1 Hour
The Quick Ascent
A tighter loop over the coastline and glacier country for travelers working with a short window in port.
Reserve on GetYourGuideN 60.0956° · W 149.4136° — SEWARD, ALASKA
Seward Helicopter Tour
Glacier Bound.
Seward Helicopter Tour flies small groups above Resurrection Bay and the Kenai Fjords for a close-up look at Bear Glacier Lagoon and the alpine tundra beyond it. Every flight lands twice, once on a remote beach, once above the clouds, for views no ship or trail can reach.
ALT 3,200 FT · CAMERA READY
Scenes From the Helicopter Glacier Tour
FLIGHT BRIEFING
What Makes This Seward Helicopter Tour Different
Free Cancellation
Cancel up to 3 days before departure for a full refund, no questions asked.
1.5 Hours, Door to Door
Around 90 minutes from check-in to landing back in Seward, including both stops.
Your Pilot Is Your Guide
No separate narrator. The pilot flying the aircraft also points out glaciers, wildlife, and landmarks over the headset.
English Language
All briefings, in-flight narration, and paperwork are conducted in English.
Hotel Pickup Included
Round-trip pickup and drop-off at most hotels and lodges in the Seward area.
Four Seats, Not Forty
Each aircraft carries a maximum of four guests, so every seat is a window seat.
Rates shift with season and fuel costs, so the number on the page today may not be the number next week.
Check Today's PriceTHE ROUTE
Inside the Seward Helicopter Trip
The helicopter lifts off from a small airfield just outside Seward, Alaska, climbing fast over spruce-covered slopes before the coastline of the Kenai Peninsula opens up below. Pilots trace the edge of Blying Sound, watching for the telltale spouts of humpback whales, rafts of sea otters, and the occasional black bear working the shoreline.
The first landing sets down on a gravel beach at Bear Glacier Lagoon, where city-block-sized icebergs drift in water the color of sea glass. It is the largest glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park, and the only way most travelers will ever stand this close to it. There is time to walk the shore, photograph the ice, and let the scale of the place sink in before reboarding.
From the lagoon, the helicopter climbs again, this time to a second landing high in the alpine tundra. Resurrection Bay unfolds in one direction, the Harding Icefield in another, and the jagged spine of the Kenai Mountains fills the rest of the view. It is a short stop that tends to produce the trip's best photographs and quietest moments.
The return route retraces the coastline back into Seward, giving latecomers to the wildlife-spotting one more pass at the water before touchdown.
What's Included
- Two exclusive glacier landings
- Hotel pickup and drop-off in the Seward area
- Live pilot narration in flight
- Wildlife and glacier viewing opportunities
- Meals and drinks
- Gratuities (optional)
What to Bring
- Sunglasses
- Camera or phone with a charged battery
- Weather-appropriate, layered clothing
Know Before You Go
- Dress in layers, temperatures shift fast between the coast and the tundra
- Children age 2 and under fly free on a guardian's lap
- Flight times and landing sites may vary with weather conditions
- The meeting point is confirmed after booking and is subject to change
Spots per aircraft are limited to four guests, and popular departure times fill first.
Check Today's PriceFLIGHT LOG ENTRIES
Guests of the Helicopter Glacier Tour
★★★★★
Landed on an actual iceberg beach. Worth every minute.
Reply · Seward Helicopter Tour
Thank you, Dean, that beach never gets old for us either. Fly safe.
★★★★★
Our pilot spotted a pod of orcas on the way out and looped back so everyone could get photos before heading to the glacier. The second landing up in the tundra was quiet in a way I wasn't expecting, no engine noise, just wind and ice cracking somewhere below. Worth planning a whole Alaska trip around.
Reply · Seward Helicopter Tour
We love it when the wildlife cooperates like that. Thanks for trusting us with a spot on your itinerary, Priya, come back and see the glacier in winter sometime.
★★★★★
Genuinely stunning views and the two landings make it worth the price tag. Only ding is we sat around the hangar for almost 40 minutes waiting on a weather window, and nobody really explained what was happening until it cleared. Once we were in the air, no complaints at all.
Reply · Seward Helicopter Tour
Sorry for the quiet wait, Walt, we should've kept you posted while we watched the ceiling lift. Glad the flight made up for it, and we'll pass this along to the front desk team.
★★★★★
Did this with my visiting parents. They still talk about the lagoon.
Reply · Seward Helicopter Tour
That's the review we hope every family gets to write, Junie. Thank you.
★★★★★
I've flown in a lot of helicopters for work (I'm a land surveyor) and this was still something else. The approach into Bear Glacier Lagoon is genuinely dramatic, you come around a ridge and the whole ice field just opens up beneath you. We had maybe fifteen minutes on the beach, enough time to walk down to the water and watch a chunk calve off in the distance. The alpine landing afterward felt like a completely different trip, all rock and wind and no sound at all. Small group size (four of us total) meant everyone got a window and nobody felt rushed. Booked through GetYourGuide and the whole process, confirmation to pickup, was smooth.
Reply · Seward Helicopter Tour
High praise from someone who flies for a living, thank you, Cass. That ridge reveal at Bear Glacier gets us every time too, no matter how many times we fly it.
★★★★★
Booked this as an add-on to our cruise stop in Seward and it ended up being the highlight of the whole Alaska leg. Pickup was right on time, pilot was chatty in a good way, and the beach landing at the glacier lagoon felt like being dropped on another planet.
