Terrible planner - no local knowledge

the United States | Jun 1 - Jun 18, 2022

The glacier guide, Chris, was great. He made sure we understood how to walk on the glacier with micro spikes, demonstrated concern for our safety, and possessed a wealth of knowledge about glaciers in general and Matanuska, in particular. He explained the differences in the ice (white, blue, and black), the extent and scope of the glacier, the moraines and rock composition. It was fabulous. Two hour ride from downtown Anchorage to get to the entry road.

Our experience was with Taquan Air, not pictured here. Taquan Air as best we can tell transports cargo and people around the islands of the Inland Passage. I think they do a Misty Fjords flightsee as another aspect of their business. We had about a one hour trip to, around and back from the fjord. The narration was provided by a recording. There was no or very limited opportunity to ask questions. When we arrived back at the base dock, it was over and the staff where there to load cargo for the next flight. No personal comment like "we hope you enjoyed it." The front desk person was cordial when we checked in and when we left.

The captain and deck hand, Sam, were very personable. The captain spotted the spout of a humpback and tried so hard to find a pod of whales. That one spout was from one whale who didn't really want to perform for us. We understand that we are encroaching on the whale's home and he is not there to entertain us. The captain really did work to locate other wildlife but to no avail. We ended up having a private tour, no other passengers.

Our trip started in Ketchikan and we took the ferry (Alaska Marine Highway) to Wrangell - 6 hour trip. From Wrangell, we were booked on the ferry to Juneau, due to arrive 31 hours later at 3:45AM. (not a misprint). We had a cabin booked on the boat. The plan was to arrive at the hotel, take a nap, go to the airport and catch an 11AM flight to Sitka to go to the Raptor Center, possibly some whales from the shore, and then a Bear rehab facility, and Sitka Nat'l Park with totem poles. We would tour Sitka on our own and catch a 7PM flight back to Juneau. Once we were on the ferry, and learned the ports of call for this particular ferry, we learned the ferry was due to stop at Sitka, around 1PM on the day before our roundtrip flight from and to Juneau and our one day excursion. Once we were in an area where we had cell service, about an hour from the Sitka dock, we called hotels in Sitka to get a room (we did), we called our hotel in Juneau to cancel our first night (sorry no refund, too late) and called Alaska Air to cancel only our outbound flight from Juneau to Sitka (sorry no refund, but can apply funds to future travel but not upgrades or food). We were SO glad to spend a day and a half in Sitka. We had the opportunity to get into the cathedral and the Russian Bishop's house (Sitka Nat'l Park), walk to the top of hill where Russia transferred Alaska to the US in 1867 and where the US flag was first raised in Alaska in 1959 when it became a state. The Raptor Center was great, as was the bear rehab place, both brown and black bears. Also caught a great picture of a bald eagle in flight . We were able to fit in the Bishop's House and Cathedral because were were there longer than just a "day trip." As to the actual "day trip" excursions they were fine and informative. Also found a quilt shop that heavily features Alaska themed fabrics and quilt patterns. That was a bonus for me.

This tour was amazing. The captain (yeah- a female!!) provided a great tour and informed narrative out to the glacier. We spent time on the way out and the way back looking for and finding wildlife, including orcas, humpbacks, sea otters, and porpoise. All the staff on the vessel were personable and I spent some time talking to several of them. The vessel is a high-speed catamaran and goes into the Gulf of Alaska to get to the glacier. It has a great configuration to see the wildlife whether at the bow, along the sides, or at the stern.

This was a great trip. My 2PM trip was cancelled and I was asked if I could do a 6PM trip instead. I did. However, my hotel stops serving dinner at 10PM so I missed dinner and my next excursion the next morning was at 5:30 so it made for a hungry, short night. Regardless, the rafting was great. I opted to paddle so sat up front. Glad to have a wet suit. Most of the guides are young, certainly younger than I am. They provided the "power" to the raft and those of us paddling helped steer.

This was a great tour of several glaciers with opportunity to see them calve. We visited two significant glaciers in Prince William Sound. Bonus was the narrator from the US Forest Service providing information about the wildlife -on the water and on land- and surrounding mountains. We stopped to watch a pod of humpbacks swim though none breached. Also saw a raft of sea otters - and sea otter babies. Our trip started in Anchorage with a bus trip to Whittier via a 3.5 mile tunnel through the mountain that is shared with the Alaska Railroad (but not at the same time).

We learned about the taiga and tundra, ghost forests, and boreal forests. Didn't get to see Denali but I am in the 66% that didn't. Apparently, Denali is better seen in later fall and winter and appreciated more from afar than in the park. Snack pack was provided to all- Kind bar, turkey stick, nuts, cheez balls. Park does a good job of recycling the trash from this trip. When we saw three caribou, we stopped for a sufficient amount of time to view them and then they crossed the road in front of the bus for a close-up!

This was an outstanding day. We had good weather. The helicopter ride was wonderful. The view on the glacier was out of this world, and the dog sledding was not only fun but very informative. Definitely recommended.

Some nice views. Lots pf driving. Limited wild life. Be prepared for a 65 - 70 mph 30 min drive to and 30 min back on a highway. Then about 2 hours drive at 45 mph on a firm dirt road. They told us we would be back at the hotel by 10. pm. We arrived back at 10:55 and the restaurant closed at 11pm. Had we not pre-ordered dinner and asked them to save it, we would not have eaten.

Be prepared to visit selected retail shops for half the tour.

Very informative. Excellent staff. A good thing to do in Fairbanks. If you are in Fairbanks definitely recommended.