Matanuska Glacier Hike: What It's Like

What a Matanuska Glacier hike feels like

The biggest surprise is usually the transition. People picture a glacier as a smooth sheet of white or electric-blue ice, and the edge of a real one looks quite different.

On the glacier-side tours you check in at NOVA’s camp, get fitted with boots, micro spikes and a helmet, and ride a shuttle down to the glacier’s terminus at the edge of the park. That short ride is not the tour van: it covers the last stretch of access road. From the drop-off your guide leads the group across the rock fields of the terminal moraine. The Matanuska carries rock, gravel, mud and sediment with it, so your first steps may involve:

• loose stones
• gray moraine
• muddy ice
• gravel-covered glacier
• shallow water
• rough, uneven ground

Then the landscape changes. Once the group reaches cleaner ice, you start seeing the features people come for:

• bright blue ice
• white ridges
• narrow cracks
• crevasses
• pools
• meltwater streams
• ice walls
• sculpted channels
• debris frozen inside the glacier
• fractured ice near the icefall

The standard route heads for the area the operators call the Ice Falls, where the glacier’s dense ice pours over submerged bedrock and freezes into spires, or seracs. At their base sits a meltwater lake that feeds the Matanuska River you drove up beside. Along the way you pass moulins and crevasses, and guides explain how the glacier moves and why its surface keeps changing. Groups on the glacier-side walks run at about one guide to eight guests, so the commentary stays conversational.

That changing terrain is what makes the hike far more interesting than a walk across ice.

How difficult is the Matanuska Glacier hike?

For most reasonably active travelers, the standard hike is manageable. NOVA rates the terrain on its three-hour Matanuska Glacier Tour as easy by glacier standards and asks for no previous experience, and the walk suits anyone who can walk at a moderate pace for about three hours. Some tours cover up to about three miles, stepping over obstacles and crossing small streams. Our walk guide sets out the difficulty, distance and duration by type of traveler.

A few things make it feel harder than an ordinary three-hour walk.

1. The ground is constantly uneven

You move across a mix of:

• ice
• rock
• gravel
• frozen mud
• slopes
• ridges

No single step is technically difficult, but you pay more attention to your feet than you would on a maintained trail. The hardest stretch for most people is the terminal moraine, before you reach the ice.

2. Walking in traction takes a little adjustment

Operators supply micro spikes, ice cleats or, on the longer treks, crampons. You don’t need experience, but you get a short lesson first:

• keep your feet slightly apart
• place your feet firmly
• avoid catching one spike on the other
• walk differently on slopes

Most people adapt within minutes.

3. The weather adds effort

Cold, wind and rain can turn an easy walk into a much less comfortable one. Sunshine reflecting off the ice can also make the glacier surprisingly bright and warm. Layers you can adjust do more for you than one perfect outfit.

Can you do the standard hike?

The standard hike is probably within reach if you can:

• walk for three hours with breaks
• climb a few flights of stairs without difficulty
• balance comfortably on uneven trails
• wear hiking boots
• follow your guide’s instructions

Check with the operator before booking if you have significant knee or hip problems, limited balance, recent surgery or serious mobility limitations. Several tours exclude guests with mobility impairments, and the From Anchorage: Matanuska Glacier Full-Day Tour also lists people with a low level of fitness or back problems.

Standard glacier hike vs advanced trek

“Matanuska Glacier hike” can describe two quite different days.

Standard glacier hike

Best for: almost everyone visiting for the first time.

Typical length: about 3 hours from the glacier-side camp; the Anchorage day tours build a similar walk into an 8- to 10-hour day.

What you get:

• introductory glacier walking
• blue ice
• smaller crevasses
• ice walls
• an explanation of how the glacier works
• plenty of photo stops
• no technical climbing

The three-hour Matanuska Glacier Tour and the slower-paced Matanuska Glacier Family Tour both leave from NOVA’s camp. This is the version we recommend to most visitors.

Advanced glacier trek

Best for: fitter visitors who want to go farther into the glacier.

NOVA’s Matanuska Glacier Adventure Trek runs about six hours, and the operator asks that everyone can hike at least six miles over challenging, uneven terrain and steep inclines. It goes beyond the Ice Falls into less-visited parts of the glacier, with crampons, a harness and a guide for every four guests. The approach crosses loose rock, muddy ice and steep slopes, and on advanced treks guides can use ropes and anchors to reach moulins, crevasses and blue pools. It is rated 5.0 out of 5, but from only 19 reviews so far.

