The exploration of glaciers in Alaska is one of the greatest travel experiences. This is a World Heritage site, an immersive natural lab, a United Nations Biosphere reserve, a national park, and most importantly, a spiritual homeland for Tlingit natives. Here you’ll find countless species of plants and wildlife, placid and serene waters, soaring mountains, and earth shaping rivers of ice.
Although glaciers are abundant in southeast Alaska, only a few are as accessible as Mendenhall Glacier. Mendenhall Glacier is located about 12 miles outside Juneau. Standing back and trying to drink it all in, you realize that there are few places as astounding and overwhelming in the world. One marvels at the staggering shades of blue display, while huge chunks of ice calve into Mendenhall lake.
While today the White Pass & Yukon Route operates merely as a tourist attraction, the story of the this railroad is the story of gold.