Expert Alaska Travel Tips & Trip Planning Guide

For a number of reasons!

• Convenience. Just one phone call or email takes care of it all just sit back and relax, we’ll make sure you have a wonderful trip. We offer complete packages including transfers, helicopter tours, glacier dogsledding and lots of other adventures.

• Great value-for-money. Because we are so close to the glaciers you don’t need to pay for a lot of airtime to get to your destination.

• Location. We are the only tour option with glacier landings and dogsledding right out of the Anchorage area. Our proximity to Anchorage means you have more time to explore the rest of our beautiful state.

• Experience. Our pilots have flown in the area for a long time, they know every little hill and valley and can share some great stories with you.

• Best Safety Record! We have the best safety record for helicopter tours operations in Alaska!

Alaska Helicopter Tours has 2 convenient locations, Palmer and Seward!

Palmer (45 minutes north of Anchorage) 29979 East Knik River Road Palmer AK 99645

Tours depart from the Alaska Glacier Lodge; round-trip transportation is available for purchase from select Anchorage hotels.

Seward (2 hours 15 minutes south of Anchorage) 2110 Airport Rd Seward AK 99664

We offer a complimentary shuttle from within Seward city limits, including the Cruise Terminal and Railroad depot!

Please find addresses for each location in the footer.

Please contact us directly for groups over 12. We can land a limited number of helicopters at different locations, so special arrangements may need to be made to make your large group tour all that it can be!

Yes! All of our tour times have transfers available from select Anchorage locations for $79 per person round trip for two hour adventures and $158 for four hour adventures. Transfers in Seward are complimentary.

We cannot pick up from other hotels, B&B’s or Air B&B’s, but you should never be more than a few minutes away from any of our available pickup locations. Please don’t hesitate to ask us if you need help.

Alaska Helicopter Tours flies both the 3 passenger Robinson 44 & 66 as well as the 6 passenger Astar AS350 B2/B3.

Due to weight and balance for safe flying, we can never guarantee what type of helicopter you will be flying in or if you will be flying privately unless you purchase a private tour. Some groups may be split between multiple helicopters but will always land at the same spot to enjoy the tour together.

If you need to cancel you will receive a full refund on tours cancelled 24 hours or more prior to departure date. Bookings cancelled 24 hours or less are non-refundable but you have the option to reschedule for any future date for a $200 reschedule fee. If we need to cancel due to weather or other safety related matters we will refund you 100%.

If you arrive late for check-in, your tour is subject to be shortened, rescheduled, or cancelled.

We do offer trip protection and highly recommend adding this to avoid reschedule or cancellation fees.

Yes, you can take great pictures and videos from the helicopter!

Unfortunately, we do have bad weather days too and there is no way to tell far ahead of time when that is going to be.

We do have weather-cams pointed towards most of our landing spots so we can see what the weather is up there. We also check the forecast and the radar continuously to make sure we only fly when the conditions are safe. You can improve your chances of a great trip by being flexible.

If we have to cancel a flight because of weather we will gladly reschedule you to another day / time. If your schedule does not allow that we will refund 100% of your trip.

It’s really your preference that matters most here. During the afternoon tours the temperatures tend to be a bit higher. During the winter we only operate during the limited daylight hours, so early morning or late afternoon departures are not available.

The seating arrangement and the type of helicopter(s) you fly in will be determined on the day of your tour based on the safest weight and balance for all at that tour time.

All seats provide a phenomenal viewing experience!

Safety is always our top priority at Alaska Helicopter Tours. While we can fly in a wide range of Alaska weather, conditions such as high winds, fog, low clouds, or icing may cause delays or cancellations. Our experienced pilots continuously monitor weather conditions and will make the final decision before each flight.

If the weather is deemed unsafe to fly, tours will be cancelled. Whenever possible, we’ll first aim to reschedule your tour later in the day or to another date that works for you. If rescheduling isn’t an option, you’ll receive a 100% refund.

We recommend booking your tour early in your trip to allow flexibility in case Alaska’s weather decides not to cooperate!

It can happen but it’s very uncommon. Most people that are sensitive to motion sickness do just fine in a helicopter. If you have experienced motion sickness in planes, boats or vehicles, you could consider taking Dramamine or a similar motion sickness prevention medicine at least one hour before your departure.

Yes, we are open 7 days a week, year round.

We accept all major credit cards and debit cards: Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express.

We offer tours for all ages and abilities! Children have to be supervised at all times. Climbing in and out of the helicopter does require some agility, but our ground crew and pilots will be ready to assist if needed.

Most tours are not physically challenging though your landing may be on uneven terrain which requires some balance while exploring. We will equip you with micro spikes to safely walk on the ice, but you can also enjoy beautiful views right near the helicopter as well.

Call us at 907-272-7777 for wheelchair or limited mobility access: we especially enjoy taking people out that think they can’t do anything like this. There are several great options including the dogsled tours and glacier tours and we’ll go the extra mile to get you out there!

We check the weather all the time to make sure we only fly when the conditions are safe. If we think it’s not safe we don’t fly. In that case we can try to change the departure time if the weather improves during the day so it’s good to be flexible in your plans. If we cannot wait or reschedule and have to cancel a flight because of weather we will gladly refund 100% of your trip. If you have booked through a travel agent or third-party we will refund the agent who will in turn refund you.