Choose it if the normal glacier walk sounds too short or too busy. It is not the standard tour with an hour added, though: it is a much more physical day.

Which hike we would book first

For a first visit, book the standard three-hour hike. You get enough time to:

• adjust to walking on ice
• see blue ice, crevasses and the Ice Falls up close
• take good photographs
• learn how the glacier works
• reach far more impressive terrain than you can see from the road

without committing to an exhausting full-day trek.

Choose an advanced trek only if you specifically want:

• fewer people around you
• longer distances
• rougher terrain
• bigger glacier features
• rope-assisted sections
• more physical challenge

How much hiking you do

Tour length can mislead. A three-hour tour does not mean three hours of continuous walking. Time also goes on:

• checking in
• getting helmets and traction
• the safety briefing
• stopping at glacier features
• taking photos
• asking questions
• regrouping

On a three-hour glacier-side walk, the time on the ice itself is closer to two or two and a half hours. The Anchorage departures run 8 to 10 hours in total, but most of that is the drive, and the time on the surface is broadly comparable. The ice-climbing day is the outlier at eight hours on site.

Expect a stop-start exploration, not a fitness hike with a mileage target. That is one reason the standard hike works well for people who are active but would not call themselves serious hikers. By the end, most people are ready for the van: the moraine crossing is tiring, and the ice reflects a surprising amount of light and cold.

What you see during a Matanuska Glacier hike

No operator can guarantee specific formations, because this is a moving glacier. That is part of the appeal. The Matanuska is an active river of ice about 27 miles long, flowing out of the Chugach Mountains, and its terminus is about four miles wide. The surface is reshaped all the time. A guide might show you:

Blue ice

The glacier’s most photogenic feature. Dense glacier ice absorbs more of the red end of visible light, so blue light travels farther through it, and thick, compressed sections can look intensely blue. The strongest blue usually shows in:

• cracks
• deep ice
• vertical walls
• crevasses
• caves or narrow openings

Crevasses

Cracks that open as the glacier moves and stretches. Some are narrow enough to step near; others are enormous. They are one of the strongest reasons not to wander glacier terrain on your own: what looks like an ordinary dip in the surface can be far more complicated underneath.

Meltwater streams

In the warmer months, water often runs across and through the glacier. You may see:

• small surface streams
• water-filled channels
• deep blue pools
• holes where water disappears beneath the ice

Because the drainage keeps changing, these are some of the most short-lived features on the glacier.

Moulins

A moulin is a near-vertical shaft where meltwater drains down into the glacier. You pass them on the standard route, and advanced treks are more likely to approach large ones closely, sometimes with technical equipment.

The icefall

An icefall is a heavily fractured area where the glacier moves over steeper ground: picture a waterfall in slow motion, made of ice. The standard hikes head for the viewpoints around the Matanuska’s Ice Falls, and for many visitors this is the most dramatic part of the walk.

Will you see an ice cave?

Possibly. But do not book a standard Matanuska hike only because you have seen photographs of a particular ice cave online. Glacier caves are temporary. They:

• form
• expand
• collapse
• flood
• become inaccessible
• disappear completely

A route that entered a cave last winter may have nothing similar the following year. Guides take groups into a cave when a safe one exists, mostly in winter, and the operators that mention caves describe them as possible, not promised. Treat a cave as a bonus. Our ice caves guide covers the season and the tours that go looking.

Do you need a guide?

Yes. The glacier is reached through a privately owned park, and access to the ice is by guided tour only, in every season. Older travel blogs and videos describe walking onto the Matanuska independently, but access arrangements have changed.

Even aside from the rules, a guide makes sense. A glacier guide is not only there to explain what you are looking at. They also decide:

• where the group walks
• which cracks are safe to approach
• which areas have become unstable
• which routes have changed since the day before
• when weather or meltwater calls for a different route

A glacier is not a marked hiking trail, and today’s safest line may not be tomorrow’s.

Is Matanuska Glacier dangerous?

Stay with your guide and follow their instructions: this is an active glacier, not a groomed attraction. Hazards can include:

• crevasses
• slippery ice
• collapsing ice
• loose moraine
• rockfall
• meltwater
• hidden holes
• sudden weather changes
• uneven terrain

None of that makes a guided introductory tour extreme. It means glacier terrain needs different treatment from a normal walking path, and a guided walk is the way to explore the Matanuska’s ice. On the standard hike, the likely problems are ordinary ones: slipping, getting cold, getting wet or struggling on rough ground. Good footwear and listening to the guide deal with most of them.

