Alaska Travel Adventures picked us up at a location next to the aerial tramway. It's a little confusing because there are multiple tours going out and meeting at the same time. The young man working the dock could have been more polite and understanding. We are are all tourists and we were all first timers.
Finally boarded the bus and on our way. Saw a bear cross the road before we arrived at the boat launch. Potty break, gear up, brief instructions, and on our way. Mitch and Ariel are great hosts and guides. The work very hard the entire trip. Ariel provide historical information about the glacier and the lake. We were very pleased with the staff.
The canoeing is fun. We paddled for about 45 minutes each way. Thank goodness, the lake was calm. I can't imagine paddling during windy conditions. The guides are required to stop the boats a safe distance away from the glacier. It's close enough to take great photos. After a brief break at Nugget Falls, some snacks, and photo ops, we were on our return voyage.
We had a great time during this adventure. My only gripe is that unskilled paddlers don't know what they are doing and they splash the people sitting behind them. We were a little smarter on the return trip and sat in the bow. Still, a little more instruction on paddling would have been very helpful. Small children make the trip difficult for other passengers. Maybe the kids can sit in the bow and don't need to be given paddles, as several of us got pretty wet. Not sure the parents were very keyed in on following directions anyway. As we were instructed several times not to stand up in the boat. But low and behold, the dad stood up while we were in the middle of the lake so he could take photos of his family....Knucklehead!
Five-stars for this adventure. Just be strategic on where you sit in the boat.