Your adventure begins in front of your cruise ship, where you meet your professional guide. Step away from the crowds with narrated transportation to a remote part of the Tongass National Forest to get your first views of the breathtaking, ever-changing Mendenhall Glacier. One of the most accessible glaciers in North America, the Mendenhall Glacier is located just 12 miles from downtown Juneau. The 13-mile-long river of ice, which ends on the far side of Mendenhall Lake, is one of Alaska’s gems. A half-mile wide with ice up to 1,800 ft. deep, it’s no surprise that Mendenhall is the most visited glacier in all of Alaska.

Once suited up in our top-quality gear along with a quick paddle lesson, hop in the canoe and launch across Mendenhall Lake. With the instruction of your guide, you will glide across the lake en route to the toe of the Mendenhall Glacier. Keep an eye on the cliffs decorated with nests of Arctic terns, a giant waterfall, and wildlife while voyaging along beautiful blue icebergs. You will come as close as possible to the face of the Mendenhall Glacier and be rewarded with front-row views of the “ice falls,” where miles of glacier ice flow steeply over the mountainside, and continue down to melt into the lake in front of you. Your guide will steer the canoe to the best viewpoints of the glacier’s towering blue crevasses and ice seracs.

Upon returning from your adventure on the lake, you’re welcomed by a hot beverage as you de-gear from your equipment. After a short drive back to the cruise ship docks, your adventure with us ends, but hopefully with memories that will last a lifetime.

Upon check in, you will either be escorted to a shuttle for a narrated 25 minute drive to the glacier or to the boat harbor for whale watching.

Mendenhall is the world’s only drive up glacier.  You can choose to hike to Nugget Falls (1.5 hours round trip), take the Photo Point Trail (40 minutes round trip), look for wildlife along the Steep Creek trail, or stroll up the easy walk to the Visitor Center.  

During your time on the water, you will be accompanied by a naturalist who explains the feeding habits of these magnificent creatures and identifies the many other kinds of wildlife that share these waters. 

These whale watching boats are custom made to enhance your experience – a warm heated cabin with large viewing windows, and two decks to hurry to when the captain slows after spotting the whales. On your quest for whales, you will be on the lookout for bald eagles, seals, sea lions, black bear and more of Alaska’s wildlife. The star of the tour is the humpback whale, but always be on the lookout for the playful orcas. Once we spot a whale, the captain will slow down and allow you to go on the spacious viewing decks for a great photo opportunity.

The custom design vessels provides unrestricted viewing from inside the cabin as well as outside. Although the cabin is enclosed and heated. we recommend you dress in layers, after all it is Alaska! A bathroom is onboard.  Snacks and binoculars are also provided. 

With access to a wide array of accessible streams, your guides are able to select the best location suited to your particular group -one that offers the best fishing opportunities available on any given day. Streams in Southeast Alaska tend to be small and relatively short but allow ample room for fly-casting.  Efforts are focused in estuaries and the deeper holes and runs in the first two miles of the stream corridor.

Other groups are rarely, if ever, encountered.

Southeast Alaska is blessed with abundant runs of Wild Pacific Salmon, fast-action for Dolly Varden (char), Cutthroat Trout and trophy-sized Steelhead. Fishing opportunities for these species are dictated by run timing, which tends to be fairly consistent from year to year.

The Mendenhall Glacier is a 13-mile-long river of flowing ice. It is 1,800 feet deep and an half-mile wide and even though it is the most visited glacier in Alaska, most people only see if from afar. This extended tour gives you ample time to get the best pictures of all of the dynamic features from a bird’s eye view.

You will be greeted by professional guides to officially start your adventure.

They will sweep your small group away on a narrated ride deep into the Tongass National Forest, the largest National Forest in the United States, which is where the Mendenhall Glacier resides.

You will go directly to the West Glacier parking area where your equipment and safety gear awaits you. After getting suited up, your guides will teach you how to paddle safely and efficiently across the Mendenhall Lake.

The journey is just as important as the destination, and that’s why you access the glacier via a traditional native-style canoe ride. Anyone in a kayak would be jealous, as you will cruise speedily across the lake.

As you paddle, you’ll get the chance to experience the serenity of the Alaskan wilderness. Surrounded by steep cliffs, the thundering Nugget Falls, icebergs, and native wildlife; this voyage to the glacier is unforgettable.

One of the most unique aspects of the trip is that the glacial environment is in a constant state of movement and change, meaning no one tour is the same as the next.  The glacier periodically forms ice caves, blue ice pools, moulins, and other incredible features as it melts. Your expert guides will determine if any such ice features are safe to explore on the day of tour, and may add them to the trip as a bonus.

