Kenai Peninsula Alaska

If you want to see glaciers, Prince William Sound is the best place in Southcentral Alaska for a sightseeing cruise. In fact, the sound offers the state's largest concentration of tidewater glaciers-a type famous for calving off huge pieces of ice. Join Alaska Native-owned Prince William Sound Cruises & Tours on a leisurely journey through calm, protected waters and spend quality time with these icy giants. Enjoy a delicious baked halibut meal, fresh from the sound, and park for free in Whittier-exclusive to Prince William Sound Cruises & Tours guests. Their family-friendly 4-hour cruise even includes an educational marine-science twist that's great for kids.

Upon departing from Whittier, your captain will cruise at a nice, easy pace, allowing you to go out on the bow and stern at any time. The captain, who narrates the tour, will stop for wildlife, so watch for sea otters, harbor seals, a wide variety of seabirds, and more. When you arrive at a glacier, the captain will shut off the engine so you're drifting quietly, listening to the sounds of the ice. You'll get as close as a quarter mile from the glaciers (no closer, for safety reasons).

The 110-mile Wilderness Explorer Cruise (6 hours) visits four tidewater glaciers and numerous others. You'll stop at the Wally Noerenberg Hatchery-the largest producer of pink salmon in North America. In early summer, look down into the nets, where thousands of salmon fry wait to be released. Bald eagles congregate, drawn by the fish, and you may see black bears as well. As the season goes on, see the returning salmon leaping from the water and hatchery workers pulling up nets full of fish.

Your cruise continues through beautiful Esther Passage, where the mountains seem to pierce the sky. The captain expertly navigates the passage as it grows narrower and narrower-less than a quarter mile from shore on either side. You'll head into Barry Arm, around the Harriman Fjord, and right up to majestic Surprise Glacier. This towering wall of ice is hundreds of feet high and nearly a half-mile wide.

The 50-mile Glacier Adventure Cruise (4 hours) is perfect for families. Scientists of all ages can participate in hands-on educational activities: view plankton through a microscope, experiment with ancient glacier ice, and examine animal pelts. The ship travels through Blackstone Bay, where you'll see two massive tidewater glaciers-Blackstone and Beloit-as well as an active alpine glacier.

Whittier tends to be overcast and wet in the summer-that's why the sound has so many glaciers-but this doesn't affect the viewing. Cloudy weather makes glaciers appear even bluer, in fact. You may also find that the weather is nicer out on the water than in town.