Trip Review: Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau, Alaska

In August 2008, while planning a trip to Glacier Bay National Park in Gustavus, Alaska, we decided to spend a day in Juneau. Although Juneau is a cruise ship stopping point, it was not as crowded as some cruise ship destinations.

Arriving late in the evening, we found our hotel - the Best Western Country Lane, about 2 miles from the airport. When we arrived, they had upgraded us to their property down the street - Grandma's Feather Bed.

Grandma's Feather Bed is a B & B style hotel with complimentary continental and hot breakfast. The hotel was comfortable and centrally located. Although not walking distance to town, the airport or Mendenhall Glacier, it is only about 15 minutes drive to any of these locations.

After breakfast we headed into downtown Juneau, to beat the traffic we had heard about. There were 4 cruise ships in town (they can get up to 5), but the town hadn't opened up yet. It was around 8:00 am and only 1-2 shops had opened. We explored the town and watched fish being sorted at the fishing dock. By lunchtime, the town had come to life, but there was still not as much traffic as we expected. We ate lunch near the cruise docs at two of the food carts - Tracy's King Crab Shack has wonderful crab cakes (6 for $10). We also sampled the crab bisque, which was creamy and sweet, really hitting the spot (and they ship). Andy's Jalepeno Grill had a lightly breaded Halibut and chips for $15, which was not greasy and was some of the best fish & chips I've had.

Downtown Juneau is where the Mount Roberts Tramway is located. We did not take the Tram due to fog in the morning, but would expect it has a wonderful view of the bay and mountains surrounding Juneau. With only a day to explore, we drove the 15 minutes or so to Mendenhall Glacier. In the morning, there was still fog on the mountains, but the sun was trying to peek through. This is also where all of the cruise ship passengers were, but getting off onto the walking trails, it did not feel crowded! There are several short hikes through the rain forest and along the streams, as well as more advanced and longer trails. Although other hikers had crossed paths with bears, unfortunately, we never saw them. We were able to view the salmon as they started to make their way up the river but never saw the bears fishing. When we went back to Mendenhall later in the day, it was much quieter since the cruise ship passengers had gone back to town and the ships. For some photos of Juneau and the Mendenhall Glacier go to: http://www.associatedcontent.com/slideshow/7130/alaska_juneau_and_mendenhall_glacier.html

A short drive to Auke, where the ferry dock is didn't have much to offer. There is a park along the bay, but not much else in that area.

There are several grocery stores in Juneau, so if you are heading over to Gustavus and Glacier Bay, it is recommended that you purchase a few supplies to take with you. Gustavus has limited options and much higher prices.

For us, a day in Juneau was enough, but worth the day.

For information on the Glacier Bay portion of the trip visit my trip review: Trip Review; Glacier Bay National Park Gustavus Alaska . You can also view my photos of Glacier Bay and Humpback Whales at:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/slideshow/7328/glacier_bay_national_park.html

http://www.associatedcontent.com/slideshow/7737/humpback_whales_in_gustavus_alaska.html

http://www.associatedcontent.com/slideshow/7829/gustavus_alaska_wildlife_and_scenery.html