Our next Port of Call on the Disney Alaskan cruise was the capital city of Juneau. Surprisingly, only 32,000 people live in Alaska’s second-largest city.

I remember visiting here with my parents. We took a small plane to explore the glaciers. As we took off, the window opened a few inches and my mom screamed. That’s all I remember – nothing else.

Since we hadn’t researched anything until the trip, we quickly decided to visit Mendenhall Glacier, which is 13 miles away. After looking up shore excursion and shuttle costs, we found renting a van with my brother-in-law’s family was the most cost-effective option.

I realized we’ve gotten spoiled in our larger metropolitan cities with choices of car rentals – and cars for that matter. Although the rental center didn’t look like much, a clean minivan awaited us.

Mendenhall Glacier

About a half-hour later, we arrived at Mendenhall Glacier, located in the Tongass National Forest. Parking was easy and we paid the $5 fee for everyone over 16 years old.

Nugget Falls Trail

The ranger recommended we take the 1-mile Nugget Falls Trail to get a closer view. At the very end, the path opened onto a sandy, beach area.

The rush of water roaring over the rocks greeted us directly ahead. In the far distance, we could see the glacier. 

We walked a bit further to the sandy area while the kids climbed the rocks. The first thing my husband said was, “It’s shrunk since I’ve been here.” He traveled to Juneau 24 years ago and spent a morning at the glacier. 

I honestly thought he was joking. Disappointed that we couldn’t get closer to the glacier, I watched a shore excursion group paddle in front of it. Through our telephoto lens, I could see a blue-ish glow in the crevices. I dipped my fingers into the water which was bitter cold.

I knew glaciers receded a bit each year, but I thought it was a slow process and would ask the rangers about it. After about 45 minutes, we walked back to the visitor center to find out more.

If you’ve never believed in climate change, the information at the visitor center will convince you otherwise. Mendenhall Glacier lost over 2800 meters (roughly 1.7 miles) between 1910 to 2008. However, a time-lapse video showed the glacier’s loss in the past 12 years. This similar video from Huff Post shows the dramatic changes from 2007-2014.

Trail of Time

We walked the Trail of Time which showed us a historical view of the glacier. Laden with green trees and shade, you wouldn’t know this used to be part of the glacier.

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Built in 1934, a wooden shelter appeared on the path. This registry booth offered views of the glacier and marked the begining of the Nugget Falls Trail. Today, you can’t see the glacier and the trail is now part of the East Glacier Trail. When the glacier receded, seeds and low lying plants began to grow in the Mendenhall Valley. 

Although sobering, travel is about learning new things. I definitely have a better appreciation of our climate and changes occurring daily. We completed the mostly flat 0.7-mile path and headed back to the car – with one more look at the glacier.

Downtown Juneau

My brother-in-law wanted to try a restaurant called Deckhand Dave’s. My husband navigated the streets of downtown Juneau and dropped us off at an outdoor food court.

Besides Deckhand Dave’s, which offered scrumptious fish tacos, the food area also featured Alaskan Crepe Escape which delighted the kids. We found seating in a tent area to eat lunch.

Filled with 2 and 3-story buildings, the compact downtown exudes a modern feel with young people. Besides the food truck area, Juneau boasts several local breweries as well.  

While I wouldn’t go so far as to say Juneau is hip. It is – for Alaska.