Unforgettable Exploring with Outbound Heli Adventures Helicopter Tours

I didn’t know that a winter helicopter trip was on my Alaska bucket list, but it turns out that it’s the experience I’d always hoped for. Outbound Heli Adventures in Palmer does a phenomenal adventure that includes flightseeing, exploring on the glacial ice and seeing the mountains of Alaska from a whole new perspective. From watching wildlife from the air to landing atop snow covered cliffs, the whole experience is unreal.

As somebody who historically has been afraid of flying and helicopters, I’m happy to share all about this experience with Outbound Heli Adventures as it’s an incredible one that went beyond my expectations and fears. If you have any questions about doing a winter helicopter tour or Outbound Heli Adventures specifically, please leave a comment or send us a note. We’re always happy to share more and help you plan something amazing here in Alaska.

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What Makes Outbound Heli Adventures Unique

Helicopter tours are a very niche sort of travel experience, being cost prohibitive for many visitors, but if you get to include a winter helicopter experience in your Alaska trip you’ll love it. Outbound Heli Adventures is perfectly positioned in the Knik River Valley to show off some of the most incredible sights in Alaska. I’ve gotten to do a lot of flightseeing all around the state, but the Outbound Heli Adventures trip was very different than any other helicopter experience I’ve had.

What really stood out to me as unique (and I know that any helicopter tour is unique and special) was how much time we got to spend exploring on the ground. While we only did two helicopter landings and other tours offer three landings, our two landings were absolutely incredible and tailored to what we were most interested in, especially since we had our kids with us. This doesn’t mean that we were shortchanged in the flightseeing department at all, but that we really got to have a special time in a couple wonderfully remote areas. Our first landing was on the frozen glacial lake at the end of the Knik Glacier, which was phenomenal. We’d visited here before doing a winter UTV tour with Alaska Backcountry Adventures, but that was to the beginning of the ice, which was still astounding but NOT this. Landing with a helicopter, Outbound Heli Adventures took us to an untouched part of the frozen landscape to an area full of ice caves and canyons so spectacular I couldn’t have asked for more.

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Our other helicopter landing was after the most breathtaking flight through several jagged valleys surrounded by frozen waterfalls. We were all a bit awestruck when our pilot landed us on a rocky outcropping above an amazing fog and snow filled valley as the sun set. It was simply unreal and beyond any other helicopter tour we’ve done here in Alaska or anywhere else.

One last bonus to our flight with Outbound Heli Adventures was looking for wildlife. I know it may sound odd to look for wildlife from a helicopter, but we actually were able to see 15 moose and a mountain goat! Photography was a bit tricky because of motion and light, but it’s really something to be able to see five bull moose hanging out together… from above. Just wow.

Tips for an Unforgettable Winter Helicopter Adventure

Doing a winter helicopter trip is a bit different from a summertime tour. During the summer because of the weather exposing more of the base layer of ice on the Knik Glacier, helicopters can land directly on the glacier, which provides a completely different sort of exploration than what you get in winter. It’s cool to see the summertime icy blue ponds on the glacier, but the glacial lake experience you get in the winter is much more memorable. Both trips are really fun and beautiful, but I like the winter version more.

When you’re planning your Outbound Heli Adventures tour, be sure to ask what sorts of landings they’ve been making lately and what you might expect during your visit. Things change a lot through the seasons, so if there’s a specific sight or experience you’re hoping for, be sure to ask about it so you can have realistic expectations. You won’t be disappointed with wherever your pilot takes you, but if you have your heart set on something that’s just not possible given the time of year, you need to do a little reset and what you’re hoping for.

