Mendenhall Glacier

Mendenhall Glacier, twelve miles outside of Juneau, Alaska, is probably one of the most accessible glaciers in Alaska. I haven't looked up facts and figures about that so I'm not sure. And I don't mean accessible like walk on or slide down. I just mean accessible in that it is right outside a city and there is a parking area, visitors center and walking path that will get you within a 1/2 mile of it. If you have cruised to Alaska, there are all kinds of excursions and shuttle buses to get you there also.

We visited on a cloudy afternoon and headed straight to a path by the parking area where you can see lots of salmon swimming in a creek and supposedly,  bears. We didn't see any but we were assured that there are lots of bear sightings.

We headed to the cool  Visitor Center built into the side of a mountain. And then we walked the easy path along Mendenhall Lake to view the glacier.  

All in all, it was a pretty cool experience. It was free, the path was an easy walk and the National Park Service always does a good job of presenting nature in such an accessible way. It's not everyday you get to see a huge, beautiful glacier.

And here is another view of the glacier - this photo was taken from the ferry boat on our way into the Juneau ferry dock.  How would you like to own one of those houses and have that be your view?

Linking up with #Friday Postcards at www.walkingontravels.com