Mendenhall Glacier Guided Hike Juneau

This was by far our favorite tour of the whole trip. Leah was a fantastic guide, very knowledgeable, personable and made our experience unforgettable. This tour does require a decent level of physical fitness and we would caution anyone to make sure their endurance is up to the task. Only disappointment is that we could no longer get to the glacier due to the accelerated retreat but even that didn't detract from the overall enjoyment of this hike.

This was one of my favorite adventures in Alaska, such a great experience being out in nature. Mila was absolutely amazing, she knew so much about the wildlife and the history of the Mendenhall Glacier. Felt completely at ease with her. Highly recommend if you want to experience the great outdoors and see a beautiful hike!

It's a solid hike of about 4.5 miles, then you put on your crampons and go walking on a Glacier! The hike is not a flat trail but is very doable (sturdy shoes or boots are a must). It's the prize at the end that you're there for. There was an ice cave there that we got to explore a bit. Then you back track the 4.5 miles back to the car. Our guide was knowledgeable and efficient. Gear was provided and well explained (having never worn crampons before). We enjoyed it and recommend it.

Guides were fantastic and even though we couldn't safely get on the ice, they made sure we still had an amazing experience!

This was the best glacier tour we’ve done, and we’ve visited several glaciers. Our guide was Cory, and he was awesome. ABAK provided everything you need: gear (including hiking sticks), food and water. It was a small group with only 3 other people, which was nice. The trail through the miss-covered rain forest was lovely. Cory explained the geological/ecological changes that occur as a glacier recedes, which we were able to witness first hand. The pace was good, and we could stop whenever we needed to add or remove layers, eat, or take pictures without any pressure. We got to go inside an ice cave, which was awesome! Cory was more than happy to take pictures of us throughout the tour. Then we began the glacier trek, which was AMAZING! The crampons were good quality and we felt safe and secure waking over the ice. Cory made sure to show us several glacial features. We had plenty of time unlike some other glacier tours. This tour is a must for anyone traveling through Juneau. The hike back down was challenging at times as the rain made the rocks slippery. Cory was always ready to offer a hand or carry gear through tricky areas or just give advice. It was a spectacular day. I can’t recommend ABAK enough.

Hey,

This review is long overdue, but we finally got to sit down and organize the pictures from our trip to AK. The Mendenhall trek was terrific, and the ABAK guides that day went above and beyond. The equipment was top-notch, the guides seemed over-prepared and confident. A friendly and exciting group of people that seemed to enjoy the trip as much as we did. We were on the ice for hours in that time frame, another company tour with massive group sizes came and left twice. We were even lucky enough to get into an ice cave!

Thanks for everything ABAK

Amazing! Breathtaking!! An experience you must take to witness Mother Nature and her beauty from the air and in the glacier.

Great views, great encounter with nature. Beautiful colors in the glacier. The blue was amazing. A cool small gropu and The best tour guide in Juneau...

We have heard it all about how the glaciers are melting fast and are retreating, even losing height. I am glad that our family got to experience the Mendenhall Glacier in such a first-hand manner through this trek. This was our first experience of being on a glacier. And to us, the hike involved to and from the glacier made it more meaningful than the shortcut offered by a helicopter ride. The total time from pickup to drop-off was about 9 hours and it was totally worth it.

We were a private party of 3 members including our 9-year old son. Our guide was Jacques Turcotte. His guiding was professional and his company was enjoyable. He not only explained several things to note all along the hike, but also shared relevant details about his interests, job and family making us want to seek him out for other trips we may want to do in Alaska and elsewhere in future. (Because Jacques works the summers in Alaska and goes to California, Colorado etc in winter.)

Jacques picked us up on time; equipped us with our supplies-laden backpacks; gave us instructions; lent us a hand when we weren't sure of our footing; took our photos; treated us to edible berries; and even carried our son's backpack in a couple of really difficult stretches.

Since we were a party of only 3 members, Jacques had planned for us not only walking on the glacial ice, but also the descent into a crevasse where went inside a cave that had opened up in the ice. A cave with ultra blue ice like they show in National Geographic. For this Jacques had to rig the ropes system which he did expertly; patiently answering our son's morbid questions with disaster scenarios! (By the way, Jacques does ice rescues too.)

Rain would have made the already challenging hike difficult. But during the time of our visit, rains had failed in Alaska's temperate rainforest area bringing on visible drought conditions. Consequently, the walk through the rainforest area and the climb up the rocky terrains was that much easier. In the event that we had encountered a rainy stretch, we would have been vastly underprepared with our choice of footwear. (Those Alaska shoes ABAK recommends are totally worth it because the Trek happens irrespective of weather conditions.) Good cameras are a must for capturing those rare and precious moments; but there needs to be a suitably sturdy dry bag for protecting the camera in case of rains. I must also think that rains would have dampened the enthusiasm of our 9-year old; so if you are taking the young-uns, keep your fingers crossed for no rains on the day of your trek.

The snacks and water provided as part of the supplies in the backpack is mostly sufficient, though the need for water varies from person to person. You are encouraged to carry additional water bottles of your own if you think you are likely to drink more water. Of course, you could refill the water bottles they provide with glacial water as it melts and runs off!! We are vegetarians and the snacks were appropriately selected.

On the whole, I highly commend ABAK and strongly recommend Jacques Turcotte. There are other adventures that ABAK offers and I would certainly go back to them based on this experience.

Fantastic experience! Great guide! Interesting track, a lot of information and amazing pictures.Thank you!!!

Great trip but Very strenuous, must be in great shape Guides were amazing. The scenery was amazing as well.

My fiance and I did the Mendehall Glacier Trek while on a cruise. The entire experience was awesome. Incredible guides that took us onto the glacier and into a couple caves that were simply amazing. The provided all of the necessary gear and plenty of snack to keep us energized. Need to be in decent shape as the hike out to the glacier and back is over 8 miles with some minor rock scrambling.

We did the private tour to the Glacier and was an amazing experience, from all the tours we did in Alaska this was the best by far. We were a party of 4 which made things faster and easier than having a big group, we got to spend about 2.5 hours in the glacier thanks to our amazing guide Jacques who was very professional and showed us around as much as we could.

I went solo with a group of 3 others for the 8-hour Glacier Trek with our guide, Dan. I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect but was hoping for a memorable adventure. What I got was a top 5 adventurous memory to last a lifetime. Dan was super friendly and kind and really went above and beyond to give our unique group great memories. We used crampons and ice axes and explored caves and waterfalls and all manner of insanely beautiful features on the glacier. They even provided us with tons of amazing snacks! I can’t say enough about this group and company. Definitely ask for Dan! You won’t be disappointed!!

fantastic experience, very professional and attentive guide, went on the glacier and into a glacier cave.
not cheap, but I would recommend it to anyone. Be in good shape!

Our group of 7 had the best day ever with ABAK!!! This hike was everything we were expecting and more. If you are hesitating, just do it ... you won't be disappointed. My only suggestion is to assess your own physical health and ability as this is a tough trip and moves at a quick pace.

Four adults (20's and 60's+) in our group along with about 8 others. Everyone seemed to have a great time. The glacier was awesome even though it was off and on raining. We had the right gear with clear instructions on safety. Our guides were very informative and energetic. (Thanks, El and Mel!) They kept us going. Would recommend this tour.