In January of 2020 I visited Matanuska Glacier for the first time. Since then I have returned twice, both times with my children. Let me tell you, if you go you won’t be disappointed!

On our most recent trip to Matanuska we joined a number of other families to explore this amazing monolith. We were able to wander the area known as “The Labyrinth”, stand under towering ice arches and scurry through “The Worm Hole.”

Though my son was able to soar down multiple ice slides, play in a glacial tunnel-like structure and chip away at a 10,000 year old glacier with an ice pick, he insists his favorite part was being pulled in the sled behind the snow machine on our way out to the glacier. This wasn’t something we got to do when we visited in November and he had been very disappointed by that fact.
I have visited this glacier once in November. While this trip was beautiful, my January trips were even better! Though the temperature will most likely be much colder, I do suggest going in January or February. It was around 0°F at the basecamp during our most recent trip, and we were warned that it was around -20°F out on the glacier. However, it is totally worth it. Just wear the right gear, grab some hand & foot warmers and you’ll be fine!
If you look on their website you may think their prices are a bit steep. However, if you are an Alaskan resident or are visiting with a resident you may be able to receive a reduced price. These prices are subject to change. I encourage you to contact the tour company and enquire about their current resident pricing. We were able to receive a very reasonable rate.

In addition, the tour company was very accommodating to the amount of children we had in our group. We formed a plan that involved checking at different intervals to guarantee no little ones were becoming too cold. Surprisingly at our first check no one left the group. At our second check some of our group did decide to head back to the basecamp. The tour company was able to take those who wanted to leave out by snow machine while the remainder of the group continued. At the third check most of our group departed, though a few continued on to explore other areas of the glacier. I thought this aspect was awesome, especially when adventuring with littles.
Check out the From the States blog post regarding my original visit to Matanuska Glacier at: EXPLORING ALASKA: MATANUSKA GLACIER TOUR.

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