Mendenhall Glacier and Whale Watching Tour
Overview
Available languages
4 hours
Mobile ticket
Although we are the original whale-watching company in Juneau (operating since 1994), we are still small and family-owned and operated! We want you to feel like part of the family, and we pride ourselves on prioritizing local hires in order to give back to our community and give you the best possible tour experience. We want our guides to love Juneau as much as you do!
Our fleet consists of only mammal-friendly jet boats, and the small size and intimate setting will make you feel right at home with the whales.
We pride ourselves on our quick transfers between vehicles! We don't want you to wait any longer than you absolutely have to!
Additional Info
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What‘s Included
We offer a snack bag of various prepackaged snacks to hold you over until you get back to your ship!
Coffee and/or Tea
Audio and written guides are not included. Just in person!
What To Expect
Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center
You will be dropped off at the Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area for a self guided stop. You will be able to overlook the glacier from Photo Point Outlook, and stop by educational displays at the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center. If you walk down the board walk over the salmon streams, you might get a chance to see spawning salmon, or even a bear!
Juneau
Take a mammal friendly jet boat out of Auke Bay Harbor, and explore the waters surrounding Juneau in search of the majestic humpback whale! This tour includes two hours on the water where an experienced captain will take you to where ever the whales are hanging out that day!
Options
Mendenhall Glacier and Whale Watching Tour
Reviews
130 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Do not book. Thieves
Debra Y,
Sep 12, 2025
- Viator
1.00DO NOT BOOK. vendor called me knowing my ship would not be in port. They went ahead and charged me anyway. I called and asked for refund since I couldn’t have possibly taken excursion but they refused. Viator will not help either
Whales whales and more whales
Monica F,
Sep 11, 2025
- Viator
5.00Great tour! We saw whales up close! Our guide Derick and our captain were so informative ! Glad we made a last minute choice to go!
Mendenhall/ Whale watching
Joanne S,
Sep 5, 2025
- Viator
4.00We only spend a little more than one hour at the glacier, which was not enough time to go to the falls, but we knew that was the case before we signed up for this excursion. We got to the glacier early enough so that there wasn’t a big crowd. It was a beautiful day and the glacier looked spectacular against the beautiful blue sky. We had a little bit of time to walk around the trail and saw salmon (alive and dead) in the river. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any bears but there was plenty of evidence that they had been there. Loved the glacier!! The whale watching was alright. We only managed to catch three or four whales, even though we were on the water for over an hour. The jet boats are on the small side and there were 28 of us on the boat, which made it difficult to go outside on the observation deck when a whale was in the water. A bigger boat sitting higher on the water might have had better luck seeing the whales. As I mentioned, it was a beautiful day and just being out on the water surrounded by the mountains was super cool! The guides running this excursion were super good and provided us with excellent information!
Far Away
Mary L,
Sep 5, 2025
- Viator
3.00The guide was very loud, which affected the experience. We saw a lot of whales , but our boat was positioned a lot further away from them than the other boats in the area.
A tour you won’t regret
STEVE R,
Sep 4, 2025
- Viator
5.00Absolutely amazing trip. Saw a lot of whales. Great hospitality onboard. There was a bag full of real snacks. Easily worth the cost.
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