Alaska Glacier Day Tours: Portage Glacier Cruise & Wildlife

What do you see standing 300 yards from a glacier face?

You get picked up from your Anchorage hotel, driven down one of America's top scenic highways with stops along Turnagain Arm, then cruise to within 300 yards of Portage Glacier with a Park Service ranger on board. After that, you walk through the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center to see bears, moose, and wolves in a refuge setting. A shuttle returns you to your hotel by evening, with photo stops included on the way back.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time at each

1. Portage Glacier1h · entry included
2. Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center1h · entry included

Scenic drive, wildlife, and glacier cruise

• Drive along Turnagain Arm
• Stop for photos at scenic viewpoints
• Visit Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center
• Take one-hour Portage Glacier cruise
• Shuttle back to Anchorage

The experience

A shuttle pulls away from your hotel before most of Anchorage wakes up, heading south on the Seward Highway toward Turnagain Arm. The road climbs through rain forest and past jagged peaks, with the Pacific Ocean opening up on one side and hanging glaciers visible across the water. You'll stop several times along the way: Potter Marsh is a birder's paradise if you're into that, and the light on the mountains changes as you drive. The whole drive down is what people mean when they talk about Alaska's scenic byways. It's not hyperbole.

Then comes the Portage Glacier cruise itself. You board the mv Ptarmigan and spend an hour moving toward the glacier face until you're standing about 300 yards away from it: close enough to feel the scale of the thing, to watch for icebergs calving off and crashing into the water. A Park Service ranger is on board explaining what you're looking at, the geology, why this glacier has retreated so much in recent decades. It's the kind of detail that makes the view land differently. Portage Glacier is Alaska's second most visited attraction, and once you're out there, you understand why.

After the cruise, you're shuttled to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, a 140-acre facility about twenty minutes away. This isn't a zoo. It's a refuge for orphaned, injured, and ill animals that can't survive in the wild. You'll walk through and see brown bears, black bears, moose, wood bison, wolf packs. The center also does education work, so there's context alongside the viewing. Comfortable walking shoes matter here because you're on your feet for a couple of hours, moving between enclosures. The animals are the draw, but the setting, surrounded by Alaskan landscape, keeps it from feeling like a typical wildlife park.

A shuttle picks you up at 5:30 p.m. for the ride back to Anchorage, with photo stops along Turnagain Arm on the return. Weather in Alaska shifts fast, so layers and a jacket are essential even in summer. The whole day runs from morning pickup to evening drop-off at your hotel, so you're out for most of the daylight hours. That's what lets you fit the drive, the glacier, and the wildlife center into one trip without feeling rushed.

What’s included

Your day includes hotel pickup and drop-off, the shuttle ride down Turnagain Arm with photo stops, the one-hour cruise to Portage Glacier aboard the mv Ptarmigan with a Park Service ranger, entry to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, and the return shuttle in the evening with additional photo opportunities along the highway.

Before you book

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearby

Operated by Alaska's Finest Tours & Cruises

Is this one for you?A good fit if you want the main Anchorage glacier and wildlife sights in one day without renting a car or planning the logistics yourself: the fixed schedule and included transport are what make fitting the glacier cruise, the scenic drive, and the wildlife center into a single outing possible. Plan for a full day out from morning to early evening.

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Top questions

How long is the glacier cruise?

One hour aboard the mv Ptarmigan, positioning you about 300 yards from the Portage Glacier face.

What animals will I see at the Wildlife Center?

Brown bears, black bears, moose, wood bison, and wolf packs, among others. The center houses orphaned, injured, and ill animals that cannot survive in the wild.

Is the Seward Highway drive included?

Yes. The shuttle takes you down Turnagain Arm via the Seward Highway with multiple photo stops, and returns the same way in the evening.

What should I wear?

Layers and a jacket: Alaska weather changes rapidly. Comfortable walking shoes are recommended for the Wildlife Center.

How much walking is involved?

You'll walk through the 140-acre Wildlife Center for a couple of hours. The tour is suitable for all fitness levels, but comfortable shoes matter.

Does the price include hotel pickup?

Yes, pickup and drop-off from designated meeting points (usually your hotel) are included.

What time does the tour start and end?

Pickup is in the morning from your Anchorage hotel. The shuttle returns you by 5:30 p.m., making it a full-day outing.

Is there a Park Service guide on the glacier cruise?

Yes, a Park Service ranger is aboard the mv Ptarmigan to explain the glacier, its geology, and recent changes.