Mendenhall Glacier View Sea Kayaking
Juneau, USA
- 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Kayak in the waters around Mendenhall Glacier safely and without needing to haul your own gear with you on this guided tour from Juneau. Get a paddling primer, then follow your guide through Fritz Cove and the protected Mendenhall Wetlands for possible views of all sorts of wildlife, including bald eagles and humpback whales.
- Kayak safely with a guide to lead the way
- All necessary equipment, including rain protection, is provided
- Stay fueled with included snacks and beverages
- Choose between morning and afternoon departures
What's Included
- Beverages
- Snacks
- Professional guide
- Transportation
- All Equipment (including rain gear, boots, spray skirt)
- Worry-free Shore Excursion Guarantee
- Gratuities
- Souvenirs (available for purchase)
- Souvenir Photo (available for purchase)
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Mount Roberts Tramway490 S Franklin St, Juneau, AK 99801, USA
On the sidewalk, under the cables of the Mt. Roberts Tram. Please be at the designated location 15 minutes prior to departure time. Alaska Travel Adventures representative will be wearing a red jacket/shirt and a red hat. Present your voucher to the representative.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.What To Expect
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Children 7-12 must be accompanied by an adult.
- Children 13-17 must have a signed parental consent form to participate in the absence of a parent or guardian.
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Minimum Weight: 40 pounds to fit into required lifejacket
- Maximum Weight: Approx 250lbs dependent on waist size to fit into kayak cockpit
- Maximum Height: Guests over 6'3" will not be able to use the rudders to steer and may be uncomfortable in the kayak
- Guests should be in good health and will need to paddle for approximately 2 hours
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- At time of booking, Cruise ship passengers must provide the following information at time of booking: ship name, docking time, disembarkation time and re-boarding time
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 48 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
This experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. If you cancel or ask for an amendment, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Katie_D
We loved seeing all the wildlife with our informative guide who shared information on what we were seeing! Lexi was great and we would highly recommend this experience to anybody.
Reviews
4.5
based on 144 reviews
Lourdes_F, Oct 2025
End of the season. It was a small group of 3 people but it was absolutely amazing. Louis was our guide and he did a phenomenal job telling us about the area and the glacier. I did not expect to see wildlife but we ended up having a group of seals follow us for most of the excursion. I guess we were their entertainment lol. We saw 3 adult bald eagles. One tip: bring waterproof gloves. The water gets cold by the glacier and the paddle is cold as well.
ariana_f, Aug 2025
Family called to confirm everything was still on for the day due to weather and they said event was cancelled due to weather. We went back to boat due to phone call. It wasn't the same trip and they didn't tell us. I sent an email to the company and they never responded so we could be reimbursed for the error caused by their employee. We are still trying to be reimbursed and hope to have resolution.
Yafen_F, Jul 2025
We had high hopes for this excursion based on the reviews but were disappointed. It was our grandson’s 9th birthday celebration treat. The bus ride to the launching site was about 15 minutes. The location was just a rocky beach with a faraway view of Mendenhall Glacier. Each of us were given boots and splash skirts (raincoat were optional). There were approximately 4 groups of 8-10 people each assigned to a guide. Our guide was Michael. After a quick tutorial of how to Kayak, we were on the water. We did not get anywhere near the glacier and the wild life was limited to an eagle perched on a wood stump which can only be seen clearly with a binocular. Although the scenery was peaceful, this excursion is mainly just kayaking. Michael was a decent guide.
I left arm got soaking wet from water getting inside the sleeve of my raincoat. When getting out of the Kayak, my entire back got drenched; not sure why but maybe it had to do with removing the splash skirt wrong. Michael was busy helping the others. There were tons of gnat-like bugs swarming around our faces when we returned to the shore. A few of them bit me. Ironically, 2 eagles flew super close to the dock which was the best wildlife viewing we had after the excursion has concluded.
We were the last group to finish so the snack tray was pretty much eaten with 1 slice of sausage meat left. The tour company did not replenish. Drink option was hot cider.
On the way back, the driver of the bus had several of the ceiling and side windows open so I was freezing in my wet clothes. It was not fun at all.
The tour company also moved our departure time forward by 1 hour but only gave us a 1-day notice. Based on the lack of wildlife sightings and being so far from the glacier, we felt it was not worth the $909 price we paid for our party of 6. We would not do this excursion again.
Rick_B, May 2025
What a great time my wife and I had doing the Mendenhall Glacier View Sea Kayaking. The weather was perfect, and the eagles were out, but our guides, Anna and Savannah, made the trip so worth it. Thank you for the great time.
Tamara_A, Sep 2024
Great experience, wonderful view, good snacks and apple cider. Good vibes and excellent explanations
Donna_D, Aug 2024
Beautiful scenery. We thought we’d be closer to the Mendenhall Glacier so we were a bit disappointed.
Lisa_W, Aug 2024
Great time was had by all except my eldest and her grandpa who had a kayak that was taking on water through a hole. They still had a nice time, but the paddling was significantly harder and wetter.
Craig_F, Jul 2024
The Alaska Adventures operator of this tour had 4 young employees at the pick-up location who were not even trying to find us when we arrived in a crowded area under the Juneau tramway. After I called their office and was advised to look for red jackets the employees were still not visible in the crowds. Then the operator on the phone suggested I look under a small clump of trees at the end of the sidewalk and I found the employees in the red jackets. They said that others for the tour had arrived early so they sent the shuttle on without us even though we arrived at the time on the ticket.