*The Mendenhall Glacier is one of the  most visited glacier in North America and the National Forest Service limits the amount of permits allowed on the glacier each year. Be one of the few to actually experience the beauty of the Mendenhall Glacier.

The expert captains know where to go to catch the most fish, and they’re excited to take you on the most exciting fishing trip in Juneau. You also get to enjoy the beautiful views, wildlife sightings, and fresh air from the boat!

If you’re visiting on an Alaska cruise ship shore excursion, the trips are tailored to get you to the heart of the action quickly and then back to the boat in a timely fashion. Spend your time in Juneau fishing!

Experience the Juneau waters with friendly local captains on the best fishing charters in the area!

Any fish you catch, within the limits, are yours to keep if you’d like. We work with a local fish processor to have your catch processed and shipped to your home. If you would like to pay the processor to process and ship, there are easy order form cards for you to fill out on board so that you can keep track of your fish and ensure it is processed to your specifications.

This Alaskan adventure tour is a combination of a helicopter flight seeing tour, a river boat tour close to the face of the glacier, and a glacier walkabout. The tour begins when your van driver shuttles you from your ship’s pier, through the city of Juneau, to the helicopter base on Douglas Island. At the helicopter base, you’ll be given a pre-flight safety briefing, be fitted with rain pants and ice boots that fit over your shoes.

Aboard the helicopter, you’ll fly high above Juneau, the Tongass National forest, the Juneau Glaciers, Gastineau Channel, and Taku River. The flight to Taku Point is approximately 15 minutes long. The helicopter lands on a deck on the bank of the Taku River, at Taku Point. You will be greeted at Taku Point where you’ll be given flotation jackets, hearing protection, an airboat safety briefing, as well as plenty of interesting local history. You’ll have a chance to take pictures of the pristine Taku River basin, and the Taku Glacier spread before you.

There are 2 flights of stairs that you’ll descend, and board the waiting airboat. You’ll sit comfortably aboard the covered airboat, with open sides for the best possible views and photo opportunities. The airboat captain will help you board, and shortly your adventure will continue by water. On the river, you’ll cruise the 5-mile terminus of the only advancing glacier of the Juneau Ice Field. You’ll come within arm’s reach of the ice, and you’ll understand the immense size of this glacier as you stare up at it from the river. The Airboat captain will stop the boat in various locations for photos, and to talk about the glacier and the river basin that it has carved over the years.

Back at Taku Point, you’ll leave the airboat to rejoin the helicopter that will take you up, up, up to the top of the Taku Glacier. Step out of the helicopter and set foot on the amazing 4500’ thick ice for a 10-minute glacier landing. You’ll have time for more photos, and your pilot will give you details about the ice field, and facts specific to the Taku Glacier. The helicopter will return you to the Heli Base, and the van will return you to your pier.

For an amazing wildlife viewing experience, join us for an unforgettable whale watching excursion.   Humpback whale sightings are 100% guaranteed, but the Humpback whales aren’t the only stars of the show.  Steller sea lions, harbor seals, orca, Dall’s porpoise, eagles and countless other birds are all in the area, providing you with a great Southeast Alaska wildlife experience.

Your trip begins from the cruise ship terminal, as you hop aboard a shuttle bus only a few minutes from your cruise ship.  As you leave downtown Juneau, your driver will be your tour guide for the next 25 minutes as you head to beautiful Auke Bay.  You will get a chance to see different parts of Juneau while getting great information from your driver.  Upon arrival in Auke Bay, you will walk the docks to your whale watching boat, and it’s “All Aboard”!

The whale watching boats have heated cabins, multiple decks for viewing, large windows, comfortable seating and are specially built for gliding smoothly through the calm waters of the Inside Passage and Southeast Alaska.

Your professional captain and naturalist will provide you with great information on the wildlife you are viewing, as well as the area you are in.  The whale watching takes place in Favorite Channel, Lynn Canal, Stephens Passage, and Saginaw Channel.  Just being on the water in our glacier carved channels, surrounded by mountains and glaciers is an experience you won’t forget!

We also offer other whale watching opportunities including:

• Whale Watch on a Luxury Private Yacht
• Combine Whale Watching on a small 6-passenger boat with an island landing and hike.
• Combine Whale Watching with a Historical Lighthouse Tour

Contact us for more info on these tours.

Located about 45 miles south of Juneau, Tracy Arm, a classic fjord, stands out as a “must see” for any Alaska vacation. Full day cruises depart from downtown Juneau and includes Alaska’s greatest combination of mountains, waterfalls, wildlife, glaciers, and icebergs.

