Matanuska Glacier Ice Climbing

Guided tours in this catalogue run from $115 to $369 per person. The cheapest options start at the glacier itself and last about three hours on the ice; the full-day tours from Anchorage cost more because they include roughly four hours of driving, the Glacier Park entry fee and, on some, food. Compare them side by side in our which tour is right for you guide.

Yes, and it catches people out. Matanuska Glacier Park is privately owned and charges per person at the gate: $55 for adults 17 and over, $25 for teens 13–16, $30 for Alaska residents, military and seniors 65 and over, and free for children 12 and under. Alaska State Park passes are not accepted. Tours that start at the glacier collect it at check-in on top of the ticket price; the full-day tours from Anchorage already include it.

About 100 miles north-east on the Glenn Highway, which is roughly two hours of driving each way. That is why the Anchorage departures run 8 to 10 hours door to door while the glacier-side tours are only three. The drive itself is a National Scenic Byway up the Matanuska Valley and is worth the window seat.

Not on these tours, and not sensibly on your own. The Matanuska is a live, moving glacier with crevasses and moulins under a surface that looks solid, and every operator here supplies micro spikes or cleats and a helmet before anyone steps onto it. You can look at the glacier free of charge from pullouts along the Glenn Highway, but getting onto the ice means going through the park gate with a guide.

The glacier is guided year-round and each season gives you a different day. Summer, roughly May through early November, means bare blue ice, meltwater pools and longer hikes. Winter, late November through April, means snow cover, ice caves and — on some tours — a sled ride behind a snow machine instead of a walk out. Our best time to visit guide goes month by month.

Warm layers, a waterproof jacket, gloves, a hat and sturdy, stiff-soled boots — trainers are not adequate on ice. Sunglasses matter more than most visitors expect, because the glare off the ice is strong even under cloud. Some tours hand out snow pants and gloves, and one rents a full winter package for $30. Full checklist in our what to wear guide.

Yes, with the right tour. The Matanuska Glacier Family Tour takes children from age 8 and sets the pace around the group's slowest walker, so a family with young children and grandparents can stay together. The standard walk sets its minimum at 10, the Anchorage transfer tours mostly at 8, and the ice-climbing day at 12. Children 12 and under pay no Glacier Park gate fee.

Some do. The tours starting at the glacier camp at Mile 96.5 of the Glenn Highway need your own car. Of the Anchorage departures, one collects you from your hotel or Airbnb, one from select hotels or the operator's office, and one from a downtown check-in desk at 509 W. 3rd Avenue. Each tour page says which.

Yes — the introductory day is built for people who have never held an ice axe. Guides set top-rope anchors on lower-angle walls of 50 feet and up, supply crampons, harness, helmet and axes, and teach the technique before you climb. Age 12 and over, with weight limits of 99 to 250 lb. See the ice climbing page.

Every tour listed here offers free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start time, and operators reschedule or refund when conditions make a trip unsafe. Trips do run in rain and cloud, though — the ice is the attraction, not the sunshine, and overcast light actually shows the blue better.