From our office it's a 2 mile stroll to the white ice of the glacier. Once there we'll strap on our crampons (metal spikes for your shoes) and show you around the other-worldly moonscape that awaits. We'll show you how to use your crampons correctly to safely view the blue-pools, deep holes, and cascading waterfalls that make up the glacier's convoluted surface. When we get back you'll wonder how the hours could pass so quickly!

Absolutely no experience is necessary.

Private tours available,
see our pricing page

West Side Interpretive Tour
4.5 - 5 hours - Maximum group sixe of 6
$60

This hike stays off the ice but gives you a glimpse into the most active and rapidly changing area in the vicinity! We begin at the footbridge over the Kennicott River and follow a path that goes along the West Side of the glacier. Collapsing ice towers and deep gorges characterize the rock-strewn ice here, along with deep rumbling noises from the glacier's belly. We'll teach you about the geology, ecology, and fascinating plant life, and if we're lucky we'll spot some wildlife in this less-frequented area.

Absolutely no experience is necessary.
Private tours available, see our pricing page

Fireweed Mountain
10-12 hours
$135 per for 2-3 people,
$125 per for 4+ people

A ridgewalker's paradise...combine easy access, mellow grassy meadows, craggy upper heights, and the biggest views of Mount Blackburn and the Chitina Valley and you've got Fireweed Mountain! This series of summits, all connected by ridges, is a premier peak scramble that gives a unique bird's eye view of Kennicott and McCarthy from across the valley. You'll earn these views; the way up is more of a 'route' then a trail and over the course of the day we'll gain about 5,500 vertical feet, so be ready for a workout....one you'll never forget!

8 hours
$125 per for 2-3 people,
$100 per for 4+ people

This mine was where the purest copper ore was found. Chalcocite deposits from this area were assayed at nearly 80% pure, in comparison to the 4-6% purity normally found in copper mines! This basin also features the dramatic face of the Castle, a craggy rock tower that looms overhead, and the outrageously leaning bunkhouse where the miners once lived. Stand back, we've all got our bets out on when it will finally collapse!

Erie Mine

Moderate to Challenging
8-10 hours
$135 per for 2-3 people,
$110 per for 4+ people

Getting to this mine has the greatest adventure factor of them all! Once we leave the Root Glacier trail and start heading up the steep gully that is the beginning of the route to the bunkhouse you'll be glad that you hired a guide! There is no trail from here on and the easiest way up to the buildings perched amongst the cliffs is not-so-straightforward, involving some rock scrambling, route-finding, and tricky traversing. We'll show you the safest way there and spend the day exploring the dilapidated buildings and taking in the immense face of the Stairway Icefall, which can't be missed from here.

Donoho Fly-In / Hike-Back
8 hours
$435 per person for 2 people, $385 per person for 3+

This day hike is a hard one to beat. We board a bush plane in McCarthy and fly up the Kennicott Glacier before landing alongside Donoho Lake. The hike begins by following faint trails, crossing streams, and working our way alongside two lakes which drain the Gates Glacier, and are swimmer friendly. The views of Donoho Mountain, Mt. Blackburn, and other surrounding mountains are postcard perfect. After lunch at Donoho Falls (where the lakes drain and drop hundreds of feet below the glacier) the crampons go on and the glacier experience begins. White ice, caves, blue lakes, gaping moulins, and massive moraines mark the way across the Root Glacier to the 2-mile trail back to Kennicott. Anticipate an 8-hour day, and make sure to pack a lunch.