The face of Sawyer is a little more than a half mile wide, so there is plenty of space for the vessel to be at the face of the glacier. The boat’s engine gets turned off at the glacier so you can listen to the ice crackle and pop and take in the sights uninterrupted while you wait for the glacier to calve.

Sawyer Glacier is an active tidewater glacier, which means it “calves” or breaks off. Pieces of ice anywhere from the size of a small car to a cruise ship fall off the face of the glacier and hit the water with a thunderous roar. No matter how many times you visit Sawyer Glacier, it is always a thrill to see a calving event.

The water at the end of the fjord is nearly 600 feet deep and when underwater calving takes place, the ice remains intact, giving us Alaska’s largest icebergs. In other glacier areas, the calved ice generally crumbles. Underwater calvings surface like giant submarines that rise over 250 feet and then settle into the water like large, blue ships.

The ice in Tracy Arm interferes with the sonar of killer whales, so it is the perfect place for hundreds of harbor seals to have their pups in the summer months.

The icebergs are framed by sheer mountain peaks that reach over 7,000 feet. Waterfalls flow from the ice-covered mountains to the jade colored inland sea.

The main focus of the cruise is the fjord and the glacier, and the wildlife is an added bonus. The guides will do their best to find you mountain goats, whales, bears, harbor seals, and birds.

Tracy Arm is the summer home for pigeon guillemots, kittiwakes and arctic terns. Mountain goats are typically seen on the rocky slopes near Sawyer Glacier. Mountain goats are more likely to come farther down the mountain on cloudier days. Stephens Pass and Holkham Bay are the best places to spot eagles, bears, and whales. Whales are seen on about 85% of our trips.

You’re in for the journey of a lifetime. Fly in a classic deHavilland seaplane over 5 breathtaking glaciers flowing from the Juneau Icefield, deep blue crevasses, snow-capped mountains, and the lush Tongass National Forest. Seeing glaciers from the air is an Alaskan MUST DO, and doing so by authentic Alaskan bush plane is the quintessential Alaskan experience!

The Taku River will be your “runway” as you land at the elegantly rustic historic Taku Lodge, built in 1923 and located across the river from the 5 mile wide Taku Glacier, Juneau’s largest glacier.

Savor a feast of Fresh Wild Alaska Salmon grilled to perfection, a chicken alternative, Taku baked beans, coleslaw, pioneer fruit compote, fresh herb biscuits and sourdough bread, all made from scratch. Drinks are chilled and served with actual glacier ice and special-recipe ginger cookies complete the meal. The scrumptious aroma of the alderwood grill attracts not only visitors daily, but also wild black bears.

Take a guided interpretative nature walk, stroll the trails or soak in the serenity of a place barely touched by time before your return flight to Juneau.   You can do it all with this exclusive combination tour of Alaska’s premier attractions!

Explore Juneau by sea and get views of the Mendenhall Glacier that you can’t find anywhere else on this exciting tour! The Glacier View Sea Kayak begins as you hop a shuttle at the Mt. Roberts Tramway, on the cruise ship docks. You will be taken to North Douglas Island, a place where no other tours go.

Enjoy the peace and quiet away from the crowds, as you will be able to see more of the famous Mendenhall Glacier than on any other tour, as it winds it’s way down from the Juneau Icefield to Mendenhall Lake. Enjoy wildlife viewing opportunities and stunning views of Mendenhall Glacier that most visitors do not get to see.

Upon arrival, your guide will help you with life jackets and rain gear before teaching you kayaking techniques. Then you will board the two-person kayaks for your Alaska nature adventure.

This breathtaking trip is designed to give you a sense of how the famed Aleut Indians traveled the coastal waterways of Alaska, in search of pelts for the Russian fur trading companies.

The kayaks will allow you to silently approach any wildlife in the area, including porpoise, seals, sea lions, eagles, herons, or even whales.

Your view of the glacier is from about 6 miles away, so you’ll see how the massive river of ice flows down from the Juneau Icefield. It’s truly one of the best views of the Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau. Along the way, your guide and naturalist will entertain you with stories about Smugglers Cove, the history of the surrounding area, and point out any local flora and fauna.

This kayak trip is perfect for all levels of experience. Your experienced guide and safety boat captain will ensure that your experience is safe, yet fun. Your guides will group you into like abilities so that you can travel at a comfortable pace for you. If you’ve never paddled before, don’t worry! Your experienced guide will take complete care to make sure you are comfortable.

Back at the kayak base, you will enjoy a tasty Alaska style snack before the bus journey back to the pier.