhall Glasier Explorer (a tourbus ride through the city and up to the visitor centre) and Juneau Tram On Your Own. My hubby REALLY wants to do the tram but I'm really afraid of heights and would need to sit on the ride up (esp if the tram swings at all). Soo I need your wisdom and help in choosing!  I need to know about the bus on the first excursion and if it's accessible for larger people, and about the tram (how stable is it and how far from the cruise terminal is it, etc) and the ride up and back down. Also how groomed are the trails to where you can see the glacier?   I'm really excited about our trip and leaving the prairies behind for a while! 😊

I was at Mendenhall in May last year.  I was pleasantly surprised how accessible/smooth/paved the trails were most of the way to the glacier.  FWIW I rarely do the ship excursion b/c they don't allow enough time at the park.  I usually just book at the tour booths after getting off of the ship.  Super easy, and you can stay as long as you like at the site, which also gives you time to hike as close to the glacier as the trails allow. YMMV

[EmmyJK]

Google says a taxi from ship to Mendenhall visitors center is $35-45 each way.  That is my plan to save some money and do the trails/sights on our own time. 

 

The public transportation bus is another option I have read/watched videos about.  It is cheap but leaves you with a good bit to walk and takes much longer.  

[dreams_of_travel]

17 hours ago, EmmyJK said:

Google says a taxi from ship to Mendenhall visitors center is $35-45 each way.  That is my plan to save some money and do the trails/sights on our own time. 

 

The public transportation bus is another option I have read/watched videos about.  It is cheap but leaves you with a good bit to walk and takes much longer.  

I think the Blue Bus tour operating from the dock does a round trip for the cost of that one way taxi trip. The taxi could be problematic to try to get a return from the park.  FYI the cell service at the park can be spotty, so trying to get a taxi sent to you may not be possible.   I agree the public bus option is a long distance to walk from the bus stop, and may not be the best. 

[JeannyJ]

Thanks everyone! We decided to go another way to be sure we can be back on board in time to get ready for our anniversary evening plans. But should we return to Alaska in the future we'll remember to check for local offers to compare to the ship's excursions 😊

[Markanddonna]

On 2/11/2023 at 11:16 AM, dreams_of_travel said:

I think the Blue Bus tour operating from the dock does a round trip for the cost of that one way taxi trip. The taxi could be problematic to try to get a return from the park.  FYI the cell service at the park can be spotty, so trying to get a taxi sent to you may not be possible.   I agree the public bus option is a long distance to walk from the bus stop, and may not be the best. 

We took the Blue Bus on the fourth of July. That holiday is a BIG deal in Juneau.  We almost didn't make it back to the ship because of traffic jams.

[EmmyJK]

On 2/11/2023 at 9:16 AM, dreams_of_travel said:

I think the Blue Bus tour operating from the dock does a round trip for the cost of that one way taxi trip. The taxi could be problematic to try to get a return from the park.  FYI the cell service at the park can be spotty, so trying to get a taxi sent to you may not be possible.   I agree the public bus option is a long distance to walk from the bus stop, and may not be the best. 

So good to know!  Thanks for sharing your expertise!

[latebuyer]

I booked the mendenhall glacier and salmon hatchery. Is the hatchery worth seeing?

[SightCRR]

To anyone interested in tours in AK go to youtube and search. Just about every tour available has a video done by private folks so you can skip the ad ones. Then you can see if the tour matches what you can and want to do. My view is to get the cheapest cabin you can and spend your money on tours. sightcrr. 

[Casey12]

There are better things to do in Juneau than Mendenhall glacier (canoeing or visiting the face). It has retreated so much. The hatchery is not that exciting either.

[latebuyer]

I think not all of us want to take expensive excursions on our alasks trip or are being selective. The only expensive excursion i’m doing is the deadliest catch tour. If you have other inexpensive juneau excursions to share, please do. I’ve already been to alaska state museum. Should be salmon spawning in the summer.

[latebuyer]

Thank you for your reply though!