About this tour

This tour involves a helicopter drop off in the mountains outside of Valdez with a hike down to the face of Valdez Glacier. It's roughly 5-6 miles of hiking but can become longer with additional exploring. You can either be picked up in the alpine above the glacier, or hike down to the valley depending on team performance, guide evaluations, and environmental conditions.

The tour begins around 3,500ft and climbs up to 4,200ft before descending down 2,500-4,000ft and hiking out above or along Valdez Glacier. Most of the terrain is gradual and mild but off trail with the occasional scramble. A handful of clients have gotten nervous through one particular scramble section, but we've gotten everyone through unscathed. However, if heights make you nervous and you're not looking to push yourself, this might not be your tour.

Features include many glacier and mountain views, alpine lakes and streams, passing near an abandoned gold mine, alpine terrain, a short section through the brush (no bushwhacking) and walking the surface of Valdez Glacier.

Animal sightings may include mountain goats, black bears, marmots, pika squirrels, arctic ground squirrels, ptarmigan, eagles, and mountain songbirds.

In 2024 Valdez Glacier collapsed along the mountain making it unsafe to transition from mountain to glacier. We do try to include a glacier landing during the extraction, but it's dependent on helicopter availability so we can't 100% guarantee it. If a group has mountaineering and glacier experience, we can discuss glacier transitions if desired.

This tour maybe be extended into multiple day experience.