day trip

Glacier adventures

Let us show you the Alaskan ice!

For over 30 years, NOVA has been the original guide service operator of the Matanuska glacier. All of NOVA’s daily glacier tours are only a couple hours long, creating a perfect half or full day escape. Glacier tours are offered twice daily, in the morning and afternoons. The Matanuska Glacier is where all NOVA glacier tours are based and is in a two hour proximity to Anchorage with scenic highway drives along the beautiful Glenn highway. Avoid the crowds with a more local glacier experience.

Find A Tour

Nova Alaska Glacier Tours

Our professional guides love their jobs! spending most of their time off back out on the ice. The Adventure Trek and Ice climbing guides have the most technical mountain, glacier and climbing experience on the Matanuska glacier. With standards, skills and techniques constantly being sharpened, our guides spend adequate amounts of quality time on the ice staying familiar, getting to know the glacier as it changes and evolves through-out the season making sure you see the best the glacier has to offer. Keeping tour ratios low, each tour is unique and personal with your own guides that customise your tour for your groups needs, physical ability and desire. With a 1:4 guide-to-guest ratio on Treks and Climbs and 1:6 for Tours (This can be flexible for certain groups). The Glacier Tour is relatively easy and perfect for most abilities. More adventurous folks should check out our challenging Adventure Trek or Ice Climbing tours. Larger booked days or groups will have multiple guides on a tour. Tour check-in is at our Hicks Creek office located a couple miles south of the Glacier off the Glenn highway near mile 96. Always bring your camera, jacket, and sunglasses for glacier activities. There are usually several areas to fill water bottles with pure potable glacier ice water to get a taste of delicious icy Alaska.

Adventure Level Difficulty

Glacier Tour: Easy  •   Adventure Trek: Challenging   •   Ice Climbing: Moderate

|

Rave Reviews

Testimonials

We had a very pleasant and informative hike with Mattie and Carson on the Matanuska glacier. The glacier was awe-inspiring and made more interesting by the information provided by our Nova Guides. Taking a guided hike to the glacier is definitely the way to see it!

Gregory M.  | Trip date: July 2020

We loved our 3-hour glacier hike with the amazing guide, Maddie. We had the glacier to ourselves as we were the only group out on the glacier at 7 PM. Maddie shared interesting facts about the glacier, taking us to different parts. The ice cave was definitely a surprise and highlight of our trip. Highly recommended when in Alaska!

Race | Trip date: July 2019

Best ever! Arnie and Maddie were beyond fantastic; experienced, knowledgeable, and fun. We hiked further into the glacier than expected and saw amazing views, while learning and laughing! Highly recommend!

Flynn T.  | Trip date:  September 2020