One of the most exciting things we did during our Alaska family vacation was to take a flightseeing/bear viewing/fishing day trip with High Adventure Air, based in Soldotna, AK on the Kenai Peninsula. Flightseeing in Alaska can be expensive. It is not unusual to see prices hitting $700/person for a full day trip similar to ours but leaving from Homer or Anchorage. By leaving from Soldotna, we paid half that rate and had a thrill of a lifetime!
In addition to catching 30 pounds of salmon and getting the chance to view a number of active brown and black bears at Wolverine Creek, our High Adventure Air pilot treated us to a fly over of nearby Double Glacier. It was definitely one of the more amazing things we saw in Alaska!
Flightseeing over Double Glacier in Alaska
We had gotten up close views of the tidal facing ice walls of the Beloit and Blackstone Glaciers during our day cruise from Whittier, but having the opportunity to fly over a glacier underscored how immense these rivers of ice really are. We had not fully grasped the scale of these monsters or appreciated how deep the crevasses might be, Neither had we understood how broken and weathered the top layers of ice become during years of compression and weathering.
A view of the crevasses of Double Glacier
We also came to appreciate how the melt water from glaciers impacts the local streams. We learned that glacier melt carries large amount of fine silt with it into the local streams. Depending on the level of silt in the water, the rivers and streams can appear white as milk. In less intense concentrations the water takes on a bright blue color that is very different from the color of clear water streams.
Silted run off from Double Glacier
The pilots and guides from High Adventure Air went out of their way to make sure we had a terrific time and it didn’t hurt that the weather was spectacular. From the moment we arrived at the dock and took off in the six seater floatplane we knew it would be a day to remember!
High Adventure Air floatplane ready for our day
We shared these photos over at the Delicious Baby Photo Friday page which is a great place to visit if you are looking for links to some great family travel photos and blogs.
This is definitely an incredible adventure for teens and tweens – and adults too! Gotta put this one on the (ever-growing) list!
We did a glacier walk when we visited Alaska, but this is such a completely different perspective from what we saw that day! Thanks for sharing.
These pictures are breathtaking! Thanks for sharing!
~Becca
A trip to Alaska is definitely in our family’s 5-10 year plans… the beauty is just breathtaking and you captured such a unique landscape that many of us will never get to see. You just might convince me to conquer my fear of small airplanes!
that is so cool! i had no idea about the runoff and colors of the water. gorgeous photos!
Unbelievable landscape and what a great adventure for your family
Dramatic landscape! Sounds like a fun little adventure
thankks for taking us along on your trip. it sounds likea wonderful adventure
Wow! Those are awesome photos!
Those views are amazing! I love your first photo, with the blue sky and the glimpse of the plane’s wing.
Flying over Alaska is something I’ve always wanted to do … and cruising there and hiking … OK lets just say I’d like to visit Alaska. Did your children enjoy it as much as you? How long was the flight?
Your photos are amazing! We went to Alaska four years ago but weren’t able to do anything quite so adventurous because the kids were too young – I want to go back now!!