Mendenhall Glacier

glacier · Alaska · ice

Huge frozen river. Mendenhall Glacier stretches over 13 miles long, which means it's longer than many towns. It's so big and heavy that it carved the entire valley it sits in.

Near Juneau, Alaska. You can see this glacier just 12 miles from downtown Juneau, making it one of the most visited glaciers in the United States. It's part of a protected recreation area in the Tongass National Forest.

Always changing shape. This glacier is slowly melting and getting smaller each year, which tells scientists important information about how Earth's climate is warming. Visitors can watch how much it's changed over decades by looking at old photographs.

Wild landscape around it. The glacier sits in a beautiful valley surrounded by forests, waterfalls, and wildlife like bears and bald eagles. The recreation area protects over 5,800 acres of this incredible natural environment.