Reply · Seward Helicopter Tour
That's exactly the kind of cruise-day upgrade we hope for, Fenwick. Glad it delivered, see you next time you're in port.
★★★★★
Two landings, zero regrets. Book it.
Reply · Seward Helicopter Tour
Short, honest, and exactly right, Marisol. Thank you.
★★★★★
Beautiful flight and the glacier landing alone justifies the cost. I'd only say the pickup window was a bit vague, we were told "between 9 and 9:30" and picked up closer to 9:45, which made us anxious about missing our own tight schedule. Once we were moving everything ran perfectly.
Reply · Seward Helicopter Tour
Thanks for the honest note, Odile, we're tightening up our pickup windows so guests aren't left watching the clock. Really glad the flight itself landed the way it should.
★★★★★
My first time in a helicopter and I could not have picked a better one to start with. The lagoon landing was silent except for the ice. Our pilot let us take as many photos as we wanted and never rushed the group.
Reply · Seward Helicopter Tour
What a first flight to have, Haruka! Thank you for the kind words, we hope it's the first of many helicopter trips for you.
★★★★★
Gorgeous scenery, though our second landing was cut short by wind. Still recommend it.
Reply · Seward Helicopter Tour
Alpine wind can move fast up there, Sousuke, appreciate you rolling with it. Hope the shortened stop still left an impression.
★★★★★
We debated between the one-hour and the two-landing option and I'm so glad we splurged on the longer flight. The first twenty minutes are already worth the ticket, just flying low over the coastline watching for whales, but it's the two landings that make this trip different from every other flightseeing tour we looked at in Seward. Standing on the beach at Bear Glacier Lagoon with icebergs the size of houses drifting past was surreal, and then twenty minutes later we're standing in alpine tundra looking down at the whole bay. Our pilot clearly loves this job and it shows. Already telling everyone back home to add Seward to their Alaska itinerary just for this.
Reply · Seward Helicopter Tour
This might be our favorite kind of review to read, Elin, thank you for taking the time to write it, and for talking us up back home.
★★★★★
Flight itself was excellent, no complaints about the actual tour. Booking process through GetYourGuide had a small mix-up with our headcount that took a phone call to sort out, but the team handled it quickly once we called.
Reply · Seward Helicopter Tour
Glad we could sort that out over the phone, Torvald, and sorry it needed a call in the first place. We'll double-check how headcounts sync over from GetYourGuide on our end.
★★★★★
Best 90 minutes of our entire Alaska trip.
Reply · Seward Helicopter Tour
We'll take that ranking happily, Katinka. Thank you.
★★★★★
Took this with my teenage son, who is normally impossible to impress, and even he put his phone away for the alpine landing. That tells you everything.
Reply · Seward Helicopter Tour
A teenager putting the phone away is basically our five-star bar, Jost, thank you for that image. We hope he's already planning the next adventure.
★★★★★
Booked this for my birthday and it was magical. The glacier lagoon landing is unlike anything else we did in Alaska. Small group, great pilot, no complaints.
Reply · Seward Helicopter Tour
Joyeux anniversaire, Aurélie, what a way to celebrate! Thrilled the lagoon landing lived up to the occasion.
★★★★★
Pilot found a bear on the shoreline on the way back. Unreal trip.
Reply · Seward Helicopter Tour
That shoreline never runs out of surprises, Baptiste. Glad you caught one.
★★★★★
We nearly skipped this thinking it would be an overpriced photo-op, and it's the opposite. The pilot briefing beforehand was thorough, the safety gear was properly fitted, not just handed to us, and once airborne the whole thing felt unhurried despite being just ninety minutes door to door. Bear Glacier Lagoon is the sort of place photos genuinely undersell, the scale doesn't translate until you're standing next to an iceberg that's taller than a house. The alpine tundra stop afterward was a nice change of pace, more about the silence and the view than the ice itself. Worth every penny and then some.
Reply · Seward Helicopter Tour
Thank you for giving it a chance despite the skepticism, Persephone, and for such a detailed write-up. "Photos undersell it" might be the best compliment Bear Glacier Lagoon can get.
★★★★★
Really enjoyable flight and the two landings are a great structure for the tour. Weather pushed our departure back by about half an hour, which is obviously out of anyone's control, but it did mean we were cutting it close for a dinner reservation afterward. Would still recommend.
Reply · Seward Helicopter Tour
Weather delays are the one part of this job none of us can control, Callum, appreciate your patience with it, and glad the flight itself made the rescheduling worth it.
TRIP NOTES
Guides for Your Seward Helicopter Tour
Planning tips, packing lists, and honest answers from the flight desk, written by the same team that runs the aircraft.
Best Time of Year for a Seward Helicopter Tour
A month-by-month look at weather, daylight, and crowds so you can pick the right week to fly.
Read the GuideHow Much Does a Seward Helicopter Tour Cost?
What drives the price up or down, and how the three tour lengths compare side by side.
Read the GuideAre Alaska Seward Helicopter Tours Safe?
How flightseeing safety actually works in Alaska, from pilot training to weather holds.
Read the GuideDog Sledding on a Seward Glacier
What the glacier dogsled add-on actually involves, from meeting the dogs to your first mush.
Read the GuideGlacier Landing Tours from Seward — What to Expect
A walkthrough of the full flight, minute by minute, from check-in to the second landing.
Read the GuideWhat to Wear on a Glacier Helicopter Tour
A packing list built for a coastline that can shift twenty degrees between takeoff and landing.
Read the Guide