Juneau: Mendenhall Glacier Rafting & Scenic Float Tour

4.53

(335 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

The first thing I noticed was the sound — not just the rush of water but this sharp, echoey crack from somewhere up by the Mendenhall Glacier. Our guide, Mike (who’s lived in Juneau forever), grinned and said that was the ice shifting. It felt like we were trespassing in some ancient place. We piled into the raft after a quick safety talk — those life jackets are bulkier than they look — and pushed off onto Mendenhall Lake. The air smelled like wet stone and pine needles, which I didn’t expect to enjoy so much.

As we floated closer to the glacier, it looked almost unreal — more blue than white, with these streaks running through it. Mike pointed out Nugget Falls thundering off to our left, and I tried to snap a photo but mostly just ended up with blurry water spots on my lens. We drifted for a while before hitting the first stretch of rapids. Not scary (they said Class II or III), but enough to make my stomach flip once or twice. My nephew tried paddling in sync with Mike’s commands but mostly splashed me instead — I still laugh thinking about that.

The best part? There was this quiet moment after the rapids where an eagle swooped low over the riverbank, almost close enough to see its eyes. The whole raft went silent for a second. Later we got out for hot chocolate and some sort of Alaskan snack (I think it was smoked salmon? Honestly I was too cold to care much what it was). The bus ride back felt sleepy in that good way when you’ve been outside all day. If you’re looking for a day trip from Juneau that mixes scenery with just enough action — this is it.