| Campground: | Glacier Bay Lodge (Gustavus). RV stayed on Mendenhall Campground site 69. |
| Total Distance: | 3501 Miles. |
| Traveled today: | 44 miles. |
| Key highlights: | Mendenhall Glacier & visitor center. Nugget falls. The Shrine of Saint Therese. Flight to Gustavus. Forst and Beach Trail in Goustavus. Jensen-Olson Arboretum. |
You can see the Mendenhall glacier from our campground, but the 8 miles drive to the visitor center offers the best spot to appreciate it.
From the visitor center, there are a couple of nice trails starting. We took the leisure stroll to the mighty Nugget Falls to appreciate
the force of water comes from the melting snow, mainly on a hot summer day.
Before heading to the airport to explore Glacier Bay National Park, we explored the northern part of the road from Juneau. The Shrine of Saint Therese is a beautiful garden with very relaxing scenery, and the Jensen-Olson Arboretum is a local pride of botanical gardens. We heard that going further north would have been very rewarding – but we ran out of time and drove to the airport.
Juneue ariport is small and effective. It is so tiny that the cafeteria staff is taking a lunch break between 0200-0400pm.
The flight to Gustavus last less than 20 beautiful minutes. Seeing the Mendenhall glacier and water passages from the air was delightful.
A window seat is recommended.
Gustavus has a population of 2000 people and 6000 bears. It is a deserted place. Yet, the lodge was cozy, simple, and well maintained. A pleasant stroll on the rainforest trail and great views on the low-tied shore were relaxing. The Diner on the terrace overlooking the bay was fairly priced and of better than expected quality – compared to our expectations. Still, we cook better in our RV 🙂
