The Mendenhall Glacier

Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau, Alaska, seen from Photo Point on the east side of Mendenhall Lake in summer. I took this photo on a clear midday visit, with the glacier, floating ice, and steep valley walls all fully open in front of me.

I like this viewpoint because it gives a clean, straight look across the lake toward the face of the glacier. The foreground brush and small trees frame the water without blocking the main subject, and the little chunks of ice on the lake help show the scale of the place. On the right side, the dark forested slope and the thin waterfall add a nice balance against the bright snow and ice in the center.

What stood out to me most was the contrast. The glacier has that pale blue color in the creases and broken sections near the front, while the rock around it looks dark and heavy. Above that, the remaining snow on the mountains makes the whole valley feel even bigger. It was one of those bright Alaska days where the light is simple and direct, so the shapes of the glacier were easy to read from edge to edge.

I kept the composition fairly natural and let the landscape do the work. A mid-range focal length on my Canon EOS 5D Mark IV with the EF24-105mm lens helped me hold the glacier large enough in the frame while still keeping some of the lakeshore and surrounding slopes for context. I didn’t want to crop too tightly, because part of what makes Mendenhall Glacier interesting is how it sits deep in the valley, with the lake and forest leading into it.

This is one of my favorite views from Juneau because it feels quiet and solid. It shows the glacier as part of the whole landscape, not just a wall of ice on its own.