Alaska Native Tour and Mt. Roberts Tramway: Culture & Nature

Totems, Tramway, and the Stories That Connect Them

The Alaska Native Tour is a guided cultural experience that uses totems at Mt. Roberts to teach how Alaska Native worldview and the natural world shape each other. A live guide in English walks you through oral tradition, ecological knowledge, artwork and language while the tramway carries you 1,800 feet up the mountain to a restaurant and trailhead. Breakfast, lunch or dinner is included, and the tour works for all fitness levels and mobility needs.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Alaska Native Culture and Tram Ride

• Join Alaska Native cultural tour
• Learn about totems and traditions
• Discover nature’s influence on culture
• Ride Goldbelt Tram up Mount Roberts
• Visit restaurant, theater, and shops
• Explore mountain trails

The experience

What makes this tour different is that it does not treat culture and nature as separate things. The totems at Mt. Roberts are not just carvings. They are teaching tools. Each one tells a story about how geology, ecology, and the people who live here have shaped one another. Your guide explains the oral traditions, the social practices, the artwork and the language alongside the science: the phenology, the biodiversity, the economics of sustainability. The two systems are woven together, and that is the point. Most tours separate the hike from the history. This one shows how they are the same thing.

The Goldbelt Tram starts just steps from the cruise ship dock and climbs to about 1,800 feet on Mount Roberts. At the top, a restaurant, theater, beer garden and retail shop sit at the base of trails that lead both higher and back down the mountain. Your meal is included (breakfast, lunch or dinner depending on your departure time), so you eat while you are there, not before or after. The tramway itself is part of the experience: the ascent gives you the view of how the land is organized, and the guide uses that vantage to explain what you are seeing.

The whole tour runs between one and four hours depending on how much time you spend at the top and whether you walk any of the connecting trails. Wheelchair access is built in at every stage (the tram, the restaurant, the viewing areas and the accessible trails), so mobility does not limit what you can do. Infants and small children can ride in a stroller, and service animals are welcome.

What’s included

• The tour includes the Mt. Roberts Tramway ride up and down the mountain.
• a live guide in English who explains the totems and how Alaska Native culture connects to nature.
• breakfast, lunch or dinner at the top.
• and access to the restaurant, theater, beer garden and retail shop at the tramway station.

Information

Lasts 1h–4h, from US$ 145 per person, with a live guide in English, in groups of up to 10 and with free cancellation up to 24 h before.

Days and timesNext departure: 14 Apr 2027

GroupUp to 10

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Book up toStart time

AgesAdult (13 to 64 years) · Senior (65 and older) · Child (3 to 12 years) · Infant (under 3): free

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 3 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller-friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Goldbelt Tramway

Is this one for you?This tour is built for travelers who want to understand a place through the people who live there, not just see the scenery. The guide and the totems do the teaching, so you listen and learn rather than walk and discover on your own, which means you get the full context and the stories that make the landscape make sense.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (3 to 12 years); Infant (under 3): free.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What do the totems actually teach on this tour?

Each totem tells a story about how nature (geology, ecology, weather patterns) has shaped Alaska Native culture, traditions, social practices and art. The guide walks you through oral tradition, ecological knowledge, artwork and language, showing how Indigenous wisdom and the science of nature work together to shape the community.

How high does the Mt. Roberts Tramway go?

The tramway ascends to about 1,800 feet on Mount Roberts. At the top, you have access to a restaurant, theater, beer garden, retail shop and trails that lead both higher up the mountain and back down.

Is a meal included in the price?

Yes, breakfast, lunch or dinner is included depending on your tour departure time. You eat at the restaurant at the top of the tramway.

Can I do this tour if I use a wheelchair or have mobility concerns?

The entire tour is wheelchair accessible: the tramway, the restaurant, viewing areas and the connecting trails all accommodate wheelchairs. The tour is also suitable for all physical fitness levels, and infants and small children can ride in a stroller.

How long does the whole tour take?

The tour runs between one and four hours depending on how much time you spend at the top and whether you walk any of the trails connected to the tramway station.