Juneau in Juneau Borough, Alaska — Northwest (North America)
A Flat Spot in the Forest
| | Trail of Time | |
Photographed by Thomas Smith, August 10, 2025
1. A Flat Spot in the Forest Marker
You are standing in a parking lot built in 1930.
The access road to the powerhouse site provided the first public road to the glacier. People drove over a trestle to reach the lot.
By 1937 a Glacier Highway Recreation Guide touted the space for vehicles as "a commodious parking place for cars" located only a short distance beyond the Nugget Creek Powerhouse, in full view of the glacier.
Eighteen years later a new parking area was built next to the ice face. The distance to the ice face has changed, but the public's fascination with the glacier has not.
People are not the only travelers to this spot. Large boulders called erratics were deposited by the Mendenhall Glacier as it retreated up the valley. These roaming rocks were aligned by the Territorial Bureau of Public Roads to create the parking lot boundary.
Erected by Tongass National Forest.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Environment • Parks & Recreational Areas. A significant historical year for this entry is 1930.
Location. 58° 24.789′ N, 134° 32.706′ W. Marker is in Juneau, Alaska, in Juneau Borough.
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Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Alaska, in Tlingit and Haida & Tsimshian Region. It is also on the American Pacific Coast. Globally, it is in North America, the Inside Passage, the Pacific Rim, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Russian Empire.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Presidential Party Visits Glacier (here, next to this marker); Water from a Rock (here, next to this marker); A View in Time (here, next to this marker); Built to Last (here, next to this marker); Looking Back (here, next to this marker); Changing Views (here, next to this marker); Power in a Pipe (here, next to this marker); Flame (approx. 4.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Juneau.
Photographed by Thomas Smith, August 10, 2025
2. A Flat Spot in the Forest Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on August 28, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 27, 2025, by Thomas Smith of Waterloo, Ill. This page has been viewed 76 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 27, 2025, by Thomas Smith of Waterloo, Ill. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
