Mendenhall Glacier sits about 13 miles north of downtown Juneau and calves into its own lake. It is the only glacier in Southeast Alaska reached by road, and it lies within Tongass National Forest. The glacier has pulled back about 1.75 miles since 1929, when Mendenhall Lake formed.

A visit centers on the Forest Service visitor center, which started as an observatory where people could get out of the rain and look at the ice. From its overlook you see the glacier face and the lake. The trails nearby explain glacial change and wildlife. Ice in crevasses shows the deepest blue, and the glacier shifts with the seasons, so no two visits look the same.

• Visitor center admission is charged for adults from May to September, and children under 16 enter free.
• No food or soft drinks are allowed in the recreation area, and dogs must be on leash.
• Visitor center hours are reduced in April and October and it has fewer days in winter, so check before you go.
• Accessing the glacier itself takes real effort, so many visitors combine the visit with Nugget Falls.