Anchorage: Knik Glacier Helicopter Tour & 3 Landings

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Duration2h

GroupUp to 12

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

Land on Alaska's Knik Glacier: A 2-Hour Helicopter Tour with Three Stops

You fly 30 minutes up the Knik River Valley, then land three times across the glacier system: once on alpine terrain for the full view, once at a 100-foot ice wall where calving happens, and once on the glacier itself where you can walk and explore for 30 minutes. The whole tour takes 2 hours and includes the helicopter flight, all fees, and a guided glacier hike. Wildlife sightings (moose, bears, sheep) are possible but not guaranteed.

Step-by-step itinerary

Helicopter tour with glacier landings

Fly up Knik River Valley
Land at alpine glacier viewpoint
Explore 5-mile wide Knik Glacier
Land at 100-foot ice wall
Observe ice calve and surroundings
Land on Knik Glacier center
Explore ancient ice and formations

The Experience

"You're going to see things most people only dream about," our pilot said as we walked toward the helicopter on the tarmac, and he wasn't exaggerating. The Knik Glacier helicopter tour from Anchorage is built around three separate landings across 2 hours — not a quick flyover, but actual time on the ice and in the valleys where you can stand still and look around. The first 30 minutes is pure flightseeing, following the Knik River Valley as it opens up toward the glacier itself, and if you're paying attention to the ridgelines and the open tundra, you might spot moose, mountain goats, Dall sheep, or even a bear moving through the landscape below.

The first landing puts you on alpine terrain with a direct view of the Knik Glacier — all 5 miles wide and 29 miles long, spread out in front of you like something from another planet. You get 30 minutes there to walk around and let the scale of it sink in. The second stop is at a 100-foot ice wall where the glacier is actively calving, and if you're lucky and patient, you might actually see a chunk of ice break away and crash down. Then comes the part that stays with you: a landing right in the middle of the glacier itself, where you step out onto ancient ice, walk through crevasses, and see the azure melt pools (in summer) and ice formations carved by water, wind and time. Thirty minutes on the glacier, and you're standing in a place that most people will never reach.

One thing to know: in winter (October through April), the glacier landing shifts to next to the glacier rather than on top of it, since snow cover makes the surface unsafe. The ice wall and alpine stops still happen, so you're not losing the core experience, just the specific terrain. Check-in is 45 minutes before departure, and you'll need to leave bags and backpacks behind — there are lockers at the facility, and the restriction exists because of how tight the helicopter cabin is and how important it is that nothing shifts during flight. Dress for Alaska weather; the altitude and wind make it colder than it looks from the ground.

What’s included

Your tour includes the helicopter flight, all taxes and fees, and a guided glacier hike across the three landing zones. Transportation to and from the helipad is wheelchair accessible, and the helicopter itself is wheelchair accessible for boarding.

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Alaska Helicopter Tours

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to land on a glacier and explore it on foot without spending a full day arranging logistics — the 2-hour format fits a single morning or afternoon, and the three separate landings give you real time on the ice rather than a quick pass overhead.