Looking for a truly unforgettable adventure in Alaska? Don’t miss a Knik Glacier helicopter tour near Palmer! It’s one of the most unique bucket list experiences that will create memories to last a lifetime.
The jaw-dropping landscapes of Knik Glacier and Knik River Valley will take your breath away. This area feels incredibly remote and worlds away from civilization, but it’s less than an hour’s drive from Anchorage and so simple to visit.
On my recent trip, I did this amazing helicopter tour including landings on and near Knik Glacier and it was one of the most epic adventures EVER. After almost three decades of extensive traveling all over the world, I don’t say this lightly. In fact, it’s getting more and more rare that I’m truly wowed by something…
On this 2-week Alaska road trip, I had a few of those WOW moments. This Grand Knik Glacier helicopter landing tour was one of the most memorable, together with the Mt Denali flight with glacier landing, seeing calving glaciers on the Kenai Fjords cruise, and bear viewing.
In this guide, I share my experience on a Knik Glacier helicopter tour, the difference between ‘grand’ and ‘regular’ tours, as well as practical tips. This will give you a better idea of what to expect and help you make the most of this incredible adventure. Find out!
Knik Glacier Helicopter Tour – Overview:
Knik Glacier Helicopter Tours & How They Differ
As already mentioned, there are different types of Knik Glacier helicopter tours and what you get to see depends on the tour you choose. Here you can find all the options and here is a short overview of the most popular tours:
- Regular, 1-hour flightseeing tour includes a scenic helicopter flight and 1 landing on Knik Glacier. You spend about half an hour in the area and about half an hour on the glacier. This tour is available year-round.
- Grand 2-hour flightseeing tour includes a scenic helicopter flight and 3 landings at different locations. One of the landings is on the Knik Glacier itself, just like on the 1-hour tour. In addition, you also land at Inner Lake George (glacier lagoon with icebergs) and in the Chugach Mountains (the mountainside that looks over Inner Lake George, the Knik Glacier, and several other glaciers). This tour is available year-round. (This is the tour I did; you can find more information about it below).
- Helicopter + dog sledding. This tour takes about 1.5-2 hours and includes a helicopter flight and a 1-hour dog sled ride. On the flightseeing tours, you’ll land directly on a glacier, where you can explore crevices and see striking blue melt pools. In contrast, the dog sled tour includes an aerial view of the glacier and blue pools, but these tours land on a nearby glacier snowfield, a safe and scenic spot for dog sledding. This tour is available between May and late August.
- Helicopter + paddle boarding. This is a very unique private tour that takes about 4 hours. Not only do you land on a glacier, but you also go paddle-boarding on Knik Glacier pools. It’s available from approximately mid-May to mid-September.
Tour Starting Location
Knik Glacier is located about 50 miles northeast of Anchorage, southeast of Palmer. Several local companies run Knik Glacier tours, so the starting location will depend on which tour you choose.
All the tours described in detail in this article are operated by Alaska Helicopter Tours. They depart from Alaska Glacier Lodge in the Knik River Valley. The lodge is located at the end of East Knik River Road, 50 miles, 1 hour drive from Anchorage or 20 miles, 30 minutes drive from Palmer.
Good to know: They also offer transfers from Anchorage (for a very reasonable fee) – simply give them a call to arrange it after completing a booking.
While the lodge itself is only open in the summer season and some tours are seasonal, sightseeing helicopter tours run year-round.
TIP: The drive to Alaska Glacier Lodge is very scenic, so I recommend booking a tour starting here (vs other locations in Palmer). That way, you also get to see the incredible scenery of Knik River Valley while driving to the lodge. Be sure to plan some extra time to stop for photos along the way! (And if you are looking for a nice place to stay near Palmer, Alaska Glacier Lodge is wonderful!).
What to Expect on the Grand Knik Glacier Tour
I visited Alaska at the end of September, so adventurous Knik Glacier tours such as paddle boarding or dog sledding weren’t an option. I opted for the Grand tour. Despite the gloomy rainy weather, it was everything I could have hoped for and so much more!
Good to know: On the Grand tour, you’ll soar over jaw-dropping landscapes and make three incredible landings: one high above the mountains with sweeping glacier views, another by a glacier lagoon with colossal icebergs, and the last right on the glacier itself. Every time you land, you have 20-30 minutes to enjoy the scenery and take pictures. It’s plenty of time and we never felt rushed.
Below, you can read about my experience and what you can expect on the Grand Knik Glacier helicopter tour. I also include a few photos of each part of the tour. It wasn’t easy to choose out of hundreds of pictures I took and they don’t even do justice to the beauty of nature, but you’ll get a better idea of what it’s like.
Scenic Flight to the Mountains Overlooking Knik Glacier
Our tour started with a short safety briefing after which we boarded the helicopter. It was just me and my friend, plus the pilot.
Since the Grand Knik Glacier tour includes 3 landings (= 4 short flight segments), we could switch between the front and back seats at every stop, each sitting in front twice on this tour. But the back seats were just as good – the view is great either way!
We flew over the Knik River valley and next to the mountains enjoying spectacular views all around us. At one point, we even saw a bear from the helicopter. The pilot said that wildlife sightings are very common on these tours, and, indeed, we later saw more animals and birds as well.
First Landing – Mountains
The first landing was on the remote mountain peak where we had 360° views of the most phenomenal scenery of the Chugach Mountains. We were standing in an alpine meadow surrounded by glaciers in the distance. I counted six of them, including the Knik Glacier below.
