Bears, Trains & Icebergs Tour

Overview

❖ Ride the Glacier Discovery Train

❖ Visit the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center

❖ Float by Icebergs on Spencer Glacier Lake & 7 River Miles Down the Placer River Valley on the Most Scenic River Trip in Alaska

You won’t see more on a day on the AK Railroad than on this trip. Many of our guests tell us it is their best day in Alaska.

City: Anchorage

Sat 28 Dec

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $385.00

Make a reservation

Sat 28 Dec

Starting at $385.00

Make a reservation

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What's Included

Sack lunch included. Please let us know if you have any dietary restrictions or requests ahead of time.

AK Railroad Tickets (Roundtrip)

Snacks

Air-conditioned vehicle

Restroom on board

Additional Info

Specialized infant seats are available
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Hand sanitiser available to travellers and staff
Regularly sanitised high-traffic areas
Transportation vehicles regularly sanitised
Guides required to regularly wash hands
Contactless payments for gratuities and add-ons
COVID-19 vaccination required for guides
Chugach Adventures' was one of the few adventure tour companies that fully and safely operated in 2020 and 2021. We created an extensive COVID-19 mitigation plan to successfully operate for both our travelers and our employees and are committed to continuing with our plan in 2023.

What To Expect

Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center

Take a brief shuttle to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center for a guided & interpretive tour of the animals. The center is Alaska’s premier rehabilitation facility for injured and orphaned wildlife. AWCC Tour runs 1.5 hours and includes walking and driving options to view the animals. A sack lunch is provided with this tour.

Spencer Glacier

Spencer Iceberg Float - 2 Hours on the Water at Spencer Glacier and 7 River Miles down the Placer River

Cancellation Policy

All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.

Traveler Photos

Reviews (91)

Ratna N

Apr 2019

This is a pretty darn good tour. I did it about 10 years back the first time and decided to go on it again last year!. I loved several things about the tour , firstly it involved a train ride, the wildlife conservation center and the most exciting boating among the icebergs! I was aware right up front that the water level could be low and that the float downriver would no happen. I was absolutely ok with that. I was interested in getting up close to the icebergs nothing more. The last time I had been on the trip there it was in july and there were a gaggle of people , boatloads of noisy people. This time I was the only person on the trip and I was blissfully happy!. We did pick up another person on the train and it was just the 2 of us and the boat man. The trip started in Anchorage when I boarded the Glacier Discovery train at the Anchorage Railway station. Most of the passengers were going further on a cruise. The train had a viewing compartment, taking pictures out of there does not always work due to the reflection in the glass. It is easier to stand in the open doorway and enjoy the scenery. First stop was at Portage where I met the guide who drove me to the Alaskan Wildlife Conservation center. What an interesting place , I saw so may animals that lived there either because hey had been injured or deserted. Moose, Musk ox, black and brown bears, baby deer, wolves, porcupine, oxen etc all in such a beautiful environment. I really enjoyed it. Lunch was a veggie sandwich, a cookie and water before I got back on the train and got off at the Portage Whistlestop with the guide. Initially I was the only one on the tour and then we picked up one more person. We took a van till the waters edge and then onto an inflatable raft that the guide rowed out on the lake Spencer Glacier calves out on Spencer Lake, there were icebergs of different sources. We maintained the requisite distance of 200 yards from the edge of the glacier. From a mile away the glacier looks so flat, as you get closer, you can see the leading edge of the glacier is about 40-50 feet high , beautiful compressed blue ice that extends at least 200 feet below the surface of the water. It was awesome floating along side the edge of the glacier sipping on steaming hot chocolate. It was cold but the sun was shining and you could hear the icebergs melting and dripping into the water. the icebergs are of different sizes and shapes, including a black iceberg and an iceberg cave. after the float trip, I caught the train back to portage and we took a coach back to Anchorage. I had such a fantastic time, I enjoyed having the glacier and icebergs and the lake all to myself.

Daniel R

Feb 2019

This was so neat. How many times in your life can you float next to an iceberg and touch it. The whole trip was well organized. You literally get to travel by train, an old 70's bus off road, and a river raft. The scenery is awesome. Dress warm for this and possibly bring some extra socks. My feet got wet as soon as we got into the river in the first set of rapids and they were cold all day.

Jennifer B

Sep 2018

We booked this tour for our first day in Alaska, and it was the last day of the season. 100% worth it, and we were really lucky we didn't miss it :). The whole tour is really well planned! Chugach Adventures takes care of your train/shuttle tickets so all you have to do is show up. Our trip was a full day starting at 6:30am, so we took a beautiful train ride to the Spencer glacier stop, then we geared up and kayaked across the river to the glacier. Once there we were able to take a hike up the river bed to get a better view of the glacier which was really cool. Our guide Erin was super knowledgable and friendly, and she gave us some great suggestions for the rest of our trip as well :). After the hike we kayaked back across the lake and got an up close view of the smaller pieces of the glacier broken off into the lake. It was really cool to get a little closer to see some of these structures and learn more about the anatomy of a glacier. After our kayak, we were provided with a lovely lunch at the whistle stop, and then we boarded the train again for a scenic ride farther down the tracks to Grandview where we were able to get off again and hike for a bit if we wanted. After our scenic train ride took us back to Girdwood we were able to get off onto a shuttle to take us back to Anchorage a little faster. There is an option to stay on the train back to Anchorage as well. Overall it was a very full but fun and beautiful day, very much worth the money.