Where to Stay in Glacier View

Expe­ri­ence one of Alaska’s most extra­or­di­nary overnights: glamp­ing direct­ly on the Matanus­ka Glac­i­er. On this unique trip — a col­lab­o­ra­tion between MICA Guides and Alpen­glow Lux­u­ry Camp­ing — you’ll fly to the glac­i­er by heli­copter out of Glac­i­er View (about 2 hours north of Anchor­age) and enjoy an exhil­a­rat­ing glac­i­er adven­ture with deluxe, cozy accommodations.

Nes­tled at the foot of a wilder­ness pre­serve and open year-round, the lodge has 11 cab­ins, all with pri­vate decks open­ing onto gor­geous views. The own­ers pride them­selves on the fam­i­ly atmos­phere, as well as the clean, com­fort­able cab­ins that sleep up to six. The prop­er­ty includes a hot tub and sauna, and the grounds have gor­geous views as well as access to 12 miles of main­tained trails.

Be care­ful, it’s easy to miss this turn-off as you drop down the hill, but look out for the sign ​“Cari­bou Creek Recre­ation­al Area.” This sel­dom-used camp­ground is a qui­et place to camp, away from high­way noise. It has fire rings and pic­nic tables, and there’s a trail to the creek. It’s a one-mile walk to the water. It’s a nice stream and it’s part of the State Recre­ation­al Gold Min­ing Area. So bring a pan and try your luck!

The camp­ground is pret­ty open, since bark bee­tles killed the big, old spruce trees. The camp­sites attract RVers and campers, and each of the 24 sites has a fire ring and pic­nic table. There’s potable water at a hand pump. 

The Matanus­ka State Park is the best place for a free view of the Matanus­ka Glac­i­er. You won’t be able to walk up to the glac­i­er (that’s at Mile 102), but this well-devel­oped site offers plen­ty of park­ing, overnight camp­ing, pub­lic restrooms, and excel­lent glac­i­er views and pho­to oppor­tu­ni­ties. You’ll also find: A half-dozen inter­pre­tive signs about glac­i­ers, ice crea­tures, spruce bark bee­tles. Great view­points with tele­scopes. A…  ...more