It was cloudy and we even got some rain on the way to our first stop, but the weather got better once we got closer to the glaciers. From what I understood, Knik Glacier tends to have better weather than surrounding areas, and it was indeed the case on the day we visited. Let’s just say that the clouds and the rain didn’t ruin the experience a bit. If anything, it just made it even more special.
I can’t even start to describe how grand the scenery is here and how tiny you feel in the presence of such vast landscapes. Pictures don’t do it justice, but still – take a look below – it will give you a better idea of what you can expect to see.
Second Landing – Glacier Lake
Next, we boarded the helicopter again for a short flight from the mountain to the glacier lake below.
This time, we landed on the shores of Inner Lake George. This lagoon is filled with floating icebergs that have calved off the nearby glacier.
You never know exactly what you find or how big the icebergs will be on the day you come, but that’s the fun of visiting glacier lagoons – they are constantly changing. There were some really impressive chunks of ice floating around when we were here. Amazing scenery!
Third Landing – Knik Glacier
Knik Glacier was the last stop on our Grand tour. Our pilot said that he prefers to leave the best for last. I’m not even sure which of the three stops I would describe as best (they were all phenomenal!) and I wouldn’t have wanted to miss any of them. But landing on the glacier is probably the most unique experience, so if you are only interested in this, you can also opt for the 1-hour tour.
We flew over the glacier for a long time, soaring over crevasses, azure-blue melt pools, and unique ice formations. Seeing 1000-year-old ice in such a unique way is absolutely unforgettable!
I had been on glacier hikes before, but most glacier tours only take you to the glacier tongue covering just a small distance on the ice itself. By helicopter, you can get really far on the glacier and see places that you could never reach on foot. It’s a totally different experience – incomparable.
After a while, the pilot found a good place to land and set the helicopter on the glacier itself. He helped us to put on crampons and we could walk around and explore the surroundings. It was like stepping on another planet! We walked between deep crevasses and bright blue melt pools and I even forgot to take pictures at times – it was mesmerizing and all we could say was WOW WOW WOW…
Flight Back – Knik River Valley
The last part of the flight took us above the Knik River Valley. We soared over Knik Glacier, and the Great Gorge of the Knik, and searched the landscape for wildlife. We saw mountain goats, eagles, and Dall Sheep…
Even after all the phenomenal scenery earlier on this tour, this short flight back to the lodge was just as remarkable as anything else we had just seen. This tour is truly phenomenal from start to finish…
Is the Knik Glacier Helicopter Tour Worth It?
I suppose you can already guess my answer – YES, the Knik Glacier helicopter tour is worth every cent! It’s truly one of the most unique experiences ever.
And yes, it’s not cheap, but all outdoor tours in Alaska are expensive, especially those that involve any kind of flight. If the ‘grand’ tour is above your budget, do the 1-hour tour instead. Either way, don’t miss the Knik Glacier experience!
Of all the tours I took, the Knik Glacier Grand Tour was one of the most special. I’ll cherish those memories forever, and I’d go back again in a heartbeat!
In case you wonder, my other favorite tours in Alaska were the Denali flight with glacier landing (from Talkeetna), the Kenai Fjords cruise (from Seward), and bear viewing (which can be done from Homer or Anchorage). All these experiences are totally different so I couldn’t choose just one ‘best’. If you have a chance to do any of these, I highly recommend them all!
READ ALSO: Denali Flightseeing Tour: Complete Guide
Know Before You Go
Here are some tips and practical information you may want to know when visiting the Knik Glacier:
- Best time to visit. The best time to visit Knik Glacier is in the summer when you can see blue melt pools. That said, the scenery is gorgeous and every season has something special to offer. So if you are in Alaska and have an opportunity to do this tour, don’t hesitate, no matter the season! I visited at the end of September when the pools were frozen and it was still magical.
- Clothing and footwear. Be sure to wear weather-appropriate clothing with a wind- and waterproof outer layer. Sturdy footwear – like hiking boots or sporty sneakers – is a must. They provide crampons to wear when walking on the glacier. I also recommend wearing thin gloves and a warm hat.
- What to pack. Don’t forget sunglasses, a camera, and extra batteries! Since weight is important, be sure to only pack what you really need – leave everything else in the car or at the tour operator’s office.
- Group/helicopter size. The helicopters used for glacier landing tours are tiny, usually just 3 passengers and a pilot. If you are with a bigger group/family, they will use multiple helicopters and will do their best to land them all at the same place so that you are together on the glacier (and other stops if you opt for the ‘grand’ tour). There is another company in Palmer that also uses a 4-passenger helicopter; they offer this tour with a glacier landing.
- Motion sickness. If you are worried about motion sickness on a helicopter, bring some ginger chews. I am quite prone to motion sickness, but I was totally ok on this tour, despite the strong wind we had in the beginning.
- Book in advance! Knik Glacier’s proximity to Anchorage makes it a popular day trip from the city. Plus, it’s a great stop when road-tripping to Denali or Fairbanks. The helicopters can only take a few passengers, so these tours tend to sell out, especially in the summer season. Check availability and reserve a tour now – cancellation terms are quite flexible and if the tour gets canceled because of the weather, you’ll get your money back or you can choose an alternative if available.
So, this sums up our guide to the Knik Glacier Helicopter tour.
Whether you choose the one-hour tour with a glacier landing or opt for the Grand two-hour tour with three unique stops, this experience is nothing short of magical.
Have a great trip!
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