Discovery Southeast operates the bookstore and gift shop at the US Forest Service’s Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center. 

We proudly feature local artists and authors, and EVERY PURCHASE SUPPORTS programs for Southeast Alaska children!  

Hours:  The visitor center is currently closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Normal hours are 8am to 7:30pm daily in the Summer (May through September).   In Winter, (October through March) hours are Friday – Sunday 10am to 4pm.  The building is closed April to prepare for the summer.  To reach us, email bookstore@discoverysoutheast.org.  To contact the Forest Service’s Visitor Center, call (907) 789-0097.

Purchase a Season Pass here.

Care to work or volunteer?

For the summer visitor season we’ll hire cashiers, shift leads, and an assistant manager.  To apply, please see the hiring information posted here.  .

Or, to Volunteer, please  sign up here.

 Glacier Gear

Discovery Southeast Buff

$20.00

Celebrating 30 years of nature education, Discovery Southeast’s Buff highlights Southeast Alaska’s more subtle flora and fauna. Perfect for anyone who closely observes the world around us, this Buff is great as a neck warmer, face mask, head band, or hat. It was beautifully designed by Marms & Meeks.

There are 3 ways to receive the Buff.

  1. Regular purchase below, $20
  2. Alumni (anyone who’s been a participant in a Discovery Southeast program) donating at least $25 receive a “free” Buff.
  3. Anyone donating at Guide level or above ($120 annually) receives a “free” Buff.

If you’d like to receive the Buff as a thank you gift for a donation (options 2 & 3 above) just write “Buff Please” in the purchase notes when you donate at DiscoverySoutheast.org/contribute. Otherwise simply purchase the Buff below.

 

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Mendenhall Glacier Season Pass

$15.00

A season pass is valid for the card holder and one guest to visit the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center area. Funds stay in Juneau, directly supporting employment and programs at the Mendenhall.

Passes are required May 1 to September 30 for access to the Visitor Center and adjacent amenities including restrooms, pavilion, Photo Point, and Steep Creek boardwalk.  Passes are never required for access to hiking trails and the West Glacier area. Those age 15 and younger are free. Federal lands passes such as the “America the Beautiful” pass, Senior Pass, or Military Pass are also accepted.

Passes are valid once signed.  Shipping is $2, please allow at least one week for mail delivery.  You can also purchase your passes at the Visitor Center during normal business hours. For more information on passes and the Visitor Center, please call the U.S. Forest Service at 907-789-0097.

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 Our Publications

The links below allow you to preview and purchase Discovery Southeast guides.  You can learn more information and context about the below guides at our naturalist Richard Carstensen’s site, JuneauNature, specifically the section for pamphlets and the section for books and booklets.

Common Tracks Guide

From: $5.00

Tracking has been a core activity in Discovery programs for years.  This pocket guide provides tracking tips for common mammals and birds of Southeast, helping students, teachers, and budding naturalists read the signs of non-human inhabitants in the landscape.

 

Download here (2.3MB): PDF_Download
You can purchase a physical copy, or make a donation below.

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Intertidal Animals of Southeast Alaska

$9.00

This laminated Discovery Guide helps you identify some commonly seen animals of Southeast Alaska’s rocky intertidal inside waters. It features an insightful layout, by tidepool depth.  And it’s laminated in case the tide rises too fast.  Go out and explore the tidepools!

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The Streamwalker’s Companion

$11.00

This is an overview of streamwalking in Southeast Alaska intended for anyone who wants to put on a pair of boots and study the myriad lifeforms in our streams. You’ll find some biology here, and some chemistry, and some hydrology.  Streams are incredibly complex systems; this book helps a budding naturalist take a first leap into the water.

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Natural History of Juneau Trails: A Watershed Approach

$24.00

If you or someone on your gift list enjoys Juneau’s outdoors, this book is for you.  It is packed with information for the hiker, hunter, or any student of the outdoors.  Richard’s insightful text, full color maps, and dozens of recent and historic photographs explain the landforms, water features, and natural environments Juneau residents navigate every day.  Dive in for a whole new understanding of the areas you love to explore, with one of Southeast Alaska’s foremost naturalists.

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Common Birds of Southeast Alaska

$9.00

Grab a pair of binoculars and head outside with this pocket Discovery Guide. With hand drawn illustrations, this guide clearly identifies most of the birds you’re apt to see in Southeast, from the belted kingfisher to the marbled murrelet.  And it’s laminated, in the off chance it rains.

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Streamwalking

$9.00

Our laminated tri-fold guide to Streamwalking is the guide you’ll want in your pocket when you’re bushwacking in the Tongass.  It covers a variety of common plants and animals of Southeast Alaskan streams and ponds.  Top your waders all you want, it can take a dunk.

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Reading Southeast Alaska’s Landscape

$10.00

This book tells the constantly evolving story of geology in our region.  It tracks how bedrock forms, how glaciers wax and wane, and how rivers and the sea shape our land.  While the book offers a general introduction to bedrock and surficial geology, it also focuses in on regional geologic highlights.  It is a must-have for nature enthusiasts in Southeast.

 

 

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