Awesome Matanuska Glacier Hiking – Guided Trekking on a Glacier

If hiking on a glacier is on your bucket list or something that you really want to be sure to do on your Alaska trip, the Matanuska Glacier is THE pick for you. There are a few different options for exploring Matanuska Glacier, but Greatland Adventures does a wonderful job taking guests from Anchorage up to the glacier. Here you’ll find the information for being prepared to hike at the glacier, booking the tour, and some photography tips to capture your experiences.

Highlights of Guided Hiking on Matanuska Glacier

What I didn’t expect about hiking on Matanuska Glacier with Greatland Adventures was actually how much it seemed like hiking on regular ground… until it didn’t. Hiking on glaciers is a strange experience and it’s beautiful. Starting with our transport from Anchorage, we received the full rundown on glaciers in Alaska and what makes Matanuska Glacier so different.

Did you know that Matanuska Glacier is the only only one in the state out of more than 100K glaciers that you can drive up to? It’s true! Access to Matanuska Glacier is through private property, so you can’t just show up, but via tour you can get directly onto the glacier. One of the highlights of hiking on the glacier was getting to safely traverse the icy trails and look into deep chasms and crevasse. It’s just such an unusual place to hike. Greatland Adventures did a great job of keeping my group in safe places and giving us plenty of opportunities for photos and even drinking glacial water as it flowed past us. I loved this experience!

Book this tour here!

What to Bring to Matanuska Glacier Hiking

Good shoes! You need to wear very good shoes or boots when you do Matanuska Glacier hiking. You’ll be outfitted with crampons (metal cleats that attach to your shoes), but your shoes need to be sturdy already for your own safety. Besides that, watch the weather. It can be very cold when you’re hiking on Matanuska Glacier… but then when the sun comes out and reflects all around you it gets quite warm. The key to dressing for anything when you visit Alaska is to have layers in all situations.

For other gear you might want when you’re hiking on the glacier, hiking poles are provided if requested, so you don’t need to worry about that, but you do need to have your own warm gloves. You’ll want to be prepared for wind gusts or touching ice for balance sometimes, so gloves are important. When it comes to camera gear, you can take wonderful photos with your camera phone. I recommend putting it into a rough case of some sort for added protection because you don’t want to break your phone on the ice.

If you’re bringing a big camera, like a mirrorless or DSLR, you won’t need any large lenses for the glacier hiking. Because you’re on the glacier, a 55mm-250mm lens is great, or even just an adjustable wide angle. You’re so close to the ice and the outcroppings that keeping it small is very smart.

Tips for Hiking at Matanuska Glacier

Hiking at Matanuska Glacier is really fun and otherworldly, but there are a few things to know before you do your glacier hiking adventure. First off, know your limits in terms of stability and what you’re comfortable doing. This isn’t a physically demanding sort of hike, but if you don’t have strong legs and confident steps, you might struggle. You’re outfitted with crampons before hiking and they make your steps very solid, but if you’re unable to approach hiking on ice confidently, you might not enjoy this experience. Having said that, between the guides, the provided gear and the collective experience, hiking on the Matanuska Glacier is absolutely doable for almost all ages.

The hike on the glacier takes about two hours and you cover around two miles (a loop usually). The path changes based on conditions, as it is a glacier as is continually moving and melting. The best way to stay safe an enjoy the hike is to listen to the guides and follow the path they instruct you on. Don’t worry, they’re always looking for photo ops and cool things to show guests, but if you see something extraordinary, tell them and they’ll help you get a better look.

Transportation or Getting to Matanuska Glacier

Hiking at Matanuska Glacier with Greatland Adventures includes your transportation. When you book your tour you can arrange your pickup point in Anchorage or on the way to Glacier View, AK. If you’d like to drive yourself, you can drive to the check-in office and arrange to meet your guide there. Access to Matanuska Glacier is controlled, so you’ll need to check in at the desk for your tour OR your guide will provide you alternate instructions in advance.