Best glaciers to see on my itinerary

[eyern1]

My cruise hits Juneau, Hoonah (Icy strait point), Sitka, Skagway, cruises Hubbard glacier and ends in Seward.  The times I've noticed on Excursions that go to the Mendenhall Visitors Center don't provide a lot of time to see the glacier unless you are on one that's dedicated to it only. As well, those are the only ones that actually seem to  get close to it.  I would like to do a whale watching and glacier combo there but our hours there aren't the best for that as we are there from 1p-10p, making time spent at the visitors center, falls and viewing tight before things shut down for the day if we go whale watching first. I'm sure Ill be impressed by Mendenhall, but are there other places on my trip where it's better or more so, MUCH better than Mendenhall? I guess I'm asking if I'm worrying that only being at the visitors center for about an hour is really adequate or worth worrying about because the glacier viewing just keeps getting better after that?

[oaktreerb]

Hubbard Glacier is a huge tidewater glacier  and much more impressive than Mendenhall.   If you can take a small boat excursion off the ship you will get much closer.  If you have time in Seward you could do the 6 hour Kenai Fjords tour which will come close to a smaller tide water glacier.  In Seward is also Exit Glacier.  Both Mendenhall and Exit Glacier are shrinking and not terribly impressive,  

[wolfie11]

Having been to pretty much all of the glaciers, my ratings would be Glacier Bay #1, followed by Hubbard Glacier, College Fjords (Harvard Glacier), Dawes Glacier (Endicott Arm), and down on the list would be the Sawyer glaciers in Tracy Arm and Mendenhall.  Other good glaciers that require a special trip or tour are Taku Glacier, Hole in the Wall (Taku Lodge), Aialik Glacier in Kenai Fjords, and Davidson Glacier (Safari Point Wilderness).

 

My personal favorite is a small glacier at the entrance to Tracy Arm called Sumdum Glacier, but it's rapidly melting away.

[AKStafford]

If you can add an extra couple of days, you could transfer to Anchorage from Seward, rent a car and drive to the Matanuska Glacier for a guided glacier hike.

[donaldsc]

Not accessible by cruise ship but Root Glacier in Wrangell-Elias National Park near Kennicott is neat and you can hike on it.    https://www.nps.gov/places/root-glacier.htm.  The glacier is easily accessible by land and Kennicott is well worth a visit.  The problem with most people who visit AK is that if it isn't close to or on a ship tour they don't know anything about it.

 

DON

Edited March 11, 2023 by donaldsc

[eyern1]

Thanks. So it sounds like my time at Mendenhall will be adequate since Hubbard will be much more impressive and I can' get too close to the glaciers anyway.  I won't rule out kayaking but the wife definitely wouldn't do it so I probably won't this time, but hopefully we can come back in the next 10 years and do a bucket list Alaska including inland adventures and flying over and standing on glaciers.

[Coral]

I personally would skip the visitor's center in Mendenhall. Honestly, Mendenhall visit is my least favorite (unless you are landing on the glacier via helicopter).