Hi Red, The mendenhall bar is the north part of Gastineau channel. The Mendenhall bar is salt water and goes dry at low tide. It is a short cut for fishing boats to go between town and the valley. Boats get stuck in bar all the time, I even got stuck in there with the Wallet Slayer back in 1990 and had to spend the night in freezing weather with no coat,a lesson learned, go fast and hang on.