Guided Sightseeing Trips in Alaska

There are many other guided activities beyond fishing and hunting in Alaska.

One of the more popular Alaska guided activities is flightseeing, or sightseeing from the air. So much of Alaska's scenery is harsh and wild, extremely difficult for most people to visit easily. Therefore, flightseeing by helicopter or plane has become a very profitable business. Some flightseeing companies provide multiple options, including fly-overs or multiple stops in which tourists can get out and investigate their surroundings. Juneau is one area that popularizes flightseeing. The Juneau Icefield includes 36 glaciers and over 1,500 square miles. Several of the glaciers, like the Mendenhall and the Lemon Creek Glacier, are visible from the areas around Juneau and therefore are reachable in very short order by plane or helicopter. Juneau Sportfishing & Sightseeing is one company that provides helicopter rides into the icefields. Their most popular route includes a flight over the Mendenhall Glacier and then landing on it to explore the crevasses and icefalls safely with their guides.

Another popular Alaskan sightseeing adventure is bear watching. No where else in the country can humans view several different species of bear in such close proximity. The high concentration of salmon in local rivers, especially during their seasonal runs, bring a high number of brown, grizzly or Kodiak bears to points easily viewable. The visitation by the bears is guaranteed to the point viewing platforms have been set up in many locations to allow humans to watch the feeding without impacting the bears themselves. The Katmai area is one of the best brown bear viewing areas in the world. There are more than 2,000 of the huge bears in the Katmai Preserve, many of which come to feed on the sockeye salmon in the Brooks River.

The Kenai Peninsula is another location renowned for its bear watching. Talon Air Service is an outfitter specializing in many guided activities, including bear viewing. They provide 18-foot guide boots to take visitors to several locations along the peninsula and Cook Inlet to watch both brown and black bear fish for salmon or play along the shore throughout the year.

There are so many rivers in Alaska that skipping guided rafting or canoeing trips would be a serious omission. There may not be a better way to see Alaska's beautiful scenery than through a ride down one of its majestic rivers. Water levels rise and fall throughout the year as snow pack and glaciers begin to melt at high elevations, pushing their water toward the sea. Anyone who loves whitewater rafting can find all levels throughout the state, from leisurely Class I waters through white-knuckle Class V rivers. Denali Raft Adventures is a rafting outfitter providing all levels of guided river trips in Denali National Park, from two-hour excursions to full day experiences. They provide the experts to help guide groups down the Nenana River, all equipment and gear required except the base clothes the person wears and lunches on the full day excursions.

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