Mendenhall Glacier & the Juneau Icefield

Located in the Coast Mountain Range within Tongass National Forest, Juneau Icefield is North America's fifth largest icefield and blankets over 1,500 square miles of land, stretching nearly 85 miles north to south and 45 miles east to west. It feeds 38 large glaciers, including the Mendenhall, on the road system just north of Alaska's capital city, Juneau.

The Juneau Icefield is a massive accumulation of ice and snow stretching from upper Taku Inlet north to Skagway and scientists estimate that the icefield's snow and ice depth could be as deep as 4,500 feet! It lies around peaks called nunataks which push through the ice. Devil's Paw, the icefield's highest peak, straddles the Alaska-Canada border and stands 8,584 feet tall.

Mendenhall Glacier is one of the most accessible glaciers in Alaska, and you can take tours to the glacier lookout for an excellent view. Enjoy the many guided hiking trails around Mendenhall Lake which bring fabulous views of the glacier and the surrounding area. Alternitavely, flightseeing and helicopter tours, some of which land on the glacier and offer a dogsled ride, are among the options available to the visitor wishing to see the icefields.