Mendenhall Lake in Juneau crested at a record 11.99 feet late Friday and then quickly receded by Saturday morning, prompting the National Weather Service to lift a flood warning for neighborhoods along the Mendenhall River.
"It has plummeted, which is what always happens with one of these glacier dams releases," said Nicole Ferrin, Weather Service meteorologist in Juneau. "Once they crest, they usually fall really rapidly, usually at the same rate that it rose."
Ferrin said the lake hovered around 7 feet by late Saturday morning, and she expected it to continue to fall. A release of an ice-dammed lake above Mendenhall Glacier led to the rising waters Friday and the closing of a nearby campground, trail and road.
Mendenhall Lake feeds the Mendenhall River, which was also receding Saturday, according to the Weather Service. Tom Mattice, Juneau's emergency programs manager, said View Drive, on land surrounded by a bend in the river, was reopened Saturday morning.
He said some homeowners who live on View Drive reported water seeping into their garages, but he had not heard of any homes flooding.
Mendenhall Lake Campground was reopened around noon Saturday after crews completed minor work, said Marc Ramonda, a recreation manager with the U.S. Forest Service. Skater's Cabin Road was also reopened, he said.
But the Nugget Falls Trail remained closed, said John Neary, director of the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center. The trail is less than a mile long and skirts the edge of Mendenhall Lake.
Neary said it's the most popular trail in Tongass National Forest, and on Saturday morning more than a foot of water covered it. He said he hoped it could be reopened by Sunday morning.