Alaska Glacier Cruises & Alaska Glacier Tours

Alaska Glacier & Wildlife Cruises

You’ve seen pictures of towers of glacial ice crashing into the ocean. You'll be glad to know that Alaska glacier cruises--the best way to get up close and personal with these icy behemoths--are among the most affordable and easiest to arrange day tours from Anchorage. Far and away the most popular Alaska glacier tours are half-day wildlife and glacier cruises into either Prince William Sound, Kenai Fjords or Portage Glacier. Even large-ship cruisers should hop aboard one of these boats to really feel the rumble of calving tidewater glaciers or hear the thrilling, unearthly song of whales.

• Prince William Sound: If you’re most interested in seeing tidewater glaciers, take a wildlife & glacier cruise out of the port of Whittier into Prince William Sound, 1.5 hours south of Anchorage by car or rail. Go with Phillips 26 Glacier Cruise, Phillips Glacier Quest Cruise, or Major Marine Tours. There is also the option to depart from the Eastern port of Valdez with Stan Stephens Glacier & Wildlife Cruises.
• Kenai Fjords: If you are more interested in spotting whales, sea lions, and harbor seals while out glacier watching, take a glacier cruise into Kenai Fjords National Park from the port town of Seward, 2.5 hours south of Anchorage by car or 4 hours by rail. Go with Kenai Fjords Tours, Major Marine Tours, or Mariah Tours.
• Since these are the two most popular Alaska glacier cruises, we’ve compared Prince William Sound to Kenai Fjords in detail for you.
• Portage Glacier: If you’re short on time or have limited budget, take the MV Ptarmigan Cruise on Portage Lake. Just an hour’s drive from Anchorage, you’ll explore the icebergs and glacier feeding this crystalline lake.

Other Alaska Glacier Tours

In the past few years, a new crop of little-known yet sensational Alaska glacier day tours has emerged in the Anchorage area:

• Exit Glacier Tour: Take a two-hour naturalist-led walk with the Seward Windsong Lodge and find out what’s really happening inside the blue crevasses of Exit Glacier, while also learning about the area's botany and wildlife.
• Glacier Dog Sled Tour: Ratchet up the adventure factor and try your hand at dogsledding.
• Spencer Glacier Rail & Raft: Combine a scenic rail trip with a gentle float tour through iceberg-choked Spencer Lake and down the Placer River, which shoots out from under the glacier.
• Knik Glacier ATV Tour: Set off into backcountry Alaska on your own ATV. Drive over rocks, splash through mud, and look for wildlife on your way to the Knik Glacier.

You can also create your own Alaska glacier tour by visiting one of several Alaska roadside glaciers which are easy to reach from Anchorage.

The glacier rich waters of coastal Alaska are as pristine as they were a thousand years ago. And an Alaska glacier cruise is not just an unforgettable way to experience this unchanged call of the wild, but also the only way to see that quintessential Alaskan coastal scenery you've dreamed of.

You'll also get close to Alaska's marine mammals. Passing through gorgeous inlets and fjords, you'll look for bears, mountain goats, bald eagles, and puffins. Then sail into waters jumping with seals, porpoises, and sea lions. With the help of underwater microphones, you can even listen to whales converse in their ancient language.