PRISTINE - Wilderness, Wildlife, Glacier Experience in Anchorage
Recommended by 98% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Anchorage, USA
- 6 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Why travelers loved this
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Overview
Experience Alaska’s wildlife and landscapes without planning a complex route from Anchorage on your own. This group tour combines glacier views, mountain scenery, wildlife encounters, and historic stops into one well-rounded day through Chugach National Forest and beyond. Along the way, your guide shares local insight and photography tips to help you get more out of the experience and your photos.
- Explore Iceland’s wilderness without the stress of navigating unfamiliar roads
- Learn about local flora and fauna through commentary from your guide
- Take in scenic views of the Ring of Glaciers throughout the journey
- Improve your travel photos with complimentary photography tips offered at select stops
What's Included
- Bottled water
- Live commentary on board
- Driver/guide and scout
- Entertainment
- Stop to Purchase Food-Meal
- Confirmation by PicTours Alaska with all Add-On Selected will be emailed to valid purchase
- Ptarmigan ship - price will be excluded from ticket if not specifically selected while booking.
- Glacier Cruise ship upgrade may be added directly from PicTours Alaska's website. May-Sep Only
- LunchMeals are not included. A stop will be provided to purchase meals.
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- 600 W 7th Ave, Anchorage, AK 99501, USA
NO HOTEL PICK UP DURING SPRING-FALL. Hotel pick-up December and January only, Major hotels in mid/downtown. We Meet at 10 minutes before Departure at Dena'ina Convention Center, 600 W 7th Avenue--Downtown Anchorage.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Start time.11:00 am
Itinerary
Your Alaskan wildlife adventure begins with hotel pickup (in December and January) or by making your own way to Dena’ina Convention Center (the rest of the year) before your departure time.
Begin at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, where you encounter brown bears, wolves, and bison, with free photography lessons offered. Traverse the Chugach National Forest, a ring of glaciers surrounding a pristine lake, before heading to Beluga Point for a chance to spot beluga whales.
During summer, consider the optional upgrade for a glacier cruise to witness Portage Glacier up close. Explore Bird Point in Chugach State Park for eagle sightings and panoramic views, and delve into Girdwood's gold mining history, concluding a comprehensive Alaskan experience.
Your tour ends at the original departure point.
Begin at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, where you encounter brown bears, wolves, and bison, with free photography lessons offered. Traverse the Chugach National Forest, a ring of glaciers surrounding a pristine lake, before heading to Beluga Point for a chance to spot beluga whales.
During summer, consider the optional upgrade for a glacier cruise to witness Portage Glacier up close. Explore Bird Point in Chugach State Park for eagle sightings and panoramic views, and delve into Girdwood's gold mining history, concluding a comprehensive Alaskan experience.
Your tour ends at the original departure point.
Downtown (Pass By)
Alaska Railroad (Pass By)
Flattop Mountain (Pass By)
1
Beluga Point
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Byron Glacier Trail
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
3
Chugach State Park
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Potter Marsh Bird Sanctuary (Pass By)
Bird Creek (Pass By)
4
Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
5
Portage Glacier
1 hour • Admission Ticket Not Included
Trail of Blue Ice (Pass By)
6
Explorer Glacier
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
7
Chugach National Forest
50 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Near public transportation
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Most travelers can participate
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- Glacier Cruise Upgrade Available Summer months Only
- Participant Waiver & Release of Liability and Terms & Conditions. By purchasing ticket(s) and/or by participating on a tour, by PicTours Alaska, Inc. you affirm that you and tour attendees accompanying you fully understand and agree to the following Participant Waiver & Release of Liability and Terms & Conditions. I acknowledge, attest, agree and represent that I, and those accompanying me, fully understand and accept, without limitation, sole responsibility for all of the risks associated with my participation while on the tour, including injury and death whether through my own actions or those of other participants, tour guides, pedestrians, automobiles, public transportation, acts of nature or any other external parties. This further includes approval for complimentary photography for your use and possible demonstration of excursion experience in promotions or presentations.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 170 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
The tour was a perfect mixture of the driver sharing his plethora of knowledge of Alaska along with stops along the way to view beautiful scenery including animals, mountains, glaciers and more. Lots of spots for great photos! Aaron, our tour guide was the best tour guide I have ever had on any tour! His knowledge of Alaska was second to none! This tour is definitely one you want to take!