There are no service animals permitted on any helicopter flights. Every exit and aisle on a helicopter is an emergency exit. Additionally, as no one can be certain of how an animal will react when highly stressed or traumatized, their access to the flight controls is a major safety concern to all aboard the helicopter, especially in the event of an emergency. Smaller service animal can be permitted, however, if brought, the service animal will have to remain in the kennel in the helicopter for the duration of the tour, even during landings.

The following items are strictly prohibited on any of our helicopter flights unless approved prior to departure:

Drones

Bags/Backpacks

Weapons of any type

Lithium batteries NOT in a device; no spares or loose batteries, charging packs, heated vests

Bear Spray/Aerosol Spray of any kind

Gender Reveal items that shoot glitter/colored powder/confetti

Smoking items of any kind including lighters & vapes

There is a high chance of seeing wildlife while on tour. When departing from Alaska Glacier Lodge, we often spot moose, bear, mountain goat, and Dall sheep. If wildlife is on your list, we highly recommend the Grand Knik Tour.

In Seward, keep your eyes out for moose and bear, as well as marine life like whales and sea lions. The 60-minute flightseeing tour, Seward Wildlife Explorer, gives you the best chance at spotting Alaska’s wildlife.

For safety and comfort,Guests 250 AND OVER will be charged a comfort surcharge or cancellation of your tour WITH NO REFUND.

The Astar helicopter is required for all of our guests 290lbs or over; please call Alaska Helicopter Tours at 907-272-7777 to confirm availability before booking.

Accurate weights are important for safety and scheduling. All guest weights are verified at check-in and under reporting can result in an additional charge, rescheduling, or cancellation of your tour.

You’re welcome to drive yourself as both locations are easily accessible via safe, scenic, paved roads.

For Palmer (29979 East Knik River Road
Palmer AK 99645), round-trip transportation is available for purchase from select Anchorage Hotels.

For Seward (2110 Airport Rd
Seward AK 99664), round-trip transportation is complimentary from within Seward city limits.

This can be added when booking directly on our site or by calling our Reservations team at 907-272-777.

Picking the right tour comes down to the type of Alaskan experience you’re after!

• Looking for incredible views and the chance to spot wildlife? Choose the Grand for a 2-hour multi landing experience with unbeatable views of glaciers, towering peaks, and wide open wilderness.

During the summer season at our Palmer location, land right on top of the Knik Glacier to check out the blue melt pools up close!

• Join one of our Helicopter and Glacier Dogsled tours for a dogsledding adventure on real snow with an authentic Iditarod racing team. Meet the pups and learn to mush for a true winter experience in the middle of summer.
• Craving something more hands on? Choose one of our Heli Adventure Tours- Ice Climbing, Paddleboarding, or Hiking for an immersive, guided experience.
• Celebrating a special occasion or planning an epic photoshoot? The Special Moments package is a private multi landing experience designed to create unforgettable backdrops for any occasion.

Helicopter flightseeing, glacier landings, safety briefing; technical gear where required (e.g., crampons; specialized gear for climbing).

The Knik Glacier valley in the Chugach Mountains—perfect day trip from Anchorage. Transfers available on request.

We also fly at our Seward location in the summer, overlooking the stunning Kenai Fjords and Resurrection Bay!

SUMMER: Layered clothing is the key to comfort. Wear a long sleeved shirt and bring a sweater. Make sure you wear sturdy shoes that offer some protection like sneakers or hiking shoes. Please, no high-heeled shoes or sandals.

WINTER: Snow Boots, Warm winter overcoat and snow pants, warm gloves and hat.

We will outfit you with overboots for the dogsled tours. We supply crampons for the tours where you land on the ice. Bring gloves, a hat (to protect you from the sometimes intense sunlight), waterproof jacket/pants and sunglasses. Any canes, hiking poles, tripods or monopod must be collapsible and compact. Don’t forget a camera that is ready for lots of pictures!

We have a saying in our company that we are not flying rescue missions, we are flying enjoyable tours. We highly advise always booking any air tours at the beginning of your vacation so if weather is an issue you have other dates to rebook to.

We will not fly in the following conditions:

Icing Conditions: Temperatures hovering around freezing with percipitation, period and clouds.

Turbulant Wind: 15kts+ gust spread / winds over 30kts / excessive wind shear

Visibility: Our pilots are trained, qualified and legal to fly down to .5 miles of visibility HOWEVER it is important that you are able to see the beauty of the mountains and glaciers, if visibility is low we may reschedule even if visibility is within limits but we think it won’t be a quality tour. Guests my choose reschedule due to visibility concerns only if trip protection has been added to their booking.

From the Alaska Glacier Lodge: Excellent! We often see moose, bear, mountain goats and Dall sheep. This is one of the very few areas where mountain goats and Dall sheep can be seen together. It is not uncommon to see dozen of either variety. We have both black and grizzly bears, though the latter are not seen form the air too often. Moose prefer the lower slopes and the river bed where we often see them feeding on dwarf fireweed and new alder leafs.

From Seward: great! We often see moose and bear as well as marine wildlife and birds depending on the tour choosen.

Were we do want everyone to spot animals as we are flying, we will not hover, lower or circle back. We do not want to disturb any wildlife!

Yes, the helicopter pilots at Alaska Helicopter Tours are exceptionally safe to fly with. We pride ourselves on having the best safety record in Alaska’s tour aviation industry. Our pilots are highly trained, experienced, and rigorously certified professionals who prioritize the safety and comfort of our passengers above all else. Additionally, our operations consistently receive 5-star ratings from guests, who frequently recommend our services to their friends and family. Your safety is our top priority, and we are committed to maintaining the highest standards in every aspect of our operations.