Matanuska Glacier Sled Tours

You ride, a guide drives

Searches for a “Matanuska Glacier snowmobile tour” usually picture guests at the handlebars, racing across the ice. That is not how winter access to the glacier works. In winter the approach to the ice is covered in snow, and operators at the park carry guests across it in a sled towed behind a snow machine, which is Alaskan for a snowmobile. A guide drives the machine. You sit in the sled, which is a slow, steady ride over groomed ground, and then you get out and walk on the glacier.

The park’s own operator puts it plainly: in winter, snow machines are used whenever possible, and visitors are pulled in a sleigh to the face of the glacier. Once there, the winter tour is around two hours on groomed, mostly flat ice paths. The same visit in summer is a two-hour moderate hike over rough, sometimes slushy and muddy ground. That is why the sled turns winter into the easier trip. The hardest part of the summer day, the long approach over rubble and uneven ice, disappears.

When the sleds run

Sleds need snow and frozen ground. The park’s winter season runs from 15 November to 14 April, give or take two weeks either side for the weather. 907 Tours, whose full day from Anchorage is the one we recommend for the sled, says its winter guests load onto sleds from late November through April. Earlier in the autumn, and from May, you walk out to the ice instead.

Operators use the sleds whenever conditions allow, not on every single day. A thin early-season snowpack or a thaw can mean walking a stretch that would normally be a ride. If the sled is the main reason for your booking, the months from December to March are the safest bet.

The tour we recommend for the sled

From Anchorage: Matanuska Glacier Full-Day Tour is 907 Tours’ day trip. You are picked up from your Anchorage hotel, driven about two hours up the Glenn Highway, and checked in at the Glacier Park office. Cleats go on over your boots, and in winter the sleds take you out to the blue ice. The day runs about ten hours in total, and the price includes all entry fees, glacier safety equipment, light snacks and bottled water. Lunch is not included, but there is a stop on the way where you can buy it. It holds 4.8 out of 5 from 118 reviews on GetYourGuide. The same operator lists the same tour on Viator, where it has a much larger review base:

Because the sled does the heavy lifting, this is the winter tour we would suggest for travellers who would struggle with a long walk over uneven ground. You still need to be steady on your feet on ice, and the operator does not accept guests with back problems or mobility impairments, but the demands are much lower than the summer hike.

Other winter departures from Anchorage walk from the park to the ice. The Winter Tour with Lunch from Greatland Adventures and the Hike with Transfers both run through the winter. White Raven’s small-group hike with honey and wine tasting shows a sled and snow machine among its listing photographs, but its description does not mention sled access, so do not count on one. If the ride matters to you, book the 907 Tours day.

If you want to drive a snowmobile yourself

That is a different product, and most of the time it is not on the glacier.

Sheep Mountain Lodge, at Mile 113.5 of the Glenn Highway, sells a Matanuska Glacier snowmobile tour where you drive your own machine. It lasts about two hours in total, with around an hour of riding and roughly 20 minutes on the glacier itself, at $199 per driver and $129 per rider. You bring your own warm clothing and winter boots. Its page still carries older seasonal wording, so confirm dates and prices directly before planning around it.

Alaska Backcountry Adventures, based in Palmer, runs guided rides from December to the end of March. Its Glacier View tour is three to four hours at $255 per driver. A longer day to the Knik Glacier, riding among icebergs frozen into the lake when the snow allows, costs $395 per driver. Snowsuits, boots, helmets and goggles are included. Neither operator is bookable through this site.

If you are staying in Anchorage and simply want an afternoon on a snowmobile, Anchorage: Snowmobile Adventure with Transportation includes hotel pickup and lets you drive or ride as a passenger. It goes to Hatcher Pass, Big Lake, Bird Creek or Chugach State Park, chosen on the day for the best conditions, and not to the Matanuska Glacier. Cold-weather clothing is not included. It is rated 5.0 from five reviews and starts at $379.

Which one is right for you

If the glacier is the goal and you want the easiest way onto it in winter, book the 907 Tours day and enjoy the sled as a passenger. If the snowmobile is the goal, look at the driver tours and accept that most of the ride happens on trails, with the glacier as a short stop or not at all. Some visitors do both, the glacier day from Anchorage and a separate snowmobile afternoon, and our winter tours page lists the other cold-season options.

What to wear on a sled day

Sitting still in an open sled in the wind is colder than walking, so dress for it. 907 Tours’ winter clothing list asks for a parka with a hood, insulated snow pants, waterproof boots and something to cover your face, such as a neck gaiter, scarf or balaclava. Add a hat, warm gloves and sunglasses. Our what to wear guide covers the rest, and the ice caves guide explains what you might see once you are on the ice. When you are ready, check sled-season dates.