Glaciers and Wildlife - Super Scenic Guided Day Tour from Anchorage

Anchorage, United States of America

Small groups discover glaciers and wildlife on one one of the most intriguing road trips you will ever experience. A local expert will narrate on your 8 hour day tour from sea level in Anchorage, Alaska to 1800 feet in the Chugach Mountains.

Turnagain Arm tour from Anchorage
Portage Glacier one-hour cruise on a calm lake
Lunch stop
Wide variety of Alaskan Wildlife at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center including bears, moose, caribou, wood bison, musk ox, lynx, wolf, etc.
Scenic views from 2000 feet above Anchorage, AK of the Cook Inlet and surrounding mountains
Photo stops
Hotel pick-up and Drop-off included
Free water and snacks in the van

Enjoy the spectacular, rugged terrain of the Chugach and Kenai mountain ranges split by the exciting and unusual waters of the Turnagain Arm of the Cook Inlet along the Seward Highway. The tides here are among the highest in the world. Watch as rushing water ebbs and flows. It’s even possible to spot a Dall sheep, an eagle or even a Beluga whale. This drive is along one of only a handful of roads designated as an All-American Road and one of 150 designated as a National Scenic Byway.

After your hotel pick-up, the first stop is the Portage Glacier one-hour cruise aboard the MV Ptarmigan, a sightseeing vessel specially built for the calm lake that was formed by the glacier. The captain will take you so close to the blue ice you think you could feel it. On-board, a glacier guide will give you detailed facts about glaciers and the unique eco-system of the area and answer any questions you may have.

The lunch stop is next at a comfortable, reasonably priced Alaskan Lodge. Afterward, it’s on to see the bears, moose, caribou, wolf, musk ox, wood bison and a variety of other orphaned and injured animals at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. There is no rushing here. It is a walk-through/drive-through facility where you observe the animals in a natural setting with 360 degree mountain views. You can go out on your own and meet up at a designated time or hang out with the guide to learn more about Alaska's animals.

Relax on your return ride back up the Turnagain Arm. Nearing Anchorage you will drive through local neighborhoods on the “hillside” learning about local life on the way to a vantage point overlooking the City and the Cook Inlet. On a clear day you can see Denali and four mountain ranges.

This small group tour is guided by long time Alaskans who know the area intimately and are eager to share what they love about living here year-round.