What equipment is provided

Nobody walks onto this glacier in their own shoes alone. Before you go near the ice you are issued the gear, and exactly what depends on the tour:

• Glacier-side walks (the Matanuska Glacier Tour and the family tour) hand out hiking boots, micro spikes and a helmet, with instruction in walking on them.
• Anchorage departures issue ice cleats and helmets. The Anchorage: Matanuska Glacier Hike with Transfers adds gloves and snow pants, and the 907 Tours full day adds poles.
• The winter tour with lunch rents a full cold-weather package (parka, snow pants, boots, hat and gloves) for $30.
• NOVA’s six-hour trek adds trekking boots, crampons and a harness, and the ice-climbing day adds ice axes on top.

More advanced activities can also involve ropes and ice tools. You should not need to buy your own crampons for a standard glacier hike. Bring your own warm layers regardless: the supplied gear is traction and protection, not a wardrobe. Our what to wear guide has the full tour-by-tour table.

What shoes should you wear?

This matters more than almost anything else you pack. Wear proper hiking boots, ideally with:

• sturdy, stiff soles
• good ankle support
• enough structure to hold traction securely

Spikes bite properly into a rigid sole and slide around on a flexible one. Avoid:

• fashion sneakers
• smooth-soled shoes
• sandals
• open-toed footwear
• high heels

The glacier-side tours issue hiking boots, which is a useful safety net. If your operator loans boots, using theirs is much better than trying to make the wrong footwear work. On an Anchorage departure, the boots are usually yours to bring.

What should you wear?

A useful rule: dress for wind and rain, then carry enough layers to adjust. Quick-drying clothing beats cotton or jeans, and you want rain gear, an extra warm layer, gloves and synthetic or wool socks.

Good glacier-hike clothing

Base

• synthetic or merino top
• hiking pants

Warm layer

• fleece
• lightweight insulated jacket

Outer layer

• waterproof shell

Accessories

• gloves (thin ones are enough in summer)
• a hat
• wool or synthetic socks
• sunglasses
• sun protection

You generally don’t need heavy ski clothing for a summer glacier walk. Overdressing makes you sweat on the move and then get cold when you stop, so layers work much better. Winter is different: insulated boots and full cold-weather layers, covered in the what to wear guide.

Don’t wear jeans if the weather looks questionable

It sounds minor until you are walking around in wet denim for two hours. Cotton absorbs water and dries slowly, and on a glacier, where wind and cold make it worse, wet jeans become miserable. Quick-drying hiking pants are a much better choice.

What should you carry?

For a standard Matanuska hike:

• small backpack
• water
• snack
• sunglasses
• sunscreen
• waterproof layer
• extra warm layer
• camera or phone

NOVA recommends a personal backpack for raincoats, extra layers, snacks, cameras and water bottles, and on its glacier-side tours you can drink glacier meltwater. For a longer trek, bring proper food and considerably more water; the ice-climbing day asks you to bring lunch. Leave the drone at home: NOVA has a no-drone policy on the glacier.

Should you bring trekking poles?

Usually you don’t need your own. Some operators provide poles, among them the 907 Tours full day from Anchorage, and guides use them where they help. Traction and good technique make a bigger difference than poles on a normal glacier hike. If you have balance issues, ask the operator in advance before assuming your own poles are suitable.

Will your feet get wet?

They can. The route may include:

• wet moraine
• shallow runoff
• slushy ice
• rain
• puddles

Water-resistant hiking boots are best. You don’t need fully waterproof mountaineering boots for the ordinary summer hike, but breathable sneakers that soak through at once are a poor choice.

Is it cold on the glacier?

Often, though not always much colder than the valley around it. The Matanuska area can have surprisingly pleasant weather, and the airflow around the glacier can leave it sunnier and warmer than other parts of the Mat-Su Valley. Conditions still change fast. On the same tour you might feel:

• warm in direct sun
• chilly standing still
• cold in the wind off the ice
• suddenly wet in a shower

So the most useful packing plan is not to wear your warmest clothes. It is to bring layers you can adjust.

How old do you need to be?

