GLACIER EXCURSION....Help please

[TMW67]

Hi! My husband & I are planning our first trip to Alaska & want to do a helicopter tour where it takes you to a glacier & you get out & can hike around on it. We will have Skagway, Juneau & Ketchikan as our port days. Which one of these places would you recommend doing a glacier tour in to give you the best experience? I know Alaska in itself is a beautiful place, but since it will be our first time in a helicopter also, we would love to be able to take in as much beautiful scenery with canyons, waterfalls & mountains along the way as we can. Also, I heard about "Indian Candy" which is a candied salmon, where would we be able to find this? :D

Edited January 17, 2015 by TMW67

[Crew News]

Hi! My husband & I are planning our first trip to Alaska & want to do a helicopter tour where it takes you to a glacier & you get out & can hike around on it. We will have Skagway, Juneau & Ketchikan as our port days. Which one of these places would you recommend doing a glacier tour in to give you the best experience? I know Alaska in itself is a beautiful place, but since it will be our first time in a helicopter also, we would love to be able to take in as much beautiful scenery with canyons, waterfalls & mountains along the way as we can. Also, I heard about "Indian Candy" which is a candied salmon, where would we be able to find this? :D

 

I took my excursion through HAL July 2014. Since I have only done the Mendenhall Glacier Walk in Juneau, I can only describe the experience as memorable. The flight is really a tour of the glacier field followed by the landing. I did the walk for about an hour but the hikers were there a lot longer.

 

The helicopter is like a sardine can (six passengers) so taking pictures during the flight is not easy. Passengers are arranged in the helicopter by weight so you might not be sitting next to your spouse/kids.

 

Walking on a thin sheet of moving water is a different experience. Thank goodness they provide all of the gear, including poles for balance.

 

Here are some pictures to give you an idea of what to expect:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/?page_id=2050

 

Probably the best location for candied salmon would be Ketchikan at the Tongass Trading Company right at the pier. They have EVERYTHING. There are also lots of salmon shippers near the pier.

Edited January 17, 2015 by Crew News

[LoveByrds]

I just checked the excursions on Princess and the only glacier excursions I can find are offered in Juneau. I don't remember having the option to go to a glacier at the other ports. (Maybe they are too far away for the time you have in port?) The excursions in Juneau are offered by boat, bus, plane, dog sled or helicopter.

 

If you have a "favorite" cruise line, maybe take a look at their excursions to get an idea of what is offered.

 

You mentioned wanting to experience the out of doors as much as possible, so you might check out the White Pass and Yukon Railroad in Skagway. It looks amazing!

 

Best of luck!

[Dawn1004]

In Juneau I have booked our family onto a Glacier landing/dog sledding tour with Era Helicopters (not sure if they do a hike too).

I booked privately, not through ship (wasn't an option).

 

 

Enjoy your Alaskan cruise - it is a special destination - just magical.

[TMW67]

Thanks for your info. thus far! Loved the pictures Crew News, thanks for sharing! :D Anyone else have pictures from there glacier trip? PLEASE share & tell me experience.

[mapleleaves]

The only trip reports I can think of that include photos from a glacier trip are from 'petlover' and 'mollanjake', who did heli=dog sledding. ( Trip reports are in STICKYs near the top of the page)

 

If you're looking for independent vendors, check each town's web site or google the town's Chamber of Commerce.

ie http://skagway.com/

[deerhuntingal]

Another option is a plane and glacier landing. I booked ours through:

Paul & Amy Swanstrom

mountainflyingservice.com

[TMW67]

Thanks, I'll check them out! :)

[Budget Queen]

IF you truly want "hiking", then your only choice, frankly is with Northstar helicopters out of Juneau and their level 3 hiking. I never recommend anything lower, as you need the time and don't want to be stuck with customers that aren't up to it, who generally will opt for cheaper options.

 

There is also excellent trekking available on Matanuska if mainland Alaska, upper fitness level for the Harding ice field out of Seward and Mendenhall, all by foot access and no flights involved.

 

A "regular" glacier landing will give you on average about 20/30 minutes with the landing. Double landing trips- usually mentioned as "pilots choice" give time at each landing.

 

In my experience two of the companies that are ship contracted have very tightly scheduled tours that have the least amount of time. The one independent out of Juneau, I've had, on average, about 45 minutes with the landing.

 

Helicopter glacier tours are available out of Juneau and Skagway on the inside passage. Ketchikan does have one helicopter company. Also available out of Seward and Denali for glacier landings.

[TMW67]

Thanks Budget Queen. I've checked out Northstar & their level 3 is looking like what I'm wanting. During my research, I've run across treks to ice caves also which have peaked my interest, so now I'm torn as to which one I want to do! :)