Leave your centrally located Juneau hotel in the morning or afternoon (the choice is yours) and then travel by minibus to Trailhead, a small town roughly 30 minutes’ drive away. Your guide will have brought along some vital pieces of climbing gear (snacks, water, ropes, chalk, crampons and belays) so you can use your time here to pack them, while listening to a short briefing about the day’s itinerary.

Then, set off on your hike, following your guide at a steady pace along a 4-mile (6.4-kilometer) trail through the lush rainforest toward Mendenhall Lake. The first mile of your trail is relatively easy as the forest trails are well maintained, but then the difficulty ramps up for the remaining three miles as you hike over bedrock and scramble along steep paths zigzagging up the hillside. It’s no easy route, but one that adds to the aura of bliss when you hit the top!

After arriving at Mendenhall Lake, stop to get your breath back and admire the serene yet savage glacial scenery, admiring the calmness of the frozen lake juxtaposed against Mendenhall Glacier’s dramatic peak. Drink it in as you enjoy your bagel snack, and then put on your crampons or climbing gear for the second part of your hike: a 1.5-hour glacier walk or top-rope climbing session!

Both options are overseen by your guide, who will give you all the tips you need to get the most out of your time on the glacier! If you choose to do the walk, then look out for stunning glacial rock formations as you hike around the glacier. Alternatively, try ice climbing on an easy glacier wall as your guide belays you  no previous climbing experience is necessary.

Leave the glacier and head back along the walking trails, making your way back to Trailhead. The route back down lasts roughly two hours, passing along similar terrain as on route up. Say goodbye to the rough and rocky landscape at the bottom and then return to your Juneau hotel, where your tour ends.