It depends on the tour. Current limits on the hikes sold here:

• Matanuska Glacier Tour: ages 10 to 75
• Matanuska Glacier Family Tour: ages 8 to 75
• Hike with Transfers and the Winter Tour with Lunch: minimum age 8
• Anchorage: Full-Day Matanuska Glacier Hike and Tour: not suitable for children under 5
• NOVA’s six-hour trek and ice climbing: 12 and over, and no guests over 65

Age limits can change, so check the tour page before you book. For children, age is only half the question. Consider whether they can:

• follow instructions consistently
• walk for several hours
• handle cold and rain
• cope with uneven ground
• wear a helmet and traction gear comfortably

Can older adults do the glacier hike?

Often, yes. But public tours can set upper age limits (75 on NOVA’s glacier walks, 65 on its trek and climbing day), and mobility matters much more than the number on your passport. A standard hike is likely to suit an older traveler who regularly:

• walks several miles
• climbs stairs comfortably
• handles rough trails
• has good balance

Someone who struggles on uneven pavement may find moraine and glacier ice much harder. For mixed-generation groups, the family tour is the better fit: its guides set the route and pace for whoever is finding it hardest, so a seven-year-old and a grandparent can do the same walk together.

Is it scary?

Usually less than people expect. The introductory tour is not built around peering over giant crevasses. You may walk near dramatic features, but your guide decides how close the group goes. Advanced treks feel more intimidating, with ropes on steeper terrain and bigger moulins and crevasses. If you are uneasy with heights but otherwise active, choose the standard hike over an advanced trek or ice climbing.

Is the glacier hike slippery?

It looks far more slippery than it feels once your traction is on. Micro spikes and crampons bite into the ice and give you much more grip than ordinary soles. For many first-time visitors, clean glacier ice is easier to walk on than loose moraine. The awkward sections are usually the transitions:

rock → muddy ice → clean ice → uneven glacier

and not the clean ice itself.

Summer vs winter Matanuska Glacier hiking

Both seasons can be excellent, and they are different experiences. The winter vs summer guide compares them in detail.

Summer

Best for first-time visitors. Expect:

• long daylight
• flowing meltwater
• exposed glacier ice
• blue pools
• easier driving
• the widest choice of tours

NOVA’s three-hour glacier tour runs from June 1 to September 10, and its family tour, six-hour trek and ice climbing are summer trips too.

Winter

Winter shows a different glacier. Expect:

• snow-covered surroundings
• little visible surface meltwater
• intense blue ice
• possible ice caves
• short daylight
• much colder conditions

Guided tours run all year. In winter they come from Anchorage, and from late November to April the 907 Tours full day swaps the walk out for a sled towed behind a snow machine, which is much less demanding. Clothing and transport planning matter far more in winter; our winter tours page lists what runs.

What is the best time of day?

No single departure time suits everyone.

Morning works because:

• you have plenty of daylight afterward
• you can continue toward Glennallen or drive back to Anchorage without rushing
• temperatures may be cooler

Midday works because:

• it is often warmer
• it suits visitors driving up from Anchorage
• it is easier for families

Afternoon works because:

• it is easier if you are staying nearby
• the light can be attractive for photography

If you are driving up from Anchorage for the day and can choose your start time, a late-morning departure lets you leave the city at a civilized hour and still keeps plenty of daylight for the drive back. On a tour from Anchorage, the operator sets the timing.

How far is the glacier from Anchorage?

The Glacier Park entrance is at Mile 102 of the Glenn Highway in Glacier View, about 100 miles north-east of Anchorage. The Matanuska Glacier State Recreation Site, with its viewing platforms, is a mile earlier at Mile 101, and NOVA’s camp for the glacier-side tours is at Mile 96.5. Allow around two hours each way, and two and a half in poor conditions.

The Glenn Highway is a National Scenic Byway that runs roughly 135 miles and follows the braided Matanuska River for more than half of it, with the Chugach on one side and the Talkeetnas on the other. On an Anchorage departure the guide narrates the drive and stops for photographs, so the road is part of the tour. If you are driving yourself, build in stopping time: the pullouts along this stretch give some of the best roadside views in south-central Alaska, and your first sight of the glacier comes from one of them.

A three-hour glacier hike fits comfortably into a day trip from Anchorage. A six-hour trek makes for a much bigger day.

Is there public transportation to Matanuska Glacier?

No public transit serves the glacier, and the glacier-side tours from NOVA’s camp include no transport from Anchorage. Your realistic options are:

1. drive yourself
2. join an Anchorage tour with transportation, such as the Full-Day Matanuska Glacier Hike and Tour from a downtown desk or the Hike with Transfers from your hotel or Airbnb
3. arrange private transport

Do you need to book ahead?

