Exit Glacier Tours

When you book your trip on the Coastal Classic train to Seward, consider adding an Exit Glacier Tour to make the most of your Alaska vacation. Transfers from the depot are included.

We offer several options of varying duration and difficulty. For all Exit Glacier tours, we recommend you wear a sturdy shoe or boot. Boots are best, but if you don’t own a pair then your most comfortable hiking shoe will work. Tennis shoes or casual sneakers ARE NOT recommended.

Exit Glacier Heli Explore Tour

Available June 19 - September 10, 2012

Tour Price: $399 per person + rail fare. Minimum age to participate: 10 years

The Heli Explore Tour is a fully outfitted, unique, and secluded glacier tour. It’s for people who not only want to see and walk on a glacier, but who want to explore one as well.

This tour gives you an opportunity to be in a place that few people have visited or experienced. Since the glacier is constantly changing, the options for navigation are limitless. The helicopter departs out of the Seward Airport and will fly through an alpine canyon before landing close to the glacier access.

When you get on the ice, your guide will lead the hike deep into the glacier’s crevasse fields. This is where you can explore and get up close and personal with the beautiful and massive glacier. On the ride back to town, the helicopter takes a thrilling canyon run down the mountain and over Resurrection Bay.

Heli Ice Climbing Tour

Available June 10 - September 10, 2012

Tour Price: $427 per person + rail fare. Minimum age to participate: 13 years

Exit Glacier Guides’ Heli Ice Climbing, is the ultimate climbing experience that is completely customized to your comfort level. This tour uses a helicopter to access the climbing area.

You will take-off from the Seward Airport. From there, you will fly over Resurrection Bay and head over dramatic mountain canyons before landing on a moraine near the alpine glacier.

Depending on the ability levels of each individual, Exit Glacier Guides are able to choose from a wide variety of climbs. They will either stick to the moderate walls on the glacier’s surface, or will head out in search of breathtaking and very deep moulins to drop into.

You will spend roughly 3 hours on the ice, climbing almost the entire time. After you are finished climbing, the helicopter meets the group and heads off through the canyons back to Seward.

Exit Glacier Guides provide all the necessary climbing equipment.

Heli Ice Hiking Tour

Available: June 10 - September 10, 2012

Tour Price: $352 per person. Minimum age to participate: 8 years

This is an adventure of a lifetime! The Heli Ice Hiking tour is a fly-in glacier adventure that departs out of Seward, Alaska. You will depart at the Seward Airport and soar over the rugged mountain peaks to a remote glaciated valley.

There, you will land right at the glacier and be outfitted with crampons, helmet and ice axes. Your guide will then instruct you on how to safely travel on the glacier before you set off, and explore an ancient frozen river.

Spending approximately 1-1.5 hours on the ice with your guide, you will explore the fascinating terrain and features of the glacier on this tour. This tour is highly customizable for each group of clients.

There is a lot of terrain available for trekking, so your guides can cater to how much or how little you want to travel around on the glacier in the time available.

Ice Hiking

Available: June 10 - September 10, 2012

Tour Price: $138 per person + rail fare. Minimum age to participate: 13 years

This tour is the perfect experience for outdoor enthusiasts who really want to dig in and explore what Alaska has to offer. The picturesque path to the glacier is a mixture of back-country and on-trail trekking.

The view from the 1,400 feet elevation is absolutely stunning. You will start on a well-maintained national park trail and proceed 1.5 miles up into the mountains. This portion of the trip takes about an hour to an hour and a half.

During the hike, your knowledgeable guides identify many of the native plants and flowers and also use the landscape's unique features to explain basic glaciology. Keep your eyes open, you might see black bears, moose, or marmots along the way.

When you reach the ice, you’ll put your crampons and helmet on and grab your ice axes. This gear lets you safely navigate the icy, undulating terrain of Exit Glacier on the tour. It also allows you to confidently approach the crevasses, waterfalls, moulins, and ice-caves that you encounter while exploring.

If you enjoy working hard to be somewhere amazing and you have the willingness to get tired, and to get a smidge dirty, you’ll love this trip.

Note: This tour completes after the evening train departure requiring an overnight stay in Seward.