Juneau: 5-Glacier Seaplane Flightseeing Tour with Window Seats

4.93

(130 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

There was this rattling sound as the floatplane skimmed across the water—kind of like someone shaking coins in their pocket, but bigger. I pressed my forehead to the glass (they said everyone gets a window seat, and it’s true), watching Juneau slip away behind us. Our pilot, Mike, had that calm Alaska way about him. He pointed out little fishing boats below, just dots against all that blue-green water. The headphones crackled with stories—some about glaciers, some about people who tried to cross them. I didn’t expect to feel so small or so awake at the same time.

The first glacier we saw was Norris, its surface cracked like old porcelain. The light kept shifting—sometimes harsh, sometimes soft—and there were these weird blue shadows hiding in the crevasses. I tried to take a photo but honestly, none of them really caught it. Someone behind me gasped when we banked over Taku Glacier—the biggest one here—and yeah, I get why. You could see rivers of ice curling off into nothingness. The air smelled cold even inside the plane, if that makes sense. My hands went a bit numb from gripping my camera too tight.

We circled past Hole-In-The-Wall and both Twin Glaciers (East and West), each one different—some looked almost gentle from above, others like they’d swallow you whole if you got too close. Mike told us how Taku is still advancing while most glaciers are shrinking; he sounded proud but also kind of sad about it. I caught myself grinning at nothing when he banked left and sunlight flashed off the river below. Forty minutes felt like ten—I wanted more time up there but also couldn’t wait to walk around Juneau again with my feet on solid ground.