Magical Mendenhall Glacier Ice Caves! Juneau, Alaska

Sep 13, 2017

4 min read

Hello Friends! Today I am in Juneau, Alaska. And todays post is specifically about travel and adventure. One of my favorite days to date while traveling was hiking to the Mendenhall Glacier Ice Caves. Not only to walk on top of a glacier but actually go inside the ice cave, which is not encouraged and actually very dangerous. Considering it is an extreme hike as well as the glacier is rapidly melting and has been proven to collapse from time to time, due to all the shifts in climate it is well possible the Glacier might eventually disappear in time. But thats what makes it so adventurous as well as one of the most magical days I have experienced. So today I’d like to share this experience with you, and hopefully if you get to Juneau someday you can use this as a reference to assist you along your journey and if not hopefully you enjoy hearing about it through my experience.

We started our journey by taking a taxi from downtown Juneau to the Mendenhall West Glacier Trail (about 12 miles from downtown.) Interesting fact if traveling to Juneau Alaska you can only arrive by Air or Water it is not possible by Road. (West Glacier Trail, Juneau, AK 99801)

https://goo.gl/maps/bQQURmc6txx

Here is where we started our hike into the wilderness. There is of course the option to visit the Mendenhall Glacier tourist point which all can see the actual glacier from a distance as well as Nugget Falls waterfall but without hiking the 4.5 mile round trip (average of 3.5-4.5 hours) you will not experience the magical part of entering inside the glacier ice cave. So I recommend experiencing the adventurous hike if your physically able to do so. It is an extreme hike and can be dangerous also unmarked along the way, good hiking boots or crampons (ice cleats for your shoes) are recommended, especially with walking on ice, loose rocks, inclines and declines. Also note its Alaska be sure to have a rain jacket or umbrella with you at all times. About a mile and half into the hike, we see plenty of little water falls (melting from the glacier,) plant life, birds, mushrooms, smaller creatures, luckily we didn't come across any bears, but it is possible to encounter them on this journey (remember play dead/I am not a bear expert.) After an hour and half the hike starts to get a bit more strenuous and difficult. We continue to follow the pink ties we spot from time to time marked on trees to help us find our way. Along the path we get to a pretty intense uphill mountain, it's not actual mountain climbing, but it is still a tough mountain to make it up, here we came across a sign where the glacier once was, before recession, in 1985. This mark is definitely a picturesque moment and also a nice little resting point.

We continue our journey around the Lake and through the woods to Mendenhall Glacier we go, up hill down hill, continuing to follow the marked ties (also some small rocks stacked on rock structures built up vertical to help guide along the way.) We finally see it, we see the glacier where it meets Mendenhall Lake. At this point we are walking on land left under what was once Glacier, theres not much plant life growing as we get closer to the Glacier, as it takes years after a glacier melts before life will begin to grow. But its very ridged, rough, and dangerous to walk on as it is quite uneven. The last half of mile we continue over the uneven terrine and eventually start to walk on the ice. This is where it starts to get magical. The ice visually is blue still dirty and not yet that intense blue/green color you will see inside when the ice is compact from years and years of being compressed. (air bubbles squeezed out and ice crystals become enlarged.) As we get closer we see a cave where you have a choice to then enter or not. At first, I had no doubt in my mind to just wandered down into the deep dark cave, getting closer I see the intense blues, hear the water melting, dripping, flowing, cracking. Once inside and hearing these sounds of rushing water, I started to second guess my decision, thinking this could collapse with the sun shining down and melting the ice at any given moment. I heard big chunks of ice crackling and crashing down around me. Yup, at this point I did panic a little and thought to myself I have enjoyed my moments of magic, maybe its better to not over stay my visit. So I made my way back out to sit on the ice, still part of the glacier but safer to really take it all in. As Im sitting there I took notice there was two different ways to enter and exit the cave and plenty of other people brave enough to stay a little longer inside and even venture deeper into the crevasses, but It is certainly more of a risk. I did make my way back in one more time through the other entrance, looking up was a huge already collapsed ice hole, where I was able to see the clouds and blue sky while standing inside the blue Ice cave, so many blues, so vibrant! The feeling inside the Glacier is unexplainable, to try and think back to the Ice age and how this was what earth was and how it is continually changing, this moment left a real impact on my life. I feel blessed to experience being inside this magnificent thing as in future years to come this specific one may not even exist. After this moment of bliss the hike back seemed to pass by very quickly and back to reality I came. What a magical journey it was and I hope each of you have the opportunity to experience a glacier adventure in your future!

If you are off on a glacier adventure yourself and have any questions regarding this Mendenhall West Glacier Trail please do not hesitate to ask, I have done the hike a few times and would love to help anyway I can! Sending Positive Sapphire Glacier hiking vibes to you!