Skagway, Alaska, is like a portal that allows clients to look back in time — to when glaciers dominated Alaska with mile-plus-deep ice sheets that covered all but the coastal nunataks (exposed rocky ridges or peaks) of the region’s coastal mountains.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska’s glaciers are losing 75 billion tons of ice annually — the equivalent of filling New York’s Yankee Stadium with water 150,000 times per year. These glaciers and ice fields also contribute 50 percent of the water that flows into the Gulf of Alaska; fish, birds, marine mammals and Alaska tourism all benefit from this nutrient-rich infusion.
So, a multiday Alaska glacier tour should be the first item on every personal and multigenerational travel bucket list, because many of today’s glaciers won’t be around when kids and grandkids can afford their own Alaska glacier adventure.
Tour Offerings
Skagway offers Pleistocene-era glaciers that are unparalleled, and I recommend that clients first visit Davidson Glacier, which is one of Skagway’s most popular day tours. Few other glaciers offer Davidson’s fast-and-easy, up-close-and-personal accessibility and immersion. A variety of tours offer boat and canoe access and viewing, with shore excursions to explore the terminal moraine, crevasses, outlet streams and ice caves. Associated tours include marine wildlife viewing and exploring historical sites and geological attractions.
Glacier Point ATV tours leaves the driving to clients by using all-terrain vehicles to explore the perimeter areas below and above Davidson.
Packer Expeditions is the area’s top choice for private and multiday tours. Its remote Laughton Glacier day tour requires travel via the White Pass and Yukon Route Railway. The trek offers a life-changing adventure away from the crowds, with an arduous hike to the glacier’s terminal moraine.
Less adventurous clients may enjoy renting a car and exploring glacier country by driving portions of the Golden Circle out of Skagway, or the Klondike Highway into British Columbia and beyond.
Up in the Air
Viewing Skagway’s icefields and glaciers from the air enhances any Alaska visit. Temsco Helicopters offers a variety of sights that can’t be experienced at sea level.
Some of its flights include sights such as the jagged mountain peaks carved by Chilkat Glacier; the sense of insignificance that comes with flying along the length of Meade Glacier; and the empty-stomach feeling of hovering above waterfalls so high that they become wispy tendrils before kissing deepwater pools. Other views include summer alpine meadows filled with wildflowers, ice falls, crevasses, moulins and a variety of moraines.
Weather affects daily routes, so travel advisors should inquire about original and secondary destinations and the number of glacier landings — a safeguard when clients are expecting to visit select glaciers.
Aerial glacier tours and photography go hand in hand, especially on cloudy days, when the turquoise color of glaciers becomes vibrant. I prefer the co-pilot seat on aerial tours, which offers the best angle for producing spectacular photos (sans the heads of passengers or the pilot in the shot).
On a sunny day with a clear view of Skagway’s coastal mountains, a helicopter flight with a glacier landing and a dogsled ride is an unforgettable experience.
Helicopter Tips
Here are a few nitty-gritty details about booking helicopter tours that will help advisors keep clients happy.
Touring helicopters allocate up to four passengers in the back seat, and one to two people in co-pilot seating. Most flights are full, which means the two middle passengers in the back seat are often squeezed into an uncomfortable space. And bulky cold-weather clothing makes the condition almost unbearable.
Cramped passengers can also get airsick from close-proximity body heat. Then, there’s the horrendous view. Glaciers are best viewed by window-seated passengers looking down, not out, which is the only view available to middle-seated passengers. As much as I love helicopter tours, this is the unfortunate consequence of tour economics. According to Temsco, such seating is required for profitability.
On tours that make one or more glacier landings, clients can switch seats to help remedy the problem. With a mixed passenger manifest, however, I’ve seen passengers who insist on keeping their seats for the entire tour, especially those assigned the co-pilot seats. Clients can challenge this commercial airline protocol that often restricts passengers to assigned seats. This protocol doesn’t apply to helicopter tours, unless it is for weight and balance or other safety reasons.
Before boarding, clients should again inquire about seating preferences with charter agents and passengers. To its credit, I’ve seen Temsco switch passengers to other flights or educate passengers on seating issues before liftoff, which ensures a memorable experience for everyone.
The Details
Packer Expeditions
www.packerexpeditions.com
Skagway Convention & Visitors Bureau
www.skagway.com
Temsco Helicopters
www.temscoair.com
