Many people from all around the world come to Alaska to see this natural phenom enon. Root & Kennicott Glaciers - These two adjacent glaciers are . It is 12 miles (19 km) from downtown Juneau in the southeast of the U.S. state of Alaska. The ice extends about 100-250 feet under the water. Zachariae Isstrom glacier, in northeast Greenland, for instance, is losing 5 billion tons per year. The Mendenhall Glacier trek and climb is suitable for most ages and abilities, but you need to be in shape: the trek lasts up to 6.5 hours, and covers about 8 miles (12.8 km) total. The glacier has been retreating for 300 to 400 years, since the Little Ice Age, and has peeled back another 1.75 miles since 1929. West Glacier Trail: 8 miles and 2000 vertical feet cumulative elevation change offers a challenging yet rewarding approach to the glacier; Duration: Summer, 5-8 hours. The Mendenhall Glacier is twelve miles from downtown Juneau, Alaska. The most famous Alaskan ice caves are located under Mendenhall, Root, Spencer, Matanuska, and Kennicott Glaciers. There are an abundance of caves in Alaska but the ones . It is 1,800 ft. deep and a half-mile wide and even though it is the most visited glacier in Alaska, most people only see it from afar. Its breathable fabric also makes it suitable to wear when doing sports. The caves often form when water flows through a glacier and melts out a passageway in . Mendenhall Glacier is a very popular tourist destination, conveniently located just 12 miles from downtown Juneau, Alaska, so if you happen to be in Juneau or are planning a trip there, a visit at least to the glacier is a must. 3. Ground trip ground transportation in a chauffeured 4-passenger sedan, including at stop at the marriage license office. For Residential Sales inquiries, please call +1 954 538 8449 // +44 20 75721231. Mendenhall Glacier West Hike - Ice Caves. The 1,500 square mile range contains 38 individual glaciers of various sizes. Now you can make a t-shirt that is completely and uniquely your own! . From there you can take trails to the ice caves. Cave formation is not dependent on time of year or weather. Salmon Thompson makes his way through a jumble of ice block at the entrance of an ice cave at the Mendenhall Glacier on Monday, Feb. 11, 2019. . Mendenhall Glacier is Alaska's only drive up glacier and the #1 natural attraction in Juneau. A glacier cave under Mendenhall Glacier Mendenhall Glacier (in Tlingit language " St") is a glacier about 13.6 miles (21.9 km) long located in Mendenhall Valley, about 12 miles (19 km) from downtown Juneau in the southeast area of the U.S. state of Alaska. Mendenhall is well known for its ice caves. Pictures showing the ice cave's. 10 thoughts on " Mendenhall Glacier Trek Alaska " Deb . The front, back, sleeves and even the . You won't believe your ice! Juneau Ice Field, glacier, Mendenhall, Alaska. The high melt rate has thinned the Mendenhall Glacier in the area reducing the elevation of the ice dam and hence the size of the lake in 2019 vs 2018. Glaciers should only be approached with a professional guide. The snowline separates . A time-lapse video shows eight years of retreat at Alaska's Mendenhall Glacier in just seconds. Although in recent years it have exceeded that it lost over 600 ft. It's possible to explore without a guide, but not recommended for novices! And in recent years the amount it recedes seems more dramatic as the landscape around it becomes visible. Take the short hike to Nugget Falls, which is a beautiful waterfall at the base of Mendenhall Glacier. The glacier is about 13.6 miles (21.9 kilometers) long and is federally protected , along with the surrounding landscape, as part of the Tongass National Forest. Print your own designs on this fully customizable t-shirt that is perfect for everyday wear. Mendenhall Glacier Mendenhall Glacier, blue ice sheet, 12 miles (19 km) long, southeastern Alaska, U.S. 3 mile out and back hike/cross country ski/snowshoe across the frozen Mendenhall Lake, culminating at extensive ice caves for some mild spelunking; Duration: Winter, 3-4 hours. Mendenhall Glacier West Hike - Ice Caves. A truly awe-inspiring trip for those ready for it. Mendenhall Glacier is about 12 miles north of Juneau, five miles north of the Juneau International Airport. Mendenhall Glacier, a twelve-mile-long mass of ice in Juneau, Alaska, is a widespread tourist attraction. However, there are no public trails to the Mendenhall Glacier ice caves, and while beautiful, glaciers are ever-changing and may be dangerous. It's a must-see destination for any Alaska vacation. The Mendenhall Glacier and many others along the Southeast Alaska coast are remnants of the Little Ice Age which began about 3,000 years ago. Spectacular views of Mendenhall Glacier and icebergs floating in the lake Trails, easy to moderate, through the forest and along the lake Wildlife-- mountain goats, bears, beavers, spawning salmon in season Nugget Falls cascading down the mountainside near the glacier No food or drink other than water, May through September due to bear activity. The snowline separates . A half-mile wide, with ice up to 1,800 feet deep, it's little wonder this is Juneau's most popular destination. As we exited the ice cave, we got our first look straight up the Mendenhall Glacier and realized its enormity. But it's real beauty lies beneath. The terminus has retreated 3 km during the 20th century and the lower part of the glacier has thinned 200 m or more since 1909. attributable to glacier shrinkage. The weather outside might be warm, but we've got our eyes on the cool ice in Alaska. Simultaneously, the glacier is over 13 miles long and occupies the Mendenhall Valley in Alaska's southeast corner. Of course, one of the best attractions is the Mendenhall Glacier which contains a series of ice caves that are just 10 miles from the town of Juneau. As you