Reviews
4.9
based on 3,348 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Not a huge amount of wildlife- a few stops at the conservation center. The glacier boat ride was awesome!
A brilliant experience, which includes the wildlife reserve, Portage glacier and multiple other stops on the journey.
There are incredible views and great wildlife throughout the trip.
Aaron was a very energetic and engaging tour guide. He’s the best guide I have had anywhere in the world up to this point.
Driver (host) very knowledgeable and friendly
Aaron was his name , everyone seemed to have a nice day and I am sure learned and saw things we wouldn’t have without his efforts!
Arlen was an excellent guide! We saw hundreds of Beluga whales in Cook Inlet, half a dozen mountain goats on the cliff sides, and watching the salmon run was incredible! Aside from the natural sites, a great guide makes all the difference and Arlen was excellent. Highly recommend!
Phillip was an amazing tour guide. I enjoyed every stop and would do it again in a hesrtbeat. I loved the conservation.
Hunter made the trip fun regardless of the weather we were having. We both enjoyed his stories and how involved he was with the group. Was great to learn about more Alaska. 100% recommend !
Our tour guide Hunter showed up on time and for next 6.5 hours he showed us the pristine Alaska. Hunter was very knowledgeable about the area we visited. One thing I noticed he was sensative of making sure that everyone had memorable pictures to take home and he showed me and others how to take memorable pictures, mostly around the Portage Glacier. Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center was a great place to visit.
Our tour to Portage Glacier and the Chugach Mountains with Nina was amazing. Nina was super knowledgeable and an all-around wonderful guide who made the entire day special. She went above and beyond - even got us to see the salmon run. We couldn't have asked for a better experience or a more fantastic guide.
Our guide Arlen is very knowledgeable and patient. Bus was comfortable. It arrived on time. The glacier boat tour was great
What an incredible experience! I have been on many tours and excursions during my travels, but I have to say this was easily one of the best experiences ,and I give so much of the credit to our wonderful tour guide, Arlen.
Arlen was incredibly friendly, knowledgeable, patient, and an excellent driver. He made us feel comfortable throughout the entire trip and shared so much interesting information along the way. You could tell that he genuinely wanted everyone to enjoy the experience.
The Alaskan scenery was absolutely breathtaking! We also lucked out with beautiful weather, which made an already amazing day even more memorable.
Thank you, Arlen, for making our Alaska adventure so special. If you have the opportunity to take a tour with him, I highly recommend it! This was truly a five-star experience from beginning to end. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Arlen was our tour guide and did an exceptionally fine job of conducting the tour. He was informative and quite knowledgeable about various aspects of the animal life in this area. He answered our probing questions. quite well. Also, he kept us on schedule without our feeling pushed at all. When we did see some rare wildlife like the goat on the side of the mountain, his own excitement was contagious.
Dena our guide was great! She was very informative and entertaining. It was not boring. I would recommend this tour.
Our guide James was fantastic. It was a rainy day but he still gave us such a great time and knew so much of the land, animals and history. We saw beluga whales and other great wildlife
It was an amazing tour, breathtaking views seen all the native wildlife, learned alot from the very informative nature guide. It was a life changing experience, I highly recommend this tour and next time im in Alaska im gonna take it again.
Hunter was wonderful. Thank you for all the sights! Recommend adding the cruise! Go for it, you won't regret it.
Nina did a great job and took time to go on a hike w me while the rest of the group did the glacier boat tour.
Very well organized! Great first day in Alaska! The tour guide was great, and we learned a lot from him about Alaska and the Anchorage area.
If you have a rental car, you could go to the Wildlife Conservation Center($30) and the Portage Glacier Cruise ($45-$60) for a reasonable price and skip the 6 hour trip that didn’t have anything else worth experiencing.
Reading the description, we felt the trip was more about natural Alaska over tourist destinations.
Response from Host, Aug 2026
We thank you for sharing your thoughts about this excursion.
At times we have found visitors to be less than satisfied due to our far North West Pacific weather. Our area is surrounded by and possess an abundance of wildlife and geological wonders such as glaciers.
Unfortunately we cannot guarantee all sightings will be viewed since conditions varies by season, ocean tides, safety, third party groups and powerful Alaska weather conditions that can be mild-to-harsh year round.
