Quick Details
Your Walk of a Lifetime
Our Helicopter Glacier Walkabout provides a full hour on the glacier to explore, take pictures, and appreciate the magnificent views that surround you. The adventure begins with a short drive to our helicopter base, located next to the Juneau International Airport. We will outfit you in state-of-the-art trekking equipment and give you a safety briefing before you board one of our A-Star helicopters.
Once loaded and ready, it’s time to take off on a Juneau helicopter tour! Experience Juneau’s impressive range of ecosystems while soaring over dramatic mountain ranges, the old-growth trees of the Tongass National Forest, and expansive flows of ice that change from white to vibrant shades of blue, before landing at our base camp on the Mendenhall Glacier. Flight routes depend on the day’s conditions and are up to the pilots.
After carefully unloading, you will meet your guide, who will outfit you with crampons to make it easier to walk on the icy terrain, and a trekking pole for enhanced stability. Once prepared, your guide will lead you on an interpretive Juneau glacier trek to explore the unique features and learn about the local environment.
There will be plenty of time to stop and take pictures of your great adventure before your helicopter returns for your flight back to our heliport. At the end of your tour, our comfortable vans will escort you back to your drop-off point.
Please see FAQ’s page for general information about our tours and safety, here.
-
- The total tour duration is 3.25 hours
- Tour includes approximately 30 minutes of helicopter time and 1 hour on the glacier
- Please book your tour at least one hour after your ship’s arrival time. The tour should conclude no less than 45 minutes before your ship’s departure time. If your ship’s port time changes after you have booked your tour, please contact us.
-
- Enjoy sweeping views of the massive Juneau Icefield and Tongass National Forest on your helicopter flight to and from base camp.
- Experience some of the glacier’s most stunning features as our guides lead you on an hour-long walking expedition.
- Drink pure glacial water straight from the source from one of the many pristine pools you’ll encounter.
- Spend time taking in the scenery and capturing perfect photos for memories that are sure to last a lifetime.
-
- Must be at least 8 years old to participate.
- Must be able to walk unassisted for one hour on moderately flat but uneven terrain.
-
We will provide you with rain pants, a rain jacket, gloves, a harness, mountaineering boots, crampons, gloves, a trekking pole and a hip pack with water and a granola bar.
-
You should dress for a 10-15°F temperature decrease from sea-level (at the cruise ship docks) to the glacier. We recommend that you dress in long socks, warm layers, and sunglasses.
-
NorthStar’s policies prohibit the following items on our aircraft/tour:
- Bags or cases of any kind
- iPads or tablets, tripods
- Selfie sticks or other extendible items
- Drone
-
Due to weight and balance limitations, as well as guest safety and comfort, passengers weighing 250 pounds (113kg or 18 Stone) or more will be charged an additional $150.00 to reserve adequate space on board the helicopter. Total weight includes shoes and clothing. Surcharge must be paid at time of booking.
-
We arrange seating based on the weight, balance, safety, and comfort of the whole departure, and cannot guarantee that we will be able to keep groups together on the aircraft. Please note that we will do everything possible to keep groups together for the flight portion of the tour, but we are sometimes required to split a group between multiple helicopters. All groups will be together for the glacier portion of the tour.
-
If you decide to cancel more than 24 hours before departure, you will receive a refund minus a 10% cancellation fee. If you cancel less than 24 hours before departure, you will not receive a refund.
-
Weather in Juneau can often be overcast and rainy. Decisions to operate tours are based on safety and tour quality. Should we decide not to operate your scheduled tour we will do our best to reschedule. If this is not possible, you will be refunded in full. In most cases we will not make the decision to cancel a tour until within an hour of departure, as the weather can quickly change and we do not want to preemptively cancel a tour – if it is at all possible it will run.