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Although you can't get right up to the glacier without a long walk, you can get a great view of it from the visitors center, which is operated by the US Forest Service and is very informative. Photo Point Trail and the salmon, bear and Steep Creek Trail are easy and accessible trails. In August and September, black bears, often with cubs, visit Steep Creek to feed on spawning sockeye (red) salmon. Some trails may be closed then. A series of viewing platforms let the bears walk underneath the many folks watching them fish. No food or soft drinks are allowed in the recreation area, and dogs must be on leash.
If you want a moderate hike through some beautiful forest, try the East Glacier trail which loops around east of the visitors' center. Follow the trail clockwise to avoid having to climb many steps -- you'll come down those steps at the end of your hike and to keep the best views of the glacier ahead of you, instead of over your shoulder.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
For the more adventurous, the West Glacier trail which leads directly to the glacier (you can walk on it, but be careful to stay away from crevasses!) and also to a look out. Get off the bus just past the Mendenhall Glacier Campground stop. The stop is called Montana Creek. Walk up the road to the car park at the end (around 2 km) and you will see the trail-head. Stick to the path, maybe dropping down to the lake side to checkout the icebergs and grab some photos. Continue along the path, across several bridges and up some switchbacks with fixed cables. Soon you will come to fork in the path, the left is steep and heads to the lookout, the right goes downhill into some dense vegetation. Shortly into the right-hand trail you will come across a shelter slightly off the track. Continue for several miles along the track, taking care on the slippery rock areas. Eventually you will come to a break in the cliff where it is possible to scramble or climb to the top. Recommend taking crampons if you want to walk on the glacier, stay away from crevasses and don't fall in. There are usually guides walking people out there so watch where they walk. Return the way you arrived, the whole thing should take about 5 hours. Don't forget to sign out when you leave the area.
A "forest" of tree stumps, turned upside-down, planted in the ground, and seeded with lots of colorful flowers.
A log cabin church from the 1950s with an amazing view of Auke Lake and Mendenhall Glacier through its picture window.
House of Wickersham
Tiny ornate octagonal structure that was built by the Tlingits in 1893. When the Russians were still in Sitka 50 years earlier, Father Ivan Veniaminov of the Russian Orthodox Church translated the Bible into Tlingit. Thus this building became southeast Alaska's oldest continuously operating church.