UNITED STATES

MENDENHALL GLACIER

JUNEAU, ALASKA, US

The Mendenhall Glacier is a tongue of ice stretching 12 miles from the Juneau Icefield to Mendenhall Lake. At its widest point, the glacier is more than a half mile wide, with ice 300 to 1,800 feet deep. The Mendenhall is one of 38 large and more than 100 smaller valley glaciers in the Juneau Icefield. The larger Taku, Eagle, and Herbert Glaciers are also nearby.

In 1879, naturalist John Muir named it "Auk Glacier" after a local Tlingit Indian village. In 1892, the name was changed to honor Thomas C. Mendenhall, superintendent of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. Since the mid-1700s, the glacier has been retreating. Before 1765, the face of the glacier reached 2.5 miles farther down the Mendenhall Valley.

Glacial ice has a unique crystalline structure that absorbs and reflects light, giving the ice its blue appearance. The most intense blue occurs in crevasses and when ice breaks off, or calves, from a glacier's face. The blue color fades as the ice is exposed to air and the crystalline structure breaks down. In Alaska, glacier viewing is often best on overcast and rainy days.

MENDENHALL GLACIER TREK

Trace the path of glacial succession as you introduce yourself to glacier trekking and the natural history of the Mendenhall Glacier! The trip begins with a three and a half mile trail hike through the rainforest along Mendenhall Lake.

The first mile of the trail is well maintained and goes through forests with a few switchbacks, while the second two and a half miles of the trail is hiking on bedrock with rock scrambling in steep sections. This rocky terrain is challenging and very off the beaten path.

MENDENHALL ICE CAVES OF JUNEAU, ALASKA

Mendenhall, the famously 12 mile long, 150 foot deep and half mile wide glacier melts as you watch it, and moves as much as 60-70 feet per year. The massive glacial geography and its changes over time are a sight to be seen. But it’s real beauty lies beneath. Beneath the seracs of “ice peaks” all over the glacier. Beneath the trails that wind the non-touristy western half of the glacier. Under the white outer-coating of the glacial ice itself–a beautiful if only superficial “cover”–one finds a brilliantly colored world of ice caves unlike anything I’ve found anywhere else in nature.

Neither raging nor deep, there are two waterfalls that slip down the side of adjacent Mt. McGinnis in Juneau, Alaska. These gentle streams belie their real impact on the glacier. As one follows the flow of water down the mountain, it slips under the edge of the glacier where, over thousands of years, it has carved massive caves through the ice. Known by most of the locals but far, far off the tourist track, these caves were an extraordinary experience–the kind that will live with you for the rest of your life. There’s simply nothing else like it.

The path to get there is not so much difficult as it is technical–requiring balance and calculated movements more than muscle or raw perseverance. Park at the head of Western Glacier Trail. Hike the trail out to the viewing platform atop the small knoll. There’ll be a sign pointing to it. But instead of continuing along Western Glacier Trail, you’ll take the unmarked trail from the viewing platform down towards the glacier. This path is technical and moderately arduous, but not overly long. It’ll wind through Juneau’s beautiful rain forests and take you through some areas where you will need to climb over large rocks (no climbing gear is needed–the rocks are easy, just tall). From here, you’ll begin the final descent onto the glacier itself. You WILL need ice cleats or, at minimum, crampons. Climb the glacier for a while and behold the majestic beauty of the ice upfront. You can see holes that go all the way through the glacier with constantly streaming flows of water–a reminder that the massive ice is moving and melting all the time. But before you leave, do not miss the ice caves beneath the glacier. Climb the left side of the glacier along the edge, and follow the sound and sight of the waterfalls coming down Mt. McGinnis. There are other ice caves to be found, but this is the only one I had the time for on my journey. But at several hundred yards deep before the cave opening gets to be so small you can no longer go any deeper inside, it won’t leave you disappointed.

ACTIVITIES AT MENDENHALL GLACIER

Commercial operators offer tours in the summer, including hiking, biking, rafting, canoe and kayak trips, and bus, van, taxi and shuttle tours. Thousands of visitors each year also take flightseeing tours by helicopter or fixed-wing planes. The U.S. Forest Service maintains several hiking trails near the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center, which provide a high-quality recreation experience emphasizing glacial phenomena, ecosystems, and protection of fish and wildlife. The center is open 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. daily, May to September. Admission is $3 for adults and free for children under 16. Winter hours 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Thurs.-Sun.