Rafting to Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve from Haines in Haines booking from $152.00

Rafting to Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve from Haines

Overview

This is a small group rafting and scenic driving tour through the famous Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve with a scenic float trip (no whitewater) through the home of the largest bald eagle congregation in the world. Thousands of bald eagles travel here to feed on salmon in the fall and winter. In spring and summer watch for eagles nesting and raising their young.

City: Haines

Tue 24 Dec

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $152.00

Make a reservation

Tue 24 Dec

Starting at $152.00

Make a reservation

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What's Included

Local guide

Bottled water

Driver/guide

Lunch

Port pickup

Additional Info

Public transportation options are available nearby
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Minimum age 7 years
Maximum weight 250 lbs.
Cruise Ship Passengers, please provide ship name for meeting location. Hotel guests, please provide name of hotel for pick-up.
Minimum of 2 guests required for tour to run.
Face masks required for travellers in public areas
Face masks required for guides in public areas
Hand sanitiser available to travellers and staff
Social distancing enforced throughout experience
Regularly sanitised high-traffic areas
Gear/equipment sanitised between use
Transportation vehicles regularly sanitised
Guides required to regularly wash hands
Regular temperature checks for staff
Temperature checks for travellers upon arrival
Paid stay-at-home policy for staff with symptoms
Contactless payments for gratuities and add-ons

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews (30)

jgnog29

Jul 2018

Our trip with Rainbow Glacier Adventures was absolutely incredible! On June 12, 2018, our family took the ferry from Skagway to Haines for a raft trip on the Chilkat River. We were met at the dock by Dave, who drove us to the drop off point on the river where we started our trip. Dave gave us a thorough and relaxed tour during our drive and he said he loved Haines because he could close his eyes, spin in a circle, and whenever he opened his eyes, he would be standing in front of a postcard view. I have quoted him a number of times since coming back home to New Jersey. We soon met our river guide Nate, who prepared us for our trip. We put on our life jackets and climbed into the raft, which was the perfect size for our family of five plus Nate. Once on the water, Nate saw that I was trying to film the scenery, so he took it upon himself to rotate the raft so I got a steady, quiet, natural pan of our 360° view. He shared a lot of knowledge with us as we went down the river. We saw eagles, bear & moose tracks, and a close-up view of trumpeter swans, their powerful wings slapping the water as they took flight. The sound of the swans was amazing. And the scenery! We got to see so many waterfalls that Nate told us many of them don’t even have names. We decided to name them ourselves, and our favorites were Rachel Falls (after my daughter) and Decapitation Falls (don’t ask). It was an absolute pleasure spending several hours in Nate’s company, and we were sad to leave him after our two hour adventure. At the end of our trip, Nate handed us back to Dave for the ride to the ferry and a delicious locally made lunch. We had a little extra time, and instead of just dropping us at the dock, Dave drove us around Haines, pointing out some of the sights and history of this beautiful town. Our family was very grateful that we had the opportunity to experience Haines since it felt so much less touristy than the other port cities we visited and we got to see a different side of life in Alaska. Looking back, our rafting trip on the Chilkat River was certainly one of the highlights of our weeklong trip in Alaska. It was a chance to be close to nature and relax as we floated down the river, secure in Nate‘s skills and fascinated by his commentary. Both of these men really demonstrated a sincere love of the land and respect for the nature that surrounded us. It was infectious and something that we will carry with us always. I would recommend this raft trip to anyone who wants to get a little closer to nature with someone who really knows the terrain and has bountiful knowledge about the history, the wildlife and the topography of the area. A special shout out to Dave and Nate for making it a personal, meaningful, beautiful experience for our whole family.

Response from Host

Jul 2018

Thanks for taking the time to write this review. I can tell that the experience touched you deeply, and that gives me great satisfaction. This what we are after as a company; we want to give each of our guests a chance to truly connect with Alaska through our high-quality team. That is our mission written on our mission statement, and its great to see that Dave and Nate exceeded your expectations.

broddin

Jul 2018

I have to give Windstar Cruises credit for using Rainbow Glacier Adventures instead of whatever large-group company the other cruise line in town used. Byrne, our driver was informative and funny. Robert was the guide for our group and took us expertly down the river. Unfortunately, we were there a little too early for a lot of activity on the river, but the scenery was outstanding and the trip was relaxing. We did see a few eagles and a few other birds.

Response from Host

Jul 2018

Thanks for mentioning that Windstar chose Rainbow Glacier Adventures for your rafting experience. Many of the small cruise lines are reaching to us because we share similar values. We do not offer large-group rafting tours, we believe in keeping our tours small and intimate. Byrne and Robert both have vast experience in Haines and the Eagle Preserve. We do all we can to maximize the number of eagles we see on each tour. Being that they are wild creatures, the numbers of eagles varies on each trip and varies with the season. The key is to understand their life cycle in order to maximize the number or eagles you see and, more importantly, maximize the quality of the viewing experience of the ones you do see. Until September, the adult eagles are tied to their territories and nests. Once the young leave the nest, they are free to roam. This means, when we find an active bald eagles nest along the river, we can be fairly confident to see eagles around that nest all summer long. We know where the nest are and always float past respectfully. This also mean that immature eagles who are not tied to a nest follow the salmon runs along the river, and our guides know the timing of the various runs in the tributary streams. This also means that in September, the numbers of eagles begins to increase. Because of a late salmon run and unique conditions along the Chilkat River, in November you can see thousands of eagles in the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. We don't get cruise ship visitors in November, but we do get a steady number of photographers and nature lovers who come to Haines to witness this wildlife spectacle. If you want to see hundreds of eagles in a spectacular setting, we invite you to come back in November and join us for a private tour. We even have a cabin, Swan View Cabin, located right in the heart of the Eagle Preserve that you could rent for your stay! My book, Where Eagles Gather, provides an in-depth look at the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve and may inspire you to return.

Explorer968

Jun 2018

I took this float rip as part of a cruise adventure and had a really relaxing and enjoyable time.I was met at Skagway by a tour driver for my 45 min ferry transfer to Haines. The ferry ride to Haines was great & the naturalist commentary interesting but nothing special. Haines is small (3 main shops) but very beautiful and pretty much quiet / isolated for half the year until the cruise / tourist season starts. Arriving in Haines we were met by our float guide (PhD Environmental Science) and transferered onto a bus for approx 40 min journey to the Chilkat River Bald Eagle Preserve rv point, our guide kept us informed and entrained the whole journey with his vast knowledge. The day of my trip was gloriously sunny and after a picnic lunch we received a safety briefing & buoyancy vests before being allocated 8 to a raft (you need to be mobile really to get on & off safely without a lot of assistance). We set of for a fabulously relaxing float through the preserve and Megan, our river guide, did all the hard work, whilst sharing her love & knowedge for the area. I saw loads of Bald Eagles and managed to take some great photos. The Chilkat river is very smooth and the surrounding scenery amazing, very peaceful. The trip ended too soon (2hrs approx on the river) but at the end we received cookies & drinks before getting back on the bus heading back to our ferry crossing. A really lovely day, I highly recommend this experience.

Response from Host

Sep 2018

This is a nice review but this is for a different company. We offer the same trip but these guides do not work for Rainbow Glacier Adventures.

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Rafting to Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve from Haines

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