Luke_J, Jun 2024
Great time and great view!!!!!!! We saw eagles and sea otters super close. Our family loved it. Thanks!
Paul_M, Jun 2024
We had a great time,vans Tyler,vour guide was very helpful and knowledgeable.
We had a sunny day which made it all the better.
Thoroughly recommend this experience.
Christopher_G, Oct 2023
They canceled us. We went to the glacier by other means and found out they did run the tour. I’m assuming they over booked and booted us with the excuse it was too windy and white caps. Not true.
Katie_D, Aug 2023
We loved seeing all the wildlife with our informative guide who shared information on what we were seeing! Lexi was great and we would highly recommend this experience to anybody.
LINDA_W, Jul 2023
We enjoyed our tour guide, Nolan, who was very knowledgeable about the area.
We were disappointed that we didn’t kayak more of the area.
Hannah_W, Jul 2023
Great trip! You will get wet so please expect to get wet. They give you a rain coat, paddle skirt and boots. No rain pants just as a heads up. We got to see a couple seals and eagles. Beautiful views.
Rashard_B, May 2023
Great time. Our tour guide Lexi knew just where to take us to see eagles and tons of seals. Very fun, no rush. And there were snacks!
Kathleen_L, Sep 2021
Wet but lots of fun. We were surrounded my seals at one point. Wished we could have been closer to the glacier
Travel-Gal, Aug 2021
Did not meet expectations. While technically we got what we paid for, we were surprised that the kayaking was off Douglas Island and not closer to Mendenhall Glacier. While we did have a “view” of it, it was miles away. Nothing like the photos in the listing. Also, the listing says a possibility of whale sightings, however the guides told our group there were zero chances of that. That seemed a little sketchy. Finally, we were supposed to have a guide, but our driver said virtually nothing the whole rode and our kayak guide (Frank) gave us no info about where we were going or what to do. I literally had to yell his name twice to find out where we were going. When I asked about the plan he said it was “hard to keep up with so many” of us. There were five boats and he seemed to have a great conversation with us kayak-mate about his college plans, but he told us very little about the cove. Both the driver and kayak “guide” mentioned lack of staffing. Maybe they were exhausted.
We did get to see some cute seals.
We have done 4+ other tours while in Juneau for 10 days. All the others were great. I’d skip this one.
Cindy_V, Jul 2021
Was great to get a perspective of the glaciers from the air. Our guides and pilot were fun, friendly and knowledgeable. Was truly epic!! Highly recommend this tour. Thank you all, so very much.
kathy_d, Jul 2021
Great activity for a fit family. We had 6, 2 in each kayak. Nisha Was a friendly and fun guide. They provided gear that kept us warm dry and safe. They also provided water and snacks at the end.
Benjamin_H, Jul 2021
Nisha was knowledgeable and great with my 10 year old! Top marks. We brought our family of 6. We paddled for 1.5 hours. They provided gear to keep us warm and dry and snacks and water.
Meredith_E, Jun 2021
We enjoyed every moment of this adventure. Our guide, Jameson, was experienced and knowledgeable. We had two children in our group and he engaged them and helped when needed. We had a sunny day and The views were amazing. Thanks for a great experience.
Nanette_L, Jun 2021
Cami and Shane were both great tour guides! Shane picked us up ,as a special courtesy, on time, at our hotel. It was a very windy day on the glacier. It was a tough paddle, but worthwhile. We appreciated the healthy snacks once we were ashore! Strenuous, but worth it for the experience.
Nanette age 65
Dennis age 73
Roving828985, Sep 2019
This tour was cancelled due to bad weather but we were rebooked for the Canoe experience with no additional cost and no issues. Highly recommend this Tour operator.
Jeff_N, Jul 2019
Gabe gave our group an exemplary kayaking tour! The Mendenhall glacier was the backdrop to the awesome crisp sea/lake kayaking trip. Our witty guide Gabe was able to give us lots of facts about Alaska. He also shared interesting history about Juaneu. We saw eagles and sea otters and even a sea lion. We were also given some pretty amazing local snacks at the end of the tour. I would recommend this family fun excursion.
Yamira P, Aug 2016
We did this tour expecting something totally different. The Mendenhall Glacier is like 10 miles away meaning that you can't see anything about the glacier, in between you and the glacier there are pines and houses and that obstructs even more the view of the Glacier. You don't do the kayak in the open sea, is in a bay and the possibilities of a whale in there are very low we didn't see any, not even far away although it was high season. We got the opportunity to see Bald Eagles and Sea Lions. They took us to the back of the bay were the water didn't move and there was a lot of sea grass to see a Salmon Farm, that was simply disgusting to see.
In the other hand the personal was very friendly, the snacks, equipment and tour bus were very good.
They should be more clear about what the this is about, if you are looking for a better view of the glacier and close encounter with whales don't take this tour.
Alan S, Jul 2016
Very enjoyable kayak paddling day. We were a little disappointed that the Mendenhall glacier was so far off, as there are tours that allow paddlers to traverse the glacial melt pool right at the glacier and we thought that was what we were doing. Nonetheless, this was a very nice tour.
Eric M, Jun 2016
Very pretty location, however, our trip was cut short as the wind picked up in the afternoon and made the water a little choppy. We only kayaked for about half the time we were supposed to. I would only recommend this trip if you can do it in the morning.
From $159.00
per person-You will not receive a refund if you cancel.
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Mendenhall Glacier View Sea Kayaking
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