Mendenhall Campground

Hosted by USDA Forest Service

New listing

Mendenhall Campground is situated on the shore of Mendenhall Lake, in view of the Mendenhall Glacier, about 13 miles from downtown Juneau. The site is a popular destination for viewing beautiful scenery and abundant wildlife, and hiking opportunities abound. The West Glacier Trail, with an elevation gain of 1,300 feet, can be hiked in 5-6 hours roundtrip; the trailhead is a half mile from the campground entrance by road or on the Aak'w Sit' Trail. The 0.4-mile Tolch Rock Trail is in this vicinity as well. The campground has several paths in it with interpretive signs relating facts about the area wildlife and environment. The campground is open seven days a week. The entrance gate is closed nightly from 10pm to 7am and the exit gate is open 24 hours a day. There are 67 sites, 54 of which are fully accessible; nine are full-service RV sites with electric, water and sewer hookups, and nine are partial-service RV sites with electric and water hookups. Seven sites are located in a separate walk-to backpacker area. All sites are furnished with picnic tables, tent pads and combination fire rings with grills. Water faucets and accessible vault toilets are provided, as are two accessible flush toilets and shower facilities; the shower houses are closed nightly from 8pm to 7am. A dump station and trash dumpster are located on-site. The campground sits at about 100 feet elevation, with Mendenhall Glacier to the north and the Mendenhall River flowing on the east. On either side of the campground the mountains rise from 4,000 to 7,000 feet above the glacier. The topography is relatively flat and open, consisting of glacial moraines, small lakes and ponds, and forbs and lichens, black cottonwood, Sitka alder, willow and mature spruce hemlock forests cover the area, with the forest floor dotted with blueberry bushes and mosses. At nearly 17 million acres, the Tongass National Forest covers most of Southeast Alaska and is the largest forest in the national forest system. The Tongass surrounds the Inside Passage, the network of waterways that buffer the jagged Alaskan coast and a cluster of coastline islands, and offers visitors a chance to view wildlife, including eagles, bears and spawning salmon, amid expansive vistas of fjords, glaciers and mountain peaks. It is part of the world's largest temperate rain forest. Visitors can run the rapids down the Mendenhall River, take a helicopter to the top of the glacier, or bicycle and hike in the area; outfitters offer these services. Many trails can be accessed from the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center area, including East Glacier Trail, with an elevation gain of 400 feet, which takes 2-3 hours roundtrip. Some of the shorter trails in this area include the 1.7-mile Nugget Falls Trail, where the waterfall drops 377 feet in two tiers onto a sandbar in Mendenhall Lake, the 1.5-mile Moraine Ecology Trail and the 0.7-mile Trail of Time.

Pet friendly

Pet friendly

Location

001

Accessible

MENDENHALL CAMPGROUND · STANDARD NONELECTRIC · Overnight

Max Num of People: 6
Pets Allowed: Yes
Capacity/Size Rating: Single
Max Vehicle Length: 35
Campfire Allowed: Yes
Shade: Yes

Reserve on Recreation.gov

Campsites68

Juneau, AK

To respect the Host's privacy, the precise address of this land will be provided after booking

Amenities

Accessible campsites
55 sites
Campfires allowed
Electric hookups
Fire pits
Grills
Picnic tables
Sewer hookups
Shade
Water hookups

Rules & policies

Check-in
3:00 PM
Check-out
2:00 PM
People per site
Up to 6
Vehicles per site
Up to 2
Camping equipment required
Pets allowed

Reviews

No reviews yet.

USDA Forest Service

0
Reviews

View Host Profile