Amazing Flightseeing with Rust’s Flying Service from Lake Hood, Anchorage

Seaplanes are as much a part of Alaska life as dog sledding, and maybe more so. Rust’s Flying Service flies from Lake Hood, the busiest seaplane airport in the world, and can take you all around Southcentral and into Southwest Alaska. I flew with Rust’s Flying Service to Lake Clark National Park and it was an incredible experience. Read on as I share my tips and stories from flying with Rust’s, and if you have any additional questions, please leave a comment or send us a note.

Highlights of Rust’s Flying Service Flightseeing to Lake Clark NP

What can I say? The views from a seaplane out of Anchorage are incredible. When you take off from Lake Hood and get your first views of Anchorage, the Knik and Turn again Arms, and then down the Cook Inlet, it’s just beautiful. Flightseeing is such a unique sort of experience because you get a completely different perspective, especially here in Alaska.

I flew with Rust’s Flying Service for the purpose of heading to Lake Clark National Park for bear viewing, which really was incredible. Once there, we had a great salmon lunch at the Redoubt Mountain Lodge before really starting our bear viewing. We could see brown bears from the lodge itself, and actually saw some as we were landing, but once we were on the pontoon boats tooling about the lake, that’s when it became incredible. You’ll have to read our whole article about going out with the Redoubt Mountain Lodge crew to get the full scoop on bear viewing.

The flight back was even more amazing than the flight out to Lake Clark National Park. Our pilot took us up very close to Mount Redoubt for stunning views and along the shores of the Cook Inlet to look for beluga whales. On this leg of the flight we saw bears, mountains, trumpeter swan flocks and more. It was incredible and unlike any flightseeing I’d done before.

Book Lake Clark National Park with Rust’s Flying Service here!

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Gear for Flightseeing in Alaska

Dress warmly if you’re a chilly person. Seaplanes can get a bit cool while you’re flying, but usually the captain turns up the heat for guests. Once you’re on the ground in your bear viewing or sightseeing destination, be ready for whatever weather lies ahead. You’re limited as to the amount of gear or baggage you can bring with you, so dress in layers so that you’re comfortable no matter the weather.

When it comes to photography gear, bring what you’re most comfortable and confident with. Photography from the seaplane is easy with a camera phone or 55mm-250mm lens, but you’re not going to be able to do epic 600 or 800mm shots from a moving plane. Once in the wildlife setting, that’s where you’ll need the bigger lens. Small cameras can do the trick too, especially if you’re more of an in-the-moment wildlife person, but having a good telephoto (I use a 600mm) really does help capture amazing photos, especially of bears.

Tips for Great Flightseeing with Rust’s Flying Service

Flying with Rust’s Flying Service is fun and a really cool experience. Having said that, if you’re nervous in small planes, you may want to think twice about if this sort of flightseeing is right for you. I don’t like flying but have no problem with small spaces. I will say that flying on a seaplane is much more smooth than a turbulent large plane flight. I get nerves but not so bad on the seaplane flight. Rust’s Flying Service goes to some amazing places so it’s worth conquering flying fears for it.

When it comes to capturing the experience of the flights, this may sound weird, but wear dark clothes so you get better photos through the windows. The reason for this is because light clothing reflects in the windows and creates glare when you’re trying to take pictures outside. Trust me on this, dark jackets make for much more clear of pictures while flightseeing.