We did not book an
excursion. Instead we took a $5 (for both ways) shuttle to Mendenhall
Glacier. The shuttles are very easy to find, and ticket booths for several
companies are set up lining the dock area. They don’t honor each others
tickets though, so make sure that you find your company’s shuttle!
Shuttles leave every 30 minutes, both to Mendenhall and returning from
Mendenhall. Our shuttle driver even gave us a tour-lecture during the
short ride. Once at the glacier, we paid $3 per person for the visitor’s
center. If you only want to use the rest room or the book store, you don’t
even have to pay the $3. This ended up being a very inexpensive but
delightful trip for us. The weather was overcast but not raining. It was
cool and comfortable, wearing jeans, long sleeved shirt and light jacket.
The glacier was beautiful, and we took a hike over to the waterfall which
is as close to the glacier as you can get. We didn’t know the trails, but
they were easy to figure out. While at the waterfall, we heard the
thunderous roar as the glacier unexpectedly calved. Don’t expect to see
any wildlife here - although it was not crowded, there were too many
people around for the animals to make an appearance. We had been told that
you could see all you wanted to see of Mendenhall in about an hour. We
were there for about three hours. If you are physically able and like to
walk or hike, take the time to explore the trails here. It is
breathtakingly beautiful.