Again, thank you for sharing your experience.
Please consider the writers bias when reading this review. We read all reviews and strive towards adjusting to meet our world-class ranking.
Was a wonderful day seeing and learning about Anchorage and its surrounding towns. The Glacier add on is a must do. Maria was our guide and very informative and a wonderful sense of humor. My only reason not to give a 5 is the place we had lunch. Prices were a bit much and not many choices it seemed. I would share to place. Oat of food and what’s on the menu in your itinerary.
Response from Host, Aug 2026
We thank you for sharing your thoughts about this excursion.
At times we have found visitors to be less than satisfied due to our far North West Pacific weather. Our area is surrounded by and possess an abundance of wildlife and geological wonders such as glaciers.
Unfortunately we cannot guarantee all sightings will be viewed since conditions varies by season, ocean tides, safety, third party groups and powerful Alaska weather conditions that can be mild-to-harsh year round.
Again, thank you for sharing your experience.
Please consider the writers bias when reading this review. We read all reviews and strive towards adjusting to meet our world-class ranking.
Our tour guide was EXCELLENT, friendly, knowledgeable and entertaining. He was so familiar with the territory and pointed out things we would have never noticed. It was also so gratifying to spend time with someone who truly loves his job and wanted to share his love and experiences with travelers.
Incredible tour! We got to see so much in six hours and we also got in a great amount of walking. Our tour guide was so impressive and he shared so much information. He also made sure to keep us safe by bringing bear spray on the trails. Our glacier cruise was canceled because of the wind but honestly, it was cooler to go hiking anyway - especially if you’ve seen other glaciers in Alaska. I recommend eating a big breakfast because you don’t eat until 3 pm, which is 7 pm ET haha We were fine because we ate right before but bring snacks if you think you’ll get hungry!
This is a great tour for all ages, and Anna, the guide, was excellent. She has a wealth of information about the history of the sites we visited.
Arlene was a great guide. Very knowledgeable, kind and ready to help. He also took great pictures of us! We loved seeing beautiful Alaska!
Everything about this experience was amazing, Hunter was absolutely fantastic as our tour guide! 100/10 would recommend.
Fantastic! Would highly recommend it. Our guide was well informed and entertaining. Took us to many beautiful and interesting places.
If you are taking the train from Seward to Anchorage, this tour will be a waste of money.
The wildlife we saw was not in the wild but in the conservation center. And our van broke down before we got to the glacier ride which was the only reason we took the tour.
Our guide, Sunshine, was nice and knowledgeable and he kept his wits about him to get us to safety and figure out a way to get us back to Anchorage
Response from Host, Aug 2026
We thank you for sharing your thoughts about this excursion.
At times we have found visitors to be less than satisfied due to our far North West Pacific weather. Our area is surrounded by and possess an abundance of wildlife and geological wonders such as glaciers.
Unfortunately we cannot guarantee all sightings will be viewed since conditions varies by season, ocean tides, safety, third party groups and powerful Alaska weather conditions that can be mild-to-harsh year round.
Again, thank you for sharing your experience.
Please consider the writers bias when reading this review. We read all reviews and strive towards adjusting to meet our world-class ranking.
We had a day free in Anchorage and decided to book this tour. It was amazing! This was our first taste of Alaska, and the views were beautiful. Each stop provides enough time to take pictures and take in the scenery. We were given time to walk around the conservation center. We learned so much through this experience.
Small group tour. Our guide. Brooke, was very engaging, enthusiastic, and knowledgeable. Highlights were the visit to the animal sanctuary, and later walking on a glacier. Brooke also took many pictures that will help us remember our day in Anchorage.
I totally enjoyed this wonderful trip with Arlen, who was an exceptional guide. He took us on a stunning drive of Turnagain Arm, to the conservation center to see wildlife and then on to glaciers! He was very knowledgeable of the area and the sights along the way. We had a short nature walk at the end leading to a river where we saw salmon spawning in the wild. He was very patient and kind and took endless pictures of everyone. Definitely book this awesome day trip with him!
Very enjoyable tour & James was an awesome guide! Included scenic stops along the way to the conservation center & boat tour. The boat took us right up to the glacier!
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$208.99
per personWas $219.99(-5%)
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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PRISTINE - Wilderness, Wildlife, Glacier Experience in Anchorage
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