MendenhallGlacier.com
Visitors on the Photo Point walkway as a double rainbow arcs over the glacier and lake

Accessible path

Photo Point Trail

A short, paved path from the visitor center to the lakeshore, ending at the viewpoint behind most photos of Mendenhall Glacier. If you only have a few minutes, come here.

The view

The path ends on a curved platform at the water’s edge, with the glacier straight ahead and Nugget Falls to the right. Icebergs often drift close to shore, and the mountains on either side frame the ice.

Photo tips

  • Overcast days bring out the blue in the ice better than bright sun.
  • Include an iceberg or the shoreline in the foreground to show scale.
  • A short zoom lens or phone telephoto brings the glacier face closer.
  • Arrive early or late to have the platform almost to yourself.

Access

The trail is paved and level, with benches along the way, so it suits wheelchairs, strollers and anyone with limited mobility. It is the easiest way to see the glacier up close.

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The Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center on a forested ridge below misty mountains Visitor center

Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center

The best seat in the house

Big windows look straight across the lake to the glacier face. Inside are exhibits, a short film and rangers who can tell you where the bears were seen today.

Nugget Falls pouring into Mendenhall Lake below a steep forested mountainside Easy walk

Nugget Falls

A 377-foot waterfall beside the ice

A flat, easy walk of about two miles there and back from the visitor center ends on a gravel beach at the foot of the falls, with one of the best ground-level views of the glacier.

A black bear wading through Steep Creek among green plants Wildlife

Steep Creek

Black bears and spawning salmon

A raised boardwalk follows the creek near the visitor center. When the salmon run in late summer, black bears often fish just below the walkway.

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