Mendenhall River near Auke Bay, AK

River level and flood forecast · Juneau County

Normal1.6 ftas of Tue 3 AM

The river is 7.4 ft below flood stage (9 ft).

Forecast to fall to 1.2 ft by Thu, Oct 15, 6 AM.

Flow: 421 cubic feet per second (USGS).

The last 7 days and the forecast

NWS forecast issued Mon, Oct 12, 8:17 PM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.

Get flood alerts for this river

An email when the National Weather Service forecasts Mendenhall River near Auke Bay to flood, when it floods, and when it's over.

Flood stages

Major flood stage	14 ft
Moderate flood stage	10 ft
Flood stage	9 ft
Action stage	8 ft
Record crest (August 13, 2025)	16.65 ft

What floods at each level

From the National Weather Service, highest first.

20 ftThis is an estimate of that water will flood into the backyards of homes along Gladstone St. Homes south of Mendenhall Loop Rd. will be inundated with flood waters as far east as N Loop Way. Significant flooding will impact homes and businesses on the west side of river. Water will be over Egan Dr in multiple sections of the valley making the road impassable. East of the river, most homes and businesses will be inundated with flood waters. Water will start to impact Mendenhall wastewater treatment plant.
19 ftThis is an estimate that water will be covering parts of Black Wolf Way, Pond Vista Dr as well as Slim Williams Way. Homes along Tournure St will start to be inundated. Flood waters will cover Egan Dr at Mendenhall Loop Rd while extending into the neighborhoods around Teslin St and Atlin Dr. Mendenhall Mall Rd will be completely covered in flood water. Significant flooding is expected for most businesses and homes on the west and east side of Mendenhall River near Egan Dr.
18 ftThis is an estimate that water will be covering Tournure St. Water will be on both sides of Back Loop Rd at the intersection of Mint Way and extending down the north side down to Chelsea Ct. Water will start to cover Mendenhall Loop Rd and Egan Dr. Water starts to flood business between Sherwood Ln and Bentwood Pl. Neighborhoods south of Egan Dr and east of Radcliffe Rd will see water in low lying areas. Water will be across portions of Crazy Horse Dr.
17 ftThis is an estimate that water will be overtopping the river banks and flooding into the homes around Wildmeadow Ln. Businesses in the Vintage Park Blvd area will be surrounded and potentially inundated by flood waters. Homes on Meadow Ln from Stikine St to Eagle St will be inundated with flood water. Water will be covering Tournure St from Riverside Dr to Columbia Blvd. Black Wolf Way and Pond Vista Dr will have water across the roads. All parts of View Dr will be covered by flood water.
16 ftWater starts to overtop the bank and flood low lying areas near Wildmeadow Ln. Up to 0.5 feet of water will be in the intersection of Skaters Cabin Rd and Arctic Cir. Some backyards of homes between Tamarack Ct and Whitewater Ct will start to see flood waters along with water approaching River Rd near homes with low river banks and possibly flooding those homes. Water will start to flood backyards of homes on Meadow Ln and Stikine St.
15 ftMajor flooding of multiple homes along View Dr. Water will begin to approach a few homes along River Rd with low river banks with possible flooding of driveways and 1 to 2 feet of water in backyards. Up to 1 foot of water covering Riverside Dr at Tournure St and Mendenhall River School.
14 ftThe low section of road past 9374 View Dr will be significantly flooded and impassable. Water will begin to flow over the road from water flowing behind homes on the north side of View Dr. More homes along View Dr will begin to see moderate to major flooding. Locations on River Rd with low river banks will begin to see water approach driveways.
13.5 ftWater starts to back up behind homes between Riverside Dr at Tournure St and Mendenhall River School. Locations on River Rd with low river banks will begin to see water inundate yards. Severe bank erosion along unreinforced river banks.
13 ftThe low section of road past 9374 View Dr will be flooded with 2 ft of water. Water begins to flow through some backyards of homes on the northside of View Dr and flood low lying areas. A few locations on View Dr will see depths of 1 to 2 feet of water in homes.
12.5 ft2 to 4 feet of water in some backyards along Meander Way on the the river side of the HESCO levee.
12 ftSignificant bank erosion along unreinforced river banks. The low section of road past 9374 View Dr will be flooded with up to 0.5 feet of water. Some houses on the south side and the east end of View Dr will start to flood. Water begins to flood some backyards of homes on the northside of View Dr as well as other low lying areas. Back Loop Rd Bridge will be closed during outburst events.
11.5 ftThe low section of road past 9374 View Dr will begin to flood along with water approaching some homes towards the end of road.
11 ftSome homes along View Dr will have up to 1.5 feet of water in yards. Locations below back loop bridge will see bank erosion along unreinforced river banks along with hazardous navigation from debris in the river. Homes along the river on Meander Way will begin to see flooding of some backyards on the outside of the HESCO levee. Portions of the Dredge Lake Trail System will be impassable. Flood waters start to reach Dredge Lake.
10.5 ftSignificant flooding along the Mendenhall Lake area with more than 3 feet of water in places near Mt. McGinnis trailhead and the Mendenhall Campground will be evacuated.
10 ftWater levels will inundate Mendenhall Campground with up to 3 feet of water covering low areas as well as up to 1.5 feet of water covering Skaters Cabin Road. Portions of West Glacier Trail will be impassable. Areas along View Dr will start to flood and cause minor flooding of yards. Closure of pedestrian pathways beneath Brotherhood Bridge and the trail system on the west side of Mendenhall River during outburst events.
9.5 ftWater levels up to 0.5 feet will cover Skaters Cabin Road between Skaters Cabin and West Glacier Trailhead. Campsite 7 will be flooded with water starting to flow over the road between campsites 8 and 9 in the Mendenhall Campground.
9 ftWater starts to cover Skaters Cabin Road between Skaters Cabin and West Glacier Trailhead, also water will flow into the Mendenhall Lake Campground.
7.7 ftNugget Falls trail begins to flood near the beginning of the trail. Along the Mendenhall River some sections will experience bank erosion resulting in dangerous tree fall. These conditions could make floating the river more hazardous with the higher water levels.
6.7 ftNugget Falls trail begins to flood near the "causeway" at the end of the trail.

Highest crests on record

16.65 ft — August 13, 2025
15.99 ft — August 6, 2024
14.97 ft — August 5, 2023
14.71 ft — August 13, 2026
11.99 ft — July 1, 2016

Recent crests: 14.71 ft (August 13, 2026) · 9.63 ft (September 15, 2025) · 16.65 ft (August 13, 2025) · 10.77 ft (October 20, 2024) · 15.99 ft (August 6, 2024)

Up and down the river, and nearby

See it on the live map →Radar & warnings for Juneau County NWS gauge page USGS gauge 15052500

Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (MNDA2); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.