FLIGHTSEEING

NO VIEW IS MORE EPIC THAN THE ONE YOU’LL FIND ON AN ALASKA FLIGHTSEEING TOUR

By MIKE CAMPBELL

At663,268 square miles, Alaska is by far the biggest state in the union. But only four states have fewer road miles.

It makes sense that perhaps the best way to see Alaska — especially for visitors with limited time — is by air on one of the charters that specialize in ights into the rugged and spectacular Alaska Range. You’ll enter the wilderness cathedral of mountains surrounding 20,310-foot Denali, the tallest peak in North America, and perhaps land on one of the mountain’s glaciers.

Prices for ightseeing vary widely, from about $250 to $800 — or more, depending on the length of the trip, the departure point and whether the tour includes a landing. at might seem steep, but on a bluebird day, few trips deliver such gawk-worthy moments as you soar past sheer granite faces and above glaciers.

“Flightseeing is getting more and more popular in Alaska,” said Tony Bannock of Regal Air, based in Anchorage. “It’s the way of the world. When we started (in 1982) everybody wanted to hunt and sh. Now, it’s ecotourism.”

He’s not alone in that view. In 2017, according to e McDowell Group’s Economic Impact of the Alaska Visitor Industry, all visitor tours (including ightseeing) accounted for $394 million in visitor spending.

“Talkeetna has become a destination,”

Journey above glaciers, gorges and peaks on a flightseeing tour for unique views of Alaska’s landscape.

PHOTO BY BOB HALLINEN

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said Suzanne Rust, co-owner of Rust’s Flying Service, which purchased Talkeetna’s K2 Aviation in 1996. “People are discovering it’s a cool little village. At the same time, they can y up and see all the granite walls and rivers of ice (in the Alaska Range).

On clear days perfect for ying, Rust noted, K2 has been known to make more than four dozen Denali ights.

And while Denali may be Alaska’s bestknown ightseeing tour, visitors’ aerial options don’t end there. Dozens of Alaska business licenses describe their operation as “scenic and sightseeing transportation,” according to a state database.

Here are a few options:

BEAR VIEWING

Rust’s and Regal are among the Anchorage ight services that cross Cook Inlet to Chinitna Bay in Lake Clark National Park and the Brooks River in Katmai National Park in search of brown bears feeding on salmon. Bear-viewing trips are available out of Homer and Kodiak, too.

Typically, Regal pilots make early-season scouting ights. Usually, the grizzlies are up and about by May 10, and the season runs into September. e company provides a pre ight safety brie ng in Anchorage. At Brooks, the brown bears may walk beneath the boardwalk (spanning the river). But passengers never approach closer than 50 feet.

KNIK GLACIER

Knik River Lodge glacier tours start less than 60 miles from Anchorage, leaving from Knik River Lodge at the end of Knik River Road in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. e lodge’s front lawn doubles as a helipad for helicopters that take groups of two or three people to the Knik Glacier, a ve-minute ight away. Perhaps the most popular trip is dog sledding on the glacier a er a landing. En route, you’ll see the Knik Glacier in all its glory as well as Lake George and a couple of the feeder glaciers.

GIRDWOOD GRANDEUR

Less than an hour south of Anchorage is the ski and recreation community of Girdwood. Alpine Air, operating since 1991, will y you above the Mount Alyeska tram to land on glaciers or to Prince William Sound in search of calving glacial ice. In peak season, helicopters depart regularly from the Girdwood Airport. You can take a 30-minute ight, but the 60-minute tour with a landing on Colony Glacier ($399 per person; 2-person minimum) is even more fun. A walk on the glacier — and a sip from a glacial stream — will help you cool o in summer months. Another option is an Alpine Air ight out of Seward to inspect the magni cent tidewater glaciers of Kenai Fjords National Park.

