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.

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 glves 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. Don’t forget a camera that is ready for lots of pictures!

The Knik Valley is sheltered from most low pressure fronts by the Chugach Mountains. So we have more sunshine and less rain than other popular flightseeing areas. The precipitation in the valley is actually less than in most area’s in Arizona and we are considered a sub-arctic dessert. 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 conditions change, we’ll adjust timing or rebook to keep you safe and maximize your experience.

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 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 always give you the option to rescedule.

If you need to cancel you will receive a full refund on tours cancelled 72 hours or more prior to departure date. Bookings cancelled 72 hours or less are non-refundable but you have the option to reschedule for any future date for a $200 reschedule fee. If you do not show up or are late for your tour without notifying us 24 hours prior to departure you will forfeit any payments. If we need to cancel due to weather or other safety related matters we will refund you 100%.

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

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

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.