Mendenhall Lake Kayak e Salmon Bake Adventure

We took a cruise to Juneau, Alaska and booked the Mendenhall Lake kayak and salmon bake excursion. This was the highlight of our trip. The meeting point was conveniently located near the cruise dock, and transportation to the lake was quick and easy. Paddling on Mendenhall Lake was unforgettable. The scenery was so breathtaking that I did not want to return to the ship. I wanted to stay and explore the trails around the lake and glacier. Our small group made the experience feel like a private adventure with friends rather than a crowded tourist activity. Our guide kept us moving at a steady pace so we could cover the surprisingly large area and enjoy stunning views of the waterfall and glacier. After kayaking, the salmon bake was absolutely delicious and the perfect way to end the day. This excursion was worth every penny and is highly recommended.

My wife and I did this excursion while in Juneau on our cruise. This was an awesome use of our time! Maizy was our guide, and she did a great job getting us ready for the trip and giving her insight on the glacier and Alaska in general. We got a great view of the glacier then turned around to head back to shore. It rained and we got wet. It was fun. Bring a change of clothes if you're worried about getting wet while on the water. The salmon bake portion of the trip was great as well. Good food and a relaxed atmosphere with live music. You can head back to port with a shuttle at your own leisure. Overall great time in Juneau!

We lost count of how many Orcas and Humpback Whales we saw! The boat is comfortable and easily accessible! Hannah’s commentary was informative and entertaining.

We were on a Celebrity cruise for my Mom's 70th bday & did this excursion on 6/13/24. She has done some kayaking on trips before & I own one so figured this excursion would be fine. Our guide Claire was very nice & knowledgeable. Stating at the very beginning this is a 5 mile roundtrip paddle. If that had been stated in the description my Mom wouldn't have gone as that was just too much for her. However it states being able to paddle 2hrs which sounded ok since she had done it before. Beware it states you will be provided with FULL raingear so we didn't pack any. All we got was rain boots & our feet were the ONLY part of us that was dry. Somehow our kayak took on water & we were sitting in it the entire time. Not enough to cause a major issue just be highly uncomfortable, wet & cold. We weren't able to go to the salmon bake dinner afterwards. You could literally ring out our clothes that was how wet we were & we didn't bring any extras with us. We received a very small refund from Celebrity for missing the dinner. Our kayak guide took pictures of us during the paddle & asked us to put our emails in a note on her phone. I never received any pictures. I've reached out to Celebrity who is willing to give us a travel credit for next cruise- kudos to their customer service. I also reached out to Alaska Travel Adventures on 7/1/24 but no response. My Aunt who is our travel agent also has reached out with no response. This really is a great excursion- fun & amazing views. If we had been wearing the proper raingear we might have been able to make it to dinner & not completely soaked. I'm most disappointed at not receiving the pictures & being able to include them in a photobook for her as this was a special trip for my Mom.

McKenna was an awesome kayak guide. Very friendly and easygoing. We had a beautiful day on the lake and kayaking was easy. The weather was great and seeing both the glacier and golden nugget falls was spectacular. She took some great pictures of us as well. And the Salmon Bake - wow - sooo good! The food was great (we loved all of it), the walk to the waterfall and Chilkoot Mine was fun (as well as trying our hand at gold mining), and the transportation was spot on.

With one small exception, Great Fun! I dressed warmly and was warm and comfortable body, legs, feet, arms and face. ...But...my hands were ---cold--- in the dripping, glacially cold water from the paddles. Suggestion from another kayak trip elsewhere... add "drip rings" to paddles. Small ring around the shaft flanges right where the blade of the paddle first meets the handle.

Wow! Highlight of the trip! SOPHIA out tour guide was awesome! She answered our questions and made the experience really fun. She was knowledgeable and totally laid back and shared interesting facts about the glacier! This is a must do when you’re visiting the area and be sure to have SOPHIA as your guide.!!

Really enjoyed this trip and Mickalee was a great guide, cheerful and informative. We had a beautiful day and the full trip was very enjoyable. The driver who picked us up was local and happy to answer questions.Mickalee took us on the river and was very excited that we were able to enjoy great conditions. Her sense of delight was infectious and added greatly to our experience. Overall it was a lovely experience and the highlight for us was the waterfall which is on the way to the glacier. Highly recommend this trip.

It was an amazing day! Our guide Lenora was very nice and allowed us to explore while still keeping it on track. Very beautiful waterfall along with the glacier. The salmon bake was delicious.

We we a little leery about kayaking but Courtney allayed our fears. Courtney was always on the lookout for all participants. She was happy about sharing and answering questions. It was a great time, surprisingly doable and just a beautiful day all around. Great experience. Would do again!