Mendenhall Glacier is a glacier in Juneau City and Borough, Alaska. It sits roughly 22 km (14 mi) NNW of Juneau.
Mendenhall Glacier (Tlingit: Áakʼw Tʼáak Sítʼ) is a glacier about 13.6 miles (21.9 km) long located in Mendenhall Valley, about 12 miles (19 km) from downtown Juneau in the southeast area of the U.S. state of Alaska. The glacier and surrounding landscape are protected as part of the 5,815 acres (2,353 ha) Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area, a federally designated unit of the Tongass National Forest. The Juneau Icefield Research Program has monitored the outlet glaciers of the Juneau Icefield since 1942, including Mendenhall Glacier. The glacier has retreated 1.75 miles (2.82 km) since 1929, when Mendenhall Lake was created, and over 2.5 miles (4.0 km) since 1500. The end of the glacier currently has a negative glacier mass balance and will continue to retreat in the foreseeable future.From the Wikipedia article “Mendenhall Glacier”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mendenhall Glacier the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 39° (NE) at the June solstice and 138° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 322° (NW) in June to 223° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 55° in summer but only 8° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:00 AM | 89° E | 7:12 PM | 271° W | 31° | 12h 12m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 3:51 AM | 39° NE | 10:11 PM | 322° NW | 55° | 18h 20m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:44 AM | 88° E | 7:00 PM | 272° W | 32° | 12h 16m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:48 AM | 138° SE | 3:07 PM | 223° SW | 8° | 6h 19m |
Azimuth is measured clockwise from true north (90° = east, 270° = west). Computed for 2026; values change by less than a degree from year to year.
Golden hour & blue hour by month
Ice shows its blue best under overcast skies or in shade; bright sun turns glaciers white and flat.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:46 AM | 8:35 AM | 9:58 AM | 2:18 PM | 3:41 PM | 4:30 PM | 7h 05m |
| February | 6:50 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:32 AM | 3:54 PM | 4:55 PM | 5:36 PM | 9h 23m |
| March | 6:35 AM | 7:15 AM | 8:08 AM | 6:08 PM | 7:01 PM | 7:40 PM | 11h 46m |
| April | 5:02 AM | 5:46 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:17 PM | 8:11 PM | 8:55 PM | 14h 25m |
| May | 3:34 AM | 4:31 AM | 5:34 AM | 8:17 PM | 9:20 PM | 10:17 PM | 16h 49m |
| June | 2:31 AM | 3:51 AM | 5:03 AM | 8:56 PM | 10:08 PM | 11:28 PM | 18h 18m |
| July | 3:09 AM | 4:16 AM | 5:23 AM | 8:46 PM | 9:54 PM | 11:01 PM | 17h 38m |
| August | 4:32 AM | 5:20 AM | 6:17 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:47 PM | 9:35 PM | 15h 26m |
| September | 5:48 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:21 AM | 6:27 PM | 7:20 PM | 8:00 PM | 12h 51m |
| October | 6:55 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:31 AM | 4:58 PM | 5:54 PM | 6:34 PM | 10h 19m |
| November | 7:02 AM | 7:48 AM | 9:01 AM | 2:26 PM | 3:39 PM | 4:25 PM | 7h 51m |
| December | 7:50 AM | 8:43 AM | 10:22 AM | 1:27 PM | 3:05 PM | 3:58 PM | 6h 22m |
Local time (America/Juneau), including daylight saving time. Golden hour runs from about −4° to +6° solar altitude, so the morning golden hour begins during blue hour, before sunrise.
Milky Way & night sky
The Milky Way's bright core (in Sagittarius) barely clears the southern horizon at this latitude, so focus on winter Milky Way, aurora or star trails instead.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -11° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| April | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| May | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| June | No darkness | — | — | — |
| July | No darkness | — | — | — |
| August | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -10° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -21° | — |
Window when the galactic core is at least 10° high during astronomical darkness on the 15th of each month. Pick nights within a few days of the new moon. Plan exact nights with the Milky Way planner.
Estimated sky darkness: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.82 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 0.5+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show May as the clearest month (about 74% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (81%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.
Average cloud cover (%)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 41 | 36 | 45 | 48 | 60 | 71 | 73 | 73 | 67 | 55 | 44 | 38 |
| Low °F | -27 | -22 | -19 | -3 | 10 | 32 | 35 | 36 | 27 | 1 | -19 | -23 |
| Precip. (in) | 13.0 | 9.3 | 8.1 | 6.9 | 6.0 | 5.9 | 7.9 | 10.8 | 14.7 | 14.8 | 13.0 | 13.3 |
Monthly climatology for the surrounding 1° grid cell from NASA POWER (MERRA-2). Mountain sites can be colder and cloudier than the cell average.
Photography tips for this glacier
- Expose carefully: ice and snow fool meters into underexposure, so add +1 to +2 stops.
- A polarizer deepens the blue of glacial ice and the turquoise of meltwater lakes.
- Include a person or boat for scale — glaciers are much larger than they look.
- Boat tours to tidewater glaciers offer calving shots; use fast shutter speeds and a telephoto.
- Never walk on a glacier without training and gear; crevasses hide under snow bridges.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
Season: Summer offers access; late summer exposes the most bare ice before new snow.
Suggested gear: Telephoto lens, Polarizer, Waterproof shell, Spare batteries (cold drains them). Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Mendenhall Glacier, closest first.
Waterfall
Scenic Viewpoint
Waterfall
LakeScenic Viewpoint
Glacier
Lake
LighthouseLighthouseCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Mendenhall Campground9.3 km (5.8 mi) · reservable
- Sítʼ Yá Hítʼ Cabin9.6 km (6.0 mi) · reservable
- Windfall Lake Cabin11.2 km (6.9 mi) · reservable
- Peterson Lake Cabin13.5 km (8.4 mi) · reservable
- John Muir Cabin13.6 km (8.4 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mendenhall Glacier?
What time is golden hour at Mendenhall Glacier?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mendenhall Glacier?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mendenhall Glacier?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mendenhall Glacier?
How far is Mendenhall Glacier from Juneau?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, Wikipedia. Sun, moon and Milky Way times are computed by LWPhoto Atlas for 2026. Climate: NASA POWER. Sky darkness is a population-based estimate (Walker's law), not a measurement. See data sources & licenses.