Yes, particularly in summer. Walk-in space at the glacier is sometimes available but not something to count on, and late arrivals can miss the trip or have it shortened. The small-group Anchorage tours, such as the hike with transfers, sell out sooner than the larger trips.

We would book ahead if:

• you are visiting June to August
• you only have one free day
• you want a specific departure time
• you are traveling as a family
• you want a longer trek
• you are coming from Anchorage and coordinating a long drive

How much does a Matanuska Glacier hike cost?

The glacier-side walk is the benchmark. The Matanuska Glacier Tour costs $115 per person, and the Glacier Park gate fee is paid on top at check-in:

So one adult on the glacier-side walk pays $170 before any booking fees. Tours from Anchorage cost about $315 to $399 with the gate fee already included, and nobody asks you for anything at the gate. The headline price is not necessarily your final price. Before comparing operators, add up:

tour price + gate fee + taxes or booking fees + transportation

Our comparison guide works the totals through for every tour.

Why is there a separate glacier-access fee?

Because glacier access here is not like entering a national park. Matanuska Glacier Park is privately owned, charges per person every time you go through its gate, and is a separate company from the guiding operators. Alaska State Park passes do not apply. It is one of the most common pricing surprises for first-time visitors, and the largest hidden variable when you compare listings.

Two other things at check-in: some operators require a signed liability release, and NOVA has a no-drone policy on the glacier.

Can you just hike to Matanuska Glacier without paying?

You can see the glacier without joining a hike. The Matanuska Glacier State Recreation Site at Mile 101 has a short forest trail to glacier-viewing platforms, and the pullouts along the Glenn Highway give free views too. But that is glacier viewing, not glacier hiking: no access to the ice is provided from there. To get onto the ice through the park at Mile 102, you need to join a guided tour.

What is the difference between glacier hiking and ice climbing?

A glacier hike is mostly about exploration. You walk among natural features and learn about the glacier. Ice climbing is an activity in its own right, and you use:

• climbing boots
• crampons
• ice tools
• ropes
• technical instruction

The Matanuska Glacier Backcountry Ice Climbing day runs about eight hours, heads farther into the backcountry, and puts you on lower-angle walls of 50 feet and more on a top rope (5.0 out of 5, from 16 reviews). Our ice-climbing page covers its limits. If your main goal is sightseeing, don’t assume climbing is the better version. The standard hike gives you more time looking around and less time waiting while others climb.

Is the Matanuska Glacier hike worth it?

For most first-time visitors to Alaska, yes. A standard Matanuska Glacier hike is:

• visually dramatic
• hands-on
• beginner-friendly
• reachable by road
• free of technical skills
• substantial enough to feel like a proper adventure

The biggest drawback is cost. Once you add the guided hike and the separate gate fee, this is not a cheap roadside stop. But you are paying for more than entry: you get onto glacier terrain that changes constantly, with someone who knows where it is safe to walk that day. If you are deciding between seeing the Matanuska and hiking on it, we would spend the extra money on the hike. The roadside view gives you scale. The hike puts you on the glacier itself.

Who should skip the hike?

We would reconsider a standard Matanuska Glacier hike if you:

• have serious balance problems
• cannot comfortably walk for several hours
• have footwear restrictions
• have significant joint or mobility issues
• strongly dislike uneven terrain
• have a very young child who cannot follow instructions
• only want a quick photo stop

In those cases, the viewing platforms at the State Recreation Site may give you more enjoyment for far less effort.

Who should upgrade to the advanced trek?

The advanced option makes sense if you read everything above and think three hours does not sound like enough. Choose NOVA’s six-hour trek if:

• hiking six miles is normal for you
• you enjoy rugged terrain
• you are comfortable around heights
• you would like rope-assisted exploration
• seeing remote glacier terrain matters more to you than convenience
• you are staying nearby and not driving four or five hours round trip from Anchorage

At about six hours on the glacier, with a guide for every four guests, it is much closer to an adventure day than a sightseeing trip.

Our ideal Matanuska Glacier hike for a first visit

For a reasonably active first-time visitor, we would book:

The standard hike gives you the best part of the experience, finding your way across a glacier, without turning the day into a test of endurance. Without a car, or outside the June-to-September window, the Full-Day Matanuska Glacier Hike and Tour from downtown Anchorage (4.8 out of 5 from 60 reviews) is the shortest full day at about eight hours, includes the gate fee and ice cleats, and runs through the winter.

