Sunday, September 28, 2025

Alaska Cruise in Juneau, sightseeing Glacier Gardens, Nugget Falls and the Mendenhall Glacier



 This was my husband's and my second visit to Juneau, Alaska. We took an Alaskan Land and Sea Cruise of Alaska in 2019 and visited the city then — click here --- to read that post. On that trip, we visited the Mendenhall Glacier  Visitor Center and enjoyed a delicious outdoor Salmon Bake lunch afterward.

On this visit with our family, we again all took different excursions. My husband and I chose a two-part tour beginning in the beautiful Glacier Gardens in Juneau, Alaska.


Glacier Gardens is full of unique Flower Towers — stunning upside-down trees adorned with vibrant flower baskets, created from storm-felled trees by founder Steve Bowhay.

The Bowhay family has welcomed visitors since 1998 to explore the lush surroundings of their botanical paradise and the Tongass National Forest. Their tours offer an unforgettable journey through 50 acres of natural wonder, blending manicured gardens, old-growth forest, and sweeping mountain views, from the comfort of their guided, covered golf carts.


Our tour guide told us that in 1984, heavy rain and snow deposits caused a landslide that demolished much of Thunder Mountain, uprooting nearly everything and destroying one of the main streams. In 1985, Steve and Cindy Bowhay bought up nearly 50 acres of the destroyed land to reclaim it. As part of a "happy accident," Steve took downed trees and buried the tops in the ground, which placed their roots up in the air to form a basket to cradle colorful, trailing flowers.
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Among the other flowers that flourish in this unique botanical garden are rhododendrons, azaleas, Japanese maples, devil’s club, elderberry shrubs, and Alaska's flower, the blue Forget-Me-Not.


The large covered golf cart took our tour group up a total of 600 feet to the top of Thunder Mountain through a section of the Tongass National Forest of majestic Western Hemlock and Sitka Spruce trees.


It was fascinating to view the plant growth in this forest of skunk cabbage, lichen, moss, ferns, and other forest floor growth. Our expert tour guide also shared fascinating stories about the history, ecology, and wildlife of the area.


 When we reached the top of the mountain, we were able to get out of the golf cart and walk over to a viewing platform overlooking a part of Juneau. The weather was foggy, so visibility wasn't the best.


At the end of the tour, we visited the Glacial Gardens Visitor and Event Center. It was full of the most gorgeous and colorful hanging baskets and flower sculptures.

We really enjoyed our tour of Glacier Gardens and highly recommend it if you visit Juneau during the summer.


The next part of our excursion was a visit to the Mendenhall Glacier. 

The glacier is a 13-mile ribbon of ice that flows from the Juneau Ice Field. which is a 1,500 square mile frozen plateau that feeds a total of 38 major glaciers. The Juneau Ice Field is the fifth-largest ice field in North America and is a leftover from the last ice age. Mendenhall Glacier has been in a period of retreat. In fact, there were various markers that were placed on the lakeshore, and in the visitor center, that showed how the glacier at one time covered those areas in as little as 60 - 90 years ago!



Since we spent a lot of time at the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center on our last visit, this time we decided to take the two-mile round-trip hike to see the nearby spectacular Nugget Falls!

This spectacular waterfall plunges about 377 feet down the rugged mountainside into Mendenhall Lake, about three-quarters of a mile south of the active face of Mendenhall Glacier. Powered by meltwater runoff from the hanging Nugget Glacier




A short video of the powerful Nugget Falls!



Our son and family also visited the Mendenhall Glacier area and some of the town, while our daughter and family took a helicopter tour, which landed on top of Mendenhall Glacier for a thrilling close-up of the glacier!


Our last view of Juneau, Alaska, where we all had a wonderful time!

We would enjoy another day at sea, and our cruise's last town to visit is Sagway, Alaska--my next post. 



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