WRANGELL-ST. ELIAS NATIONAL PARK

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve is the nation’s largest national park, featuring 14 of the 20 tallest peaks in North America. You can take a regularly scheduled ight from Chitina to McCarthy on the edge of the park to avoid driving the gravelsurfaced McCarthy Road, which is slow going (allow up to three hours) but scenic; ying in from Chitina is typically even more spectacular. A Wrangell Mountain Air ight may take you into the mountains and through the Fourth of July Pass if weather permits.

You’ll see rock glaciers and maybe some critters. On the other side of the pass is giant Root Glacier. You’ll y right past the old copper mine structures in neighboring Kennecott before landing in McCarthy. Flights range from 50 minutes ($250) to two hours ($395).

Drivers park at the McCarthy footbridge, where you’ll make your way over to the airport and y from there.

COLUMBIA GLACIER (VALDEZ)

e 400-square-mile Columbia tidewater glacier has retreated nearly a dozen miles since 1982, but there’s still plenty of ice, and the warming climate has triggered a surge of calving, during which large pieces of ice break o and splash into Prince William Sound.

A convenient way to see it is to book a ight to Valdez with Ravn Alaska. Try to get a window seat on the le side of the plane. When you land in Valdez, you can circle back by boat on a charter for a Columbia Glacier view from the water. Other Valdez ight services o er tours of Columbia and the Valdez Glacier as well.

JUNEAU

Commercial ights into the state capital of Juneau can o er great views of Mendenhall Glacier. But several companies o er helicopter tours, typically an hour or two. And if you want a double-shot of Alaskan on a single trip, book one that includes dog sledding on a glacier.

Most helicopter tours require that three seats be booked before the ight, potentially an issue if you’re traveling alone or as a couple.

According to Juneau Shore Tours, the most sought-a er Juneau ightseeing option, the Ice eld Excursion, is recommended for those looking to see Alaska from a bird’s eye view but not necessarily interested in dogsledding. TEMSCO Helicopters o ers an array of trips, too.

On most of the tours, you’ll get a nice view of downtown Juneau, including the popular Mount Roberts Tramway, which leaves from the cruise port. On most trips, you’ll see the exposed deep-blue ice that’s the face of Taku Glacier, a sharp contrast to the muddy Taku River.

DENALI

ose are some highlights for Alaska ightseers, but Denali trips remain at the top of many must-see lists. You can catch a ight right out of Anchorage, but that’s more expensive than driving north to Talkeetna and ying with K2 Aviation, Talkeetna Air Taxi or Sheldon Air Service. e companies o er a selection of tours that include views of the Ruth Glacier, the Wickersham Wall, the climbers’ base camp at Kantishna Glacier and the Denali summit (weather permitting).

Particularly memorable is a tour that includes a glacier landing. Most pilots favor Ruth Glacier, because it is so spectacular and the runway is well-marked. But the clouds move in and out quickly, so several other glaciers are available if the Ruth is socked in.

“Alaska Range weather certainly is the crux of our business, with every year unique,” said Paul Roderick, who’s owned Talkeetna Air Taxi since 1996. “Some seasons are dry and sunny with at least 20 good ying days per month. Others have the opposite e ect, 20 wet days.”

“ e mountain is almost like a living, breathing organism,” said Roderick, who’s own in the Alaska Range for decades. “Hopefully you don’t ever get too comfortable with it. It doesn’t matter how many years of ying you have, the conditions are always changing up there — the visibility, lighting, blowing snow, fog. It’s never the same.”

While a little more spendy, helicopter ightseeing o er an alternative. Enclosed in Plexiglas with no wings to peer over, even trips as short as 30 minutes can provide exceptional views.

Wherever you want to see, there’s probably a ightseeing business nearby. Among the locales where tours are o ered: Kenai, Soldotna, Tok, McCarthy, Homer, Girdwood, King Salmon, Talkeetna, Juneau, Ketchikan, Fairbanks, Skagway and Kantishna.

Soar over the Tokositna and Ruth glaciers on a breathtaking flightseeing tour of Denali.

PHOTO BY BOB HALLINEN