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Juneau: Mendenhall Glacier & Whale Watching Jet Boat Tour

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/6

Duration4h 30m

GroupUp to 60

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

Glacier views and whale hunts in one Juneau morning

You spend an hour at Mendenhall Glacier with self-guided access to Photo Point Outlook and the Visitor Center, then board a small jet boat for two hours searching for humpback whales in Auke Bay. Snacks and hot drinks are included, and the company handles all transfers from your cruise ship so you don't have to arrange transport or timing yourself.

4h 30m

Step-by-step itinerary

Bus ride from cruise ship
Visit Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area
Overlook glacier at Photo Point Outlook
Explore Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center
Walk boardwalk over salmon streams
Take mammal-friendly jet boat from Auke Bay
Whale watching for two hours

The Experience

You're standing at Photo Point Outlook looking at Mendenhall Glacier, and it hits you that you've never actually seen a glacier before—not in person. The ice is massive and still, and Nugget Falls drops straight down beside it. The Visitor Center has displays that explain what you're looking at, and if you walk the boardwalk over the salmon streams, you might catch spawning salmon or even a bear moving through. It's self-guided, so you set the pace, but most people spend an hour here before heading to the harbor.

Then you're on a jet boat out of Auke Bay Harbor with an experienced captain who knows where the humpback whales have been that day. The boat is small—that's the whole point. The company has been running whale-watching tours since 1994, and they've kept the fleet mammal-friendly and the groups intimate so the whales stay calm and you're not packed shoulder-to-shoulder with strangers. Two hours on the water, and the captain goes wherever the whales are hanging out. Some days that's close; some days it's a bit of a ride. Either way, you're actually looking for them, not just hoping.

The whole operation moves fast between stops. You get picked up from your cruise ship, dropped at the glacier, then transferred to the boat without sitting around waiting. They hand you a snack bag—prepackaged stuff to hold you over—and coffee or tea so you're not hungry or thirsty while you're out on the water. The guides are local hires who actually love Juneau, which means they know the water and the wildlife, not just the script. By the time you're back at the ship, you've seen two completely different sides of Southeast Alaska in one morning.

What’s included

Your tour includes a self-guided stop at Mendenhall Glacier with access to Photo Point Outlook and the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center, a two-hour whale-watching jet boat excursion from Auke Bay Harbor, all transfers from your cruise ship, a snack bag, and coffee or tea.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Dolphin Jet Boat Tours

Is this one for you?Right for cruise passengers on a short Juneau stop who want both glacier and whale-watching without arranging separate transport or timing—the fixed schedule and included transfers mean you're back at the ship on time. The small jet boats and two-hour search window are what make finding whales realistic in a few hours.