Mendenhall Glacier

In the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Alaska, stands an amazing picture of ice - Mendenhall Glacier. This stunning glacier is located between the rivers Stikine и Whiting. At a distance of approximately 19km. you will find the Mendenhall valley region. The glacier is located only 19 km from the center of Juneau. Here in Juneau is an ice field, where there are many entities such as Mendenhall, but this glacier is the most developed for tourism.

Mendenhall can be reached easily - by train, car, even by boat. Basically there are 2 ways to climb Mendenhall - By taking a one-hour route or by taking a one-day tour that allows you to see most of the fascinating scenery of this part of Alaska.

Mendenhall glacier is relatively young - it was formed 3000 years ago, during the so-called “Little Ice Age”. The unique climate and geographical characteristics of this region allowed the glacier to survive long after all such entities have begun to move away from other places in North America. Today Mendenhall continues to give scientists much information about past, present and future climates of the region.

Once the locals called Mendenhall “ Sitaantaagu”, which means "behind the Glacier City". They also used the name Aak'wtaaksit, which in turn can be translated as: Glacier behind the little river. In the late 19th century naturalist John Muir named the huge ice mountain Auk Glacier, but in 1891 it was renamed in honor of Thomas Corwin Mendenhall, who was an employee in a partnership here, which dealt with studying the boundaries between Alaska and Canada.

Glacier Mendenhall is constantly in motion, moving down the valley towards the sea. It "sweeps" everything in its path, leaving interesting rock formations. This is why where it has gone past, the rocks have rounded shapes. Evidence of melting glaciers are the two small rivers that encircle the visitor center of Mendenhall. Fine glacial sediment, called flour, washes the bed of Lake Mendenhall and creates a cloudy color.

The glacier itself is amazingly beautiful especially with its blue color, which is due to the minerals and reflected sunlight. The ice absorbs all colors of the spectrum except blue, which is reflected back. The continuous movement of Mendenhall is a prerequisite for a constantly changing landscape and natural habitats of various fauna. This is also good for fishing.

Annually, over 500, 000 people pass through Glacier Mendenhall’s Visitor Center. Many come with a cruise ship in the summer months, though the glacier is accessible all year round. In the valley the glacier Mendenhall, you can visit a unique and interesting place where you can see colorful fleets of inverted trees.

This is actually the Ice Park in the damp woods of Alaska, created entirely by human hand. The place is known as "Ice Age Adventure Park forever moist forests" managed by the Bowen family, who are also its creators. Here you can see the face of already dead trunks of trees (fir and spruce), whose roots form a large basket covered with very bright, colorful floral combinations of begonias, petunias, rhododendrons, azaleas and clovers.