Matanuska Glacier Family Tour

About This Experience

This is NOVA's standard glacier trip re-cut for groups that do not all walk at the same speed. The guides tailor the route and the pace to whoever is finding it hardest, which in practice means a family with a seven-year-old and a grandparent can do the same walk together instead of splitting up.

The shape of the day is unchanged: gear fitting at the camp at Mile 96.5, a vehicle ride down to the glacier's terminus, then a walk across the terminal moraine and into the Ice Falls — the area of serac spires where the ice cascades over buried rock. You cross a glacial lake and stand at the base of the falls, which is where most of the photographs get taken.

Because the pace is slower, there is more time for the guide to actually explain things, and that suits curious children better than a brisk trip does. Three hours is the right length for a group with a wide age range: long enough to reach the good ice, short enough that nobody is finished by the end.

Minimum age here is eight rather than ten, and the operator caps the upper end at 75 as on their other departures. Gear — boots, micro spikes, helmet — is issued at camp for everyone.

Highlights

• Pace and route set by the guide for the group, not the other way round
• Explore the Ice Falls, the serac formations the Matanuska is known for
• Walk across a glacial lake at the base of the ice
• Suits families with younger children, and grandparents joining them
• Boots, micro spikes and helmet issued at camp for every guest

What's Included

• ✓ Three-hour guided family glacier tour
• ✓ Professional glacier guide
• ✓ Gear: hiking boots, micro spikes and helmet
• ✓ Shuttle from camp to the glacier terminus

Not Included

• Glacier Park gate fee (paid at check-in)
• Transport from Anchorage
• Food and drink
• Guide gratuity

What to Bring

• Warm layers and a jacket
• Rain gear
• Gloves
• Hat
• Sunglasses and sunscreen
• Water

Good to Know & Caveats

• Matanuska Glacier Park is privately owned and charges an entry fee at the gate: $55 per adult (17+), $25 for teens 13-16, $30 for Alaska residents, military and seniors 65+, and free for children 12 and under. Alaska State Park passes are not accepted. Children 12 and under are free, which makes a real difference to a family's total.
• Drones are not permitted on the glacier under this operator's policy.
• The camp is about 100 miles from Anchorage on the Glenn Highway — allow around two hours of driving each way.
• Guide-to-guest ratio is usually about 1:8.
• Minimum age is 8; the operator does not accept guests over 75.

Meeting Point

NOVA's camp at Mile 96.5 Glenn Highway, Glacier View. At the Hick's Creek bridge turn onto Trailhead Road, follow the driveway under the bridge and continue to the camp entrance.