West Glacier Trailhead — Attraction in Juneau

I am going to try to be as detailed as possible to hopefully help other people in the future determine if this is the right hike for them:

Like the other reviews say, the first approx 2 miles of this hike are easy along a paved path. Once you hit the sign that marks the split, you need to turn right towards the overlook if your intent is to make it out to the glacier. The next mile or so had some steep sections and also very muddy parts (think straight up swamp). This is where the first people in our group decided to turn around. After about a mile or so of that the trees open up, and the last mile or so is all out in the open, and very steep. At one point we were required to boulder straight up the side of a cliff! That's where another member of our group decided to turn around.

All in all out of six 30 year old adults, only 3 of us actually made it out to the glacier. I would not recommend this hike for people with small kids or elderly people. One of the members in our group is an avid hiker, and he described the hike as moderate. The other two who made it to the glacier who don't hike as often, but are still in very good shape, would describe it as more difficult. It took us 4.5-5 hours to complete the whole thing.

With that being said, for those of us who made it out to the glacier, the hike was absolutely worth it! Great views! Probably one of our most favorite things we did while in Alaska. We did this hike in August 2022, and we were able to touch the glacier in some spots, but not able to climb up top or explore any caves. NOTE: With the way it is melting I wouldn't be surprised if by next summer the glacier will have recessed further back into the canyon, making it no longer accessible from this hike (but still will have...

A group of us did west glacier this past week. Spectacular hike. We left the ship at 9 a.m. and returned at 4 p.m., so plan for a solid 7 hours round trip. We took a taxi from downtown juneau (37$ total - not bad when you split it amongst everyone) which took about 18-20 minutes to the trailhead. If you take the city bus (only 2$), you'll have to walk about 25-30 minutes on the asphalt road to get to the trail head. The tongass national park is unreal! We saw sockeye salmon playing in the first creek that we passed. You do need to be in decent condition as their are three flights of stairs (100-200 steps each flight) and some other uphill parts, but we noticed ages 5-60 on the trail, so everyone can do it. We went all the way to the glacier where it's much harder to navigate (no trailhead and you're on a mountainside to you have to plan each step). Just know that in order to actually hike the glaciers, you need cramp ons for your shoes. We just walked onto the glacier a small ways in our tennis shoes and took pics. Excellent Day trip but make sure you won't get caught in...

Is the best trail that I went close Juneau. You can go, from the down town, by taxi (US46), or public bus (US2). The bus stop is 1 mile away to the trail enter. The trail is amazing with a wonderful panoramic view of the Mendenhall Glacier. The trail is moderate around 2:30 to 3:00 hrs in one way. If it is raining can be a little longer because there are some places with rocks that can be slippery. At the viewpoint with the big bench, take the path to the left to go to the panoramic view area, the path to the right leads to the lower part of the lake, but you will not reach the glacier as it has retreated too far. There are coloured markings to guide the route, but it is very well marked, at the end of the rocks you have to pay more attention to the markings. If you are good doing hiking is an easy trail. If you don’t do hiking often go with proper shoes and with good actitud for demanding slope. Also is a good place for to walk around the lake and the forest without going to...