Juneau Shore Excursion: Mendenhall Glacier Canoe, Paddle and Hike

Recommended by 99% of travelers

Badge of Excellence

Juneau, USA

5 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Make the most of your time while your ship is docked and experience Mendenhall Glacier on this small-group shore excursion from Juneau. Travel by land and water on a combo adventure with canoeing and a short hike. Soak up views of icebergs, waterfalls, and cliffs as you paddle around Mendenhall Lake toward the glacier. Afterwards, get a close-up view on a short hike.

Choose from several start times to suit your schedule
Skip equipment rentals with all gear included
Enjoy a personalized experience in a small group
Relax with hassle-free pickup from hotels or cruise port

What's Included

Local taxes
Bottled water
Snacks
Professional guide
All necessary paddling equipment
Rain gear and rubber boots
National Park fees

Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

The “C” Sign, located near the cruise ship docks directly between Mt. Roberts Tramway and the green Taku Smokeries building, is our centralized downtown meeting location for all clients in the downtown area, including the majority of cruise ship passengers. Clients staying at major hotels in the Mendenhall Valley may be picked up directly from their hotel. Clients with their own transportation need to contact our office to arrange a meeting location.

Meeting point

490 S Franklin St, Juneau, AK 99801, USA
The “C” Sign, located near the cruise ship docks directly between Mt. Roberts Tramway and the green Taku Smokeries building, is our centralized downtown meeting location for all clients in the downtown area, including the majority of cruise ship passengers.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

Above & Beyond Alaska

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Mendenhall Glacier

3 hours 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

West Glacier Trailhead

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Not recommended for travelers with back problems
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Travelers should have a strong physical fitness level
Age minimum of 12 years or older only
This tour requires a minimum of 4 to operate. If minimum requirement is not met, reservation is subject to change or cancellation
Maximum weight 250 pounds
All clients will be outfitted in 8 person or 12 person canoes, with 1 to 2 guides depending on the group size.

All clients must be in physically fit condition and capable of paddling 5-6 miles and hiking about 2 miles roundtrip. All clients must know how to swim.
With group departures we try to maximize our trip capacity and subsequently may need to alter the time to accommodate additional customers. If your trip's departure time changes we will notify you as soon as possible.
Glacier Access and feature exploration: The Mendenhall Glacier is receding daily. Because the glacier is in a state of constant change, not all features may be present or accessible. We will explore the edges of the glacier safely from the bedrock. This tour does not include trekking on the glacier.
A specific amount of time exploring the edge of the glacier cannot be guaranteed. The amount of time at the glacier is dependent on the group's pace and weather conditions.
Clients must disclose information regarding pertinent medical conditions/history, allergies and any type of restriction or limitation that might introduce a higher degree of challenge on this trip.
RELEASE OF LIABILITY/ASSUMPTION OF RISK FORM: Every participant on the trip must sign a Release of Liability/Assumption of Risk form at the start of the trip. Alterations and/or deletions to the waiver are not permitted.
Due to the inherent risks involved, we do not permit pregnant guests to participant.
You must include the following in the comments section when booking: raingear & shoe sizes for each passenger, (for adult men and women, S-XXL and youth, S-L) and any pertinent medical information. Smallest shoe size that can be accommodated is Youth 2 and largest is Adult 14.
Maximum weight limit is 250 lbs per person
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travelers

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Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

4.9

based on 76 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Great Company

Dave_W, Oct 2025

All of the employees were very friendly and helpful. The whole day was a great experience. Rain gear, boots and snacks were provided. The guides gave great information on everything that we were seeing and what was there before.

Response from Host, Jan 2026

Thank you for the great review! We’re so happy to hear you had a wonderful experience and that our team helped make the day enjoyable. We’re glad the provided gear and snacks were appreciated and that the information shared along the way added to your adventure. We truly appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback!

Fun canoeing and glacier experience

Barry_H, Jul 2024

Really great experience. Canoeing was fun a little strenuous going toward the glacier against the wind. Got up very close to the glacier. Good narration by the guide of the flora and fauna around the glacier. Organized, had all of our equipment out and ready to go when we arrived at the shop. Just really nice people overall.

Response from Host, Jul 2024

We are over the moon about the experience you had with us on our canoe paddle trip. It is so fun to hear about everyone'd first hand experience out with the Mendenhall Glacier. Thank you for taking the time to write us a review, we look forward to having you join us again soon for another adventure!

Decent Excursion

Michael_S, May 2024

The tour was fun but I just could not give it 5 stars. The title is a bit oversold. You take a drive to the park where you start "hiking" to the canoe. It's more of a short nature trail. The guide was informative about the plants and where the glacier once was (sorry I can't remember her name). Once we got to the canoe she paired us up and gave brief instructions on paddling and getting the boat in the water etc. It's 3 miles to the glacier and 3 miles back, in the rain. My rain gear didn't hold up well in the rear end. The glacier was just a very short walk away, again no hiking. The closest we got to the glacier was several football fields away. It was breathtaking. The staff provided us with rain gear/boots, dry bags and lots of snacks which were well appreciated. All in All it was a good excursion but not quite like the description.

Response from Host, May 2024

Thank you Michael for taking the time to share your review, we value feedback as we are always looking at ways to improve our operations. We apologize if the description of the tour led to different expectations. We strive to provide clear and accurate information about our excursions, and we'll take your comments into consideration to improve our descriptions. We're sorry to hear that your rain gear didn't hold up well. We provide rain gear to ensure our guests stay as comfortable as possible in unpredictable weather, and we'll review our equipment to see if improvements can be made.We're glad to hear that you found the tour enjoyable and appreciated the informative guide and the breathtaking views of the glacier. Thank you again for your feedback. We hope to have the opportunity to provide you with an even better experience on a future excursion. Safe travels!

Hard work for arms, but precious experience

Michiko_S, Sep 2019

Paddling was hard work so that I got arm muscle pain for next three days. But the guides are very kind and skillful, making sure our safety on glacier. This tour is definitely the highlight of my Alaska trip!

Amazin day!

Ines B, Sep 2019

Fantastic and wonderful experience! The guide was excellent, very enthusiastic and with knowledge of the area. It can be done perfectly, the most complicated part was that we rowed all at once.

Experience of a Lifetime

Nicole_C, Aug 2019

This was such a fun adventure, the agenda was exactly what happened! I traveled solo on the Ruby Princess from Seattle to AK and decided to do my research on Viator and TripAdvisor for tours. If you want an off-the-beaten path/less expensive/mid-active/unique tour that cruise ships won't offer and the chance to walk on the Mendenhall Glacier before it melts all away, I highly recommend booking this tour and also with Above and Beyond Alaska (ABAK). ABAK shuttle brings the group to ABAK's central warehouse operations to get outfitted for the tour - the warehouse was very clean, organized, and had a bunch of awesome gear that you can purchase (t-shirts, hats, etc.). They even gave us a free ABAK reusable water bottle for the tour and also gave it away as a parting gift - really thoughtful way to show how much they appreciate their customers. I appreciated bonding with all the people I have come to share this experience with. I had the honor of being led by guides Mike and Dan on the 7/22/19 afternoon trip - you guys totally were so helpful (taking pics of our group, being so patient and attentive with me due to my torn ACL issue while walking on the glacier), informative, and fun to chat with. Thanks so much for making my experience from canoeing to walking on the Mendenhall Glacier life moments to remember.