The bottom line

A Matanuska Glacier hike is much more approachable than it looks in photographs. You don’t need mountaineering experience, your own crampons or an athlete’s fitness. For the standard three-hour hike, you mainly need to be comfortable walking for a few hours on rough, uneven ground.

In return you get something far more immersive than a viewpoint: the crunch of ice under your spikes, blue cracks at eye level, water running through channels in the glacier, and a sense of how alive this landscape is. For a first visit, skip the temptation to book the longest or most technical option and choose the standard guided hike. Three hours is enough to get past the edge, see the glacier properly and leave feeling that you explored it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is the Matanuska Glacier hike?

The standard guided hikes from the glacier-side camp last about three hours, with roughly two to two and a half hours on the ice itself. Tours from Anchorage run 8 to 10 hours door to door because of the drive, and NOVA’s longer trek runs about six hours.

Is the Matanuska Glacier hike hard?

The standard hike is easy to moderate and needs no glacier experience, but it is not a paved path. The hardest part is the terminal moraine, loose rock and uneven ground before you reach the ice, and some tours cover up to about three miles, stepping over obstacles and crossing small streams. Several operators exclude guests with mobility impairments, and one excludes people with a low level of fitness.

Do you need hiking experience?

No. The introductory hikes are designed for first-time glacier walkers, and your guide shows you how to walk in the traction gear before you set off.

Do you need your own crampons or boots?

No. Every tour issues traction, micro spikes or ice cleats, and a helmet before you step onto the ice, and the six-hour trek and the ice-climbing day supply crampons. The glacier-side tours also lend hiking boots; on the Anchorage departures the boots are usually yours. Bring your own warm layers, gloves, a hat and sunglasses.

Can children hike Matanuska Glacier?

Yes, on suitable tours. The minimum age is 8 on the family tour and several Anchorage tours, and 10 on the standard three-hour walk; the downtown Anchorage hike is not suitable for children under 5. NOVA’s six-hour trek and ice climbing take guests 12 and over.

Can you hike Matanuska Glacier without a guide?

No. Access to the ice is by guided tour only, in every season. Older online accounts describing independent access reflect earlier arrangements.

Will I see blue ice?

Usually you see some blue glacier ice, strongest in cracks, walls and crevasses, but how much depends on the day’s route, the weather and the glacier’s current formations.

Will I see an ice cave?

Not necessarily. Ice caves are temporary natural features. Guides take groups into one when a safe cave exists, mostly in winter, but no tour can guarantee one.

Is the glacier hike safe?

Guided introductory hikes are designed to manage the glacier’s hazards, and the guide chooses a safe route each day. The Matanuska is still an active natural environment with crevasses, slippery surfaces, loose moraine and changing conditions, so stay with your guide and follow their instructions.

How much does the hike cost?

The three-hour glacier-side walks cost $115 per person, plus the Glacier Park gate fee at check-in: $55 for adults 17 and over, $25 for teens 13 to 16, $30 for Alaska residents, military and seniors 65 and over, and free for children 12 and under. Tours from Anchorage cost about $315 to $399 with the gate fee included.

Do you have to pay to see the Matanuska Glacier?

To walk on it, yes. Matanuska Glacier Park is private land and charges at the gate, and Alaska State Park passes are not accepted. You can see the glacier for nothing from the State Recreation Site’s viewing platforms at Mile 101 and from pullouts along the Glenn Highway, but you cannot reach the ice that way.

What shoes should I wear?

Sturdy, stiff-soled hiking boots with ankle support, ideally water-resistant. Avoid sneakers, smooth soles, sandals, open toes and high heels. The glacier-side tours lend hiking boots if you need them.

How far is the Matanuska Glacier from Anchorage?

About 100 miles north-east, on the Glenn Highway. Allow around two hours each way, or two and a half in poor conditions. That is why full-day tours from Anchorage run 8 to 10 hours while the tours starting at the glacier take three.

Can I do the hike from Anchorage in one day?

Yes. The glacier is about two hours’ drive from Anchorage, so a three-hour hike fits comfortably into a day trip, whether you drive yourself or join a full-day tour with transport.

What is the meeting point for the glacier-side tours?

NOVA’s camp at Mile 96.5 of the Glenn Highway in Glacier View. At the Hick’s Creek bridge, turn onto Trailhead Road, follow the driveway under the bridge and continue to the camp entrance. The Anchorage departures instead pick up from hotels, Airbnbs, or a downtown desk at 509 W. 3rd Avenue.