When you begin your day with Outbound Heli Adventures, you start with a safety video and orientation in the office. This is a great time to ask about the flight for the day as well as share any fears anyone might have. I’m a nervous flyer, but talking about it to the crew, both before and upon boarding has helped me get over my helicopter fears. Once you’re under way, coordinate with your fellow passengers (usually your own group) to make sure everyone gets to have a portion of the flights in the front seat. The view in front is just breathtaking and I think it’s the icing on the cake, especially if your pilot is able to do a quick rise along a cliff or hillside. Again though, if something like this is a fear somebody in the group has, it’s good to share that with the pilot so they can fly accordingly. All in all, trust the process and trust the Outbound Heli Adventures crew. They are awesome at what they do and clearly are in tune with their guests to create the best experiences.

Being Prepared for a Winter Helicopter Tour

So yea, the helicopters are heated so you’ll be plenty warm when you’re flying over the glaciers and mountain valleys, but when you do your helicopter landings, you’ll be outside in the elements. With Outbound Heli Adventures we did two very different landings, but each required that we were properly dressed for the extreme cold. When we were on the frozen lake exploring ice caves we had a lot of breeze coming off the glacier, and then we were deeply into the iceberg caves and canyons. COLD. When we landed on the mountaintop we were in the sun and actually rather sheltered from the wind, so not too bad and actually a bit warm. Basically, we were glad to be dressed for the coldest environment we might encounter and then glad to be able to lose a layer when needed. Being ready for negative temperatures for your time on the ground is key to enjoying all the exploring you get to do.

When it comes to camera gear, everyone is going to have a different thought on how they want to approach a helicopter tour like this. If you’re able to just ride along and take it all in, DO IT!!! I am a photographer and struggle to not capture every photo and scene, so doing a winter helicopter tour like this was overwhelming for me. The Knik Glacier and the surrounding mountains are magical and the light in the winter changes so fast that I really enjoyed capturing it all. I used my phone camera, my GoPro and I brought my big camera.

If you are bringing a DSLR or mirrorless, you’ll need to be thoughtful about your lens selection. While flying, it can be difficult to use a bigger lens because the windows are RIGHT THERE. You need to be careful to not scratch the windows, and also it’s difficult to get far enough away from the glass with a large lens, so it’s just tricky. I found that up to a 250mm lens works very well for photography from the helicopter, but if you have the skills and can work with something larger, go for it. When you’re flying, any backpacks, including camera gear besides whatever you’re using at the moment, gets stored in the underside compartment making it unlikely you’ll change lenses between flightseeing segments. Ask your pilot what you may be seeing so you can make an informed choice about the camera gear you use.

Outbound Heli Adventures Tour Options

When you’re looking at adding a helicopter tour to your Alaska trip, you’ll see different options that can vary by the length of the flightseeing to the number of landings you get to make, and even the activities you get to do during your landing time. Consider what you would most value in your adventure when you’re booking your helicopter tour. Here are the different options Outbound Heli Adventures offer:

• Chugach Explorer – 2 landings, 2 hours; this is the tour we did. AWESOME! OR 3 Landing Trip
• Knik Glacier Landing – 90 minutes, lands on the glacier – landing ON glacier may not be available in winter
• Winter Ice Cave Trip – 2 hours, 1 landing; only available in winter OR 2 Landing Trip

The above booking links are through Viator, who we are an affiliate of. We like to book through Viator because of their cancellation policies and being able to have all the tours and transportation we book for a trip in one app.

Getting to Outbound Heli Adventures in Palmer

The town of Palmer is good sized and fun to visit, but when you’re doing your winter helicopter tour with Outbound Heli Adventures you’ll be going to the outskirts of town on the south side. Coming from Anchorage, you’ll head north on Highway 1 and then onto the Old Glen Highway. It’s a beautiful drive and you’ll love the mountains as you drive along the Knik River. It’s about 50 minutes from downtown Anchorage, but it’s okay if you get there a little early for your tour. If you’re staying in Palmer proper, it’s about 15-20 minutes out to the Outbound Heli Adventures headquarters.

Note: this is the same hub where you will take off if you’re doing a tour with Alaska Backcountry Adventures too.