Matanuska: Winter vs Summer

Two different trips to the same ice

The Matanuska is guided every month of the year, and the question most people ask is which half of the year to come in. The park at Mile 102 splits its calendar into four seasons. Winter runs from 15 November to 14 April and summer from 20 May to 19 September, each give or take two weeks for the weather, with autumn and spring in between.

What separates them is one thing: whether the glacier is bare or under snow. Almost everything else follows from that, including how you get onto the ice, what you see when you are there, how fit you need to be, and which tours are running at all.

What you see

In summer the surface is open. The Ice Falls stand exposed as a field of serac spires, meltwater collects in turquoise pools, moulins drain down into the glacier and the terminal lake at the foot of the ice feeds the Matanuska River. This is the version on most postcards.

In winter the surface is white, and the blue moves inside. Ice caves carved by the summer’s meltwater become reachable once the water freezes, and the walls of caves and crevasses show the deep blue that dense, bubble-free glacier ice gives off. The park’s own guides describe the ice becoming solid around mid-November. Caves are never guaranteed, because they change from year to year and can close within days, but winter is the season they are usually open. Our ice caves guide goes into that in detail.

How you get onto the ice

This is the difference that surprises people. The park’s visitor page describes the summer tour as a two-hour moderate hike over rough and sometimes slushy, muddy terrain. The winter tour is about two hours on groomed, flat ice paths, and snow machines are used whenever possible to pull visitors in a sleigh to the face of the glacier.

907 Tours works the same way on its day from Anchorage: from late November through April you ride out to the ice on sleds towed behind a snow machine, and from May to early November you walk, which is longer and more strenuous. So for anyone who would struggle with a long walk over moraine, winter is the easier season. The sled tours page explains the ride, and makes clear that a guide drives the snow machine, not you.

Light, weather and crowds

Summer days in south-central Alaska are very long, and the weather at the glacier is mild enough that visitors routinely overdress. It is also the busy season at the most accessible glacier in the state, so small-group tours fill early.

Winter is cold and short. Anchorage averages a high of 22.7°F (−5.2°C) in January, and the glacier sits higher up the valley and catches the wind. On the December solstice the sun is up for about five and a half hours. By mid-March it is up for nearly twelve, which is why March is our favourite winter month. Winter is also quiet: the summer-only operators have closed, and the groups are smaller.

What each season costs

The cheapest day on the glacier is a summer one. NOVA’s three-hour walk from its camp at Mile 96.5 costs $115 plus the $55 gate fee per adult, but NOVA only operates from 1 June to 10 September.

In winter there is no equivalent. If you drive yourself, the park’s own guided tour at Mile 102 is about $150 per adult with the gate fee included (its pages quote slightly different figures, so confirm). If you do not, you are on a full day from Anchorage at $329 to $407, with the gate fee already in the price. Our winter driving comparison weighs the two.

Things only one season offers

Only summer offers ice climbing. Matanuska Glacier Backcountry Ice Climbing is a full introductory day on bare walls of 50 feet and more, and the walls need to be bare to climb. See the ice climbing page.

Only winter offers the sled ride, the caves at their most reliable, and the chance of the northern lights, which Visit Anchorage puts in season from September to April. A day tour is back in the city by early evening, so the aurora needs a separate night outing.

Which season suits you

Come in summer if you want the classic bare-ice walk, if you are travelling with children who can manage a few hours on uneven ground (Matanuska Glacier Family Tour takes them from age 8), if you want to try ice climbing, or if you are on a budget and have a car.

Come in winter if you want ice caves, if anyone in your group would find the summer walk hard going, if you want the glacier without the crowds, or if your trip to Alaska is built around the northern lights.

Come in March or early April if you want both: winter conditions on the ice and a proper day of light.

The tours we would book

For winter, From Anchorage: Matanuska Glacier Full-Day Tour is the one to book, because it runs in both seasons and is the clearest example of the difference: sleds from late November to April, a walk the rest of the year. Hotel pickup, all entry fees, safety gear, snacks and water are included, and it is rated 4.8 from 118 reviews.

Greatland Adventures runs the split as two separate tours, one for each season, both with hotel pickup and lunch:

For summer on a budget with your own car, Matanuska Glacier Tour from NOVA is the most reviewed walk on the glacier, at 4.8 from 192 reviews. The month-by-month detail is in our best time to visit guide. Whichever you pick, check availability for your dates.