After four years of living in Alaska, we have crossed off some pretty incredible bucket list items. This is a pretty incredible state with no shortage of pretty incredible adventures! We often get asked for tour recommendations throughout the state. You are always welcome to browse our Alaskan adventures, but in this post we thought we’d round up out top 6 tours that are completely worth the money. In no particular order, let’s get started! 1 - Knik Glacier Helicopter TourFirst up, we have the Knik Glacier Helicopter Tour with Alaska Helicopter Tours. Okay, I fully admit that I’m pretty fascinated by glaciers so if you are anything like me, this tour is a unique way to get well acquainted with these beautiful natural features. In this tour, you’ll climb aboard a helicopter in one of our favorite places, Palmer, Alaska. In the grand tour, we flew up to the stunning Lake George where we could hear the calving and cracking of the glacier that feeds the lake. We spent a little time taking it all in and then we flew to an incredible scenic viewpoint to take in the view of the massive 25 miles long and 5 miles wide Knik Glacier. Then we flew over some breathtaking views where our pilot found a spot to land right on the glacier. We were given crampons to put over our shoes so we could safely explore the ice. It was here where we actually drank some of the bluest, freshest glacier water we’ll ever find. I was bummed that I forgot a water bottle to bottle some up for the road so consider this your reminder! This tour was absolutely unforgettable. Bonus tip: you can stay right at the lodge where the tour company is based in a cute little cabin overlooking the Knik River, called Knik River Lodge. Such a special little spot. 2 - Matanuska Glacier TourNext we have Matanuska Glacier Tour. Okay, listen. I know I seem to be all about glaciers but hear me out. This guided tour takes visitors right up to the impressive 250 foot face of the incredible Matanuska Glacier for a truly unrivaled experience. These tours run year round, though in the summer you’ll be donned with a hard hat. We went at the end of March when it wasn’t uncomfortably cold weather but the ice was cold enough to be a little less hazardous. This tour will live in my memory forever! If you’re military, they offer an awesome military discount so take advantage! 3 - Kenai Fjords Wildlife CruiseOkay, leaving the glaciers for a second, the next tour on our list is the Kenai Fjords Wildlife Cruise out of Seward. We had kind of a unique experience on this tour but I’m positive that any experience with Kenai Fjords Tours is top notch. We chose the Fox Island cruise where we stopped at a private island for lunch and a little exploring. I’ve talked to many people who have done this tour and we’re able to see every single animal on the list including humpback whales, orcas, sea lions, otters, puffins and more. Also part of the tour are views of Kenai Fjords National Park with the iconic sea spires. Our experience was unique because the weather that day was gorgeous and our boat was able to go deeper into open waters than normal due to the calm seas. The highlight of our tour was suddenly being surrounded by multiple pods of orcas - including both resident pods and migrating pods - where our boat just sat in awe by what unfolded in front of our eyes. They were all so playful and breaching the water. There was even a baby copying all the moves of her mama. It was all just amazing. One pod even swam right under our boat! It was unbelievable. Somehow we saw no other wildlife, haha. Even when we visited the rock where the puffins basically live, it was completely empty. But we had no complaints! I’ve never talked to anyone who was disappointed by this tour. 4 - Katmai National ParkNext up is a trip to Katmai National Park. This one is by far the most pricey tour on our list but it is a truly unique Alaskan bucket list experience that, if you can hack it and have any sort of interest, we highly encourage it! Our main goal, along with most others when visiting Katmai National Park, was seeing Brooks Falls. Brooks Falls is a summer fishing hole for some of the biggest brown bears in the world. Bears gather here to bulk up for winter hibernation, and boy do they bulk up! They come for the salmon run which occurs between June-August. It’s just an amazing thing to witness. There are so many ways to get to Katmai National Park. There’s even a lottery to enter if you want a coveted spot in the lodge there or even the campground. You can fly in commercially from Anchorage to King Salmon and charter a flight into Katmai or take a ferry. We opted for a day tour out of Homer with Northwind Aviation and, to be honest, the flight from Homer just added to the experience. We saw bears on the ground before we even landed. We had views of volcanoes, glaciers, and breathtaking, remote, Alaskan landscapes. Even on the flight back we flew over a pod of humpback whales! On the whole, it was a once in a lifetime experience that couldn’t have been replicated. Bonus tip: we opted to fly out of Homer because weather in this part of Alaska is extremely unpredictable. If anything were to delay our flight, we knew we’d rather explore Homer a bit for a day instead of be stuck in Anchorage or King Salmon, but that’s just personal preference. We didn’t have any issues with this particular tour but we have experienced issues on a different tour when the flight wasn’t just delayed, it was outright canceled. Thankfully, we were able to rebook for the next day, but if you do choose to do this tour or something similar, we definitely recommend allowing yourself an extra day or two in the area to avoid missing out completely. 5 - Valdez Glacier LakeIs this another glacier tour? Okay, yes, yes it is. But this is also a unique way to visit a glacier. This tour, as the name suggests, is in Valdez. To be completely honest, I haven’t actually done a tour here, per se, unless you count “self guided”. I have kayaked Valdez Glacier Lake 3 times and each time has been breathtaking. I’ve always brought my own kayak but one time, my friend joined me and rented a kayak from Valdez Stay and Play. They delivered the kayak right to the lake and even gave us a map to find the best photo ops - it can change daily. There are also guided tour companies in town that will hook you up with all the gear and will give you a unforgettable experience in kayaking around giant icebergs that have calved off of a glacier. Please be aware that this can be a very dangerous activity due to the instability of the ice. People have died here. So if you feel inexperienced at all, we highly recommend booking a tour. Tour guides are always scouting the lake and know all the best places for a photo op. They also know the safest and easiest routes. I’ll admit to following tours before when I’ve gone. 6 - Riverboat DiscoveryThe last tour in our lineup is the Riverboat Discovery cruise in Fairbanks. This tour is completely worth the money for anyone visiting Fairbanks who is interested in learning about the local history. The tour covers things like the aviation history in Alaska when a float plane takes off and lands right next to the stern wheeler. It also covers dog sledding and gold rush history but most noteworthy is the native history when the tour visits a living museum of a native summer fishing camp it is fascinating to learn about the way of life of the incredible people who have thrived here for 10,000 years. BonusA few bonus tours that we think are worth the money… If you find yourself in Palmer (for the helicopter tour or Matanuska) we always live a visit to the reindeer farm. Also in Palmer is the musk ox farm where you can learn about these incredibly unique arctic creatures. Another bonus tour is the Kennecott Mine Tour. Full disclosure, it is NOT an east tour to get to. You can read all about our experience here. Have questions about any other tours that have caught your eye? We’re always happy to help! If you're interested in a one-on-one chat to help plan a custom trip to Alaska, check out our options here! Make sure to pin so you can come back to this post! Follow us on Instagram for some of our day-to-day adventures and until next time, get out and explore where you live!
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AuthorWe're just a military family enjoying where we live, one PCS at a time. Follow us as we explore our current home, South Carolina, and beyond. The world is our backyard. Archives
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