follow your guide through the dense vegetation, around beaver ponds, and up rock scrambles, the wilderness trail becomes less defined. Mendenhall ice cave is one of the most amazing natural phenomena that can be found in Alaska, United States. To keep things simple, when describing the Mendenhall ice caves, we mean a "cave" that is formed within a body of ice (usually a glacier) as water flows through the glacier and forms a passageway. We'll travel in 8 person or 12 person canoes skippered by 1 to 2 guides. . It's better to order a tour with an experienced guide (usually offered from July till September). This is a fantastic adventure and I highly recommend to anyone looking for an exciting Alaskan outdoor a. Mother nature determines when an Ice Cave is formed and there is no way to predict when this will happen. As it turns out, yes, there is definitely time to get to Mendenhall and back, even on a relatively short layover. In west Antartica, ice loss at the massive Pine Island glacier -- believed to be the single . . In the summer, the Mendenhall Glacier recedes anywhere from 500-750 feet! Granted, the total disappearance of the Mendenhall glacier would probably take centuries. Click and drag to look around. The glacier itself is almost 13 miles long and is tucked in amongst the mountains. . 5033. A 20-minute drive from Juneau, this 13-mile glacier has the most stunning blue frozen caves in all of Alaska. The caves would shelter your PCs from the harsh environment . As we approach the glacier, keep your eyes open for freshly calved ice bergs and feel the cool breeze generated by the ice. The Mendenhall Glacier is a natural wonder located in the Mendenhall Valley in Juneau, Alaska. Forecasts from the University of Alaska Fairbanks . One, the Mendenhall glacier, runs 13 miles long down the ridge, and from the outside looks just like any of its fellow glaciers. It is a six- to eight-hour hike to reach the iconic cave and you must bring the necessary glacier-travel equipment such as crampons and an ice axe. . Today, its capital city, Juneau, plays host to a million visitors a year over 90% of them arriving by cruise ship. The Mendenhall Glacier Tour begins with a 4-mile hike through the Tongass National Forest - the largest temperate rainforest in the world, dominated by towering Sitka Spruce and Hemlock Trees. A guided tour is recommended to make sure the caves are accessible and secure, as they are known to melt and cave in. Toll Free: (888) 586-2201 (888) 586-2201 Phone: (907) 586-2201 (907) 586-2201 From there you can take trails to the ice caves. Rising global temperatures have carved beautifully fragile caves in it that stretch twelve miles. As ice melts at the 1 & 1/2 mile wide glacier front, it deposits its load of rock and debris and builds land forms called moraines. It is a prime example of a receding glacier it is said to recede up to 150 ft per year. ). (Photo by Skip Gray) Mendenhall Glacier 6000 Glacier Spur Rd, Juneau, AK 99801, USA +1 907-789-0097 + - Leaflet More info Fri - Sun 10am - 4pm Taking a helicopter to a glacier Stepping out of a helicopter onto the middle of an Alaskan glacier is pretty breathtaking. One of the most amazing ways to experience this area is . The minimum age for participation on this tour is 12 years old. The high melt rate has thinned the Mendenhall Glacier in the area reducing the elevation of the ice dam and hence the size of the lake in 2019 vs 2018. The grounds surrounding the visitor center are open from 6:00 a.m. to midnight year-round. Ice cave tours usually run from July to September. While the Mendenhall Glacier caves are very well known, ice caves form in most of the glaciers across Alaska, coming and going as water carves its way through the glacier ice. Traffic across Mendenhall Lake to and from the face of the Mendenhall Glacier and a nearby ice cave was heavy Feb. 16, 2019, just as it has been most weekends since freeze-up. Pick-up from the cruise docks and many Juneau hotels is included and from there a short ride over to Mendenhall Valley and the West Glacier Trailhead. JUNEAU -- A Mendenhall Glacier ice cave that had become a popular but increasingly dangerous attraction has collapsed, according to the U.S. Forest Service. The world's glaciers are shrinking at alarming rates. The visitor center will be closed during the month of April for staff training. The massive glacial geography and its changes over time are a sight to be seen. Mendenhall Glacier West Hike - Ice Caves. . For those adventurous, it's possible to hike to Mendenhall Glacier along the West Glacier Trail. Mendenhall Glacier is a dynamic maritime glacier in southeast Alaska that is undergoing substantial recession and thinning. The Mendenhall Glacier is a 12-mile-long glacier in the Mendenhall Valley, only 12 miles from downtown Juneau in southeast Alaska. You'll wear a backpack weighing up to 15 pounds (7 kg) that is equipped with mountaineering gear, snacks, water, and any extra clothing you bring. The glacier and its surroundings are protected as the 5,815 acre Mendenhall Glacier Recreational Area, a federally designated unit of the Tongass National Forest. They can range in size from small, barely-squeeze-through tunnels to huge crane-your-neck-to-see-it-all caverns. The Mendenhall Ice Caves Provide an Otherworldly Experience. The land route is unmarked and can be steep and slippery. My Alaska Airlines flight arrived into Juneau around 12:40 pm. The glacier is 13 miles long and sits in a part of the Tongass National Forest knowns as the Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area. Juneau, Alaska, is the closest and nearest town, which is about 12 miles away. One of 38 glaciers that emerges from the 1500 square mile Juneau Ice Field, runs 13 miles long into the Mendenhall Valley eventually ending in the Mendenhall Lake where it is primarily viewed today.