Photo courtesy of Glacier City Snowmobile Tours
Snowmobilers pass by ice on Spencer Lake.
By Chris Roberts
Special to the Turnagain Times
Girdwood, Alaska sits on the doorstep of the most glaciated area in the Northern Hemisphere. The Chugach Mountains are about 400 miles long and several hundred miles wide, with over 8,600 square miles of glacial ice. Being some of the newest mountains in the world, as far as plate tectonics goes, the Chugach Range in general get steeper at their peeks. Combining this with the low tree line at such a high latitude makes for one of the best places on earth to snowmobile.
Because of the hazardous conditions that can and usually exist in the Alaskan backcountry it is recommended that visiting guests, and or beginners, take a guided snowmobile tour verses going solo.
While exploring these wide open valleys on your own snowmobile experienced guides will stop at scenic spots during the tour for awesome photo opportunities. Moose and eagle sightings are very common. The Alaska state bird, the ptarmigan, can be seen from time to time. You have to look hard for these birds because they change colors seasonally & are almost completely white in the winter. Occasionally wolves, rabbits and coyotes can be seen from a distance.
Because these guided tours take place on wide valley floors, beginners can easily take part in such an excursion. Snowmobiles in general have a very fast learning curve compared to other motorized vehicles. Some people are a little hesitant or intimidated at first but find themselves at ease and enjoying themselves in no time. Kids can take part as well by riding double with an adult. Riders 16 years or older can operate their own snowmobile after proper handling techniques and a safety briefing is discussed by the guide before each tour.
Glacier City Snowmobile Tours in Girdwood is located in the Girdwood Tesoro mall at the entrance to Alyeska Highway.
Based in Girdwood for 14 years, Glacier City provides all inclusive snowmobile trips geared towards the riders experience level.
And if you arrive from Florida with shorts and flip-flops, for no extra charge Glacier City can totally outfit you with the proper attire to keep you warm and comfortable.
Early season tours start at an active gold mining operation with several miles of beautiful trails. This tour includes cooking reindeer hotdogs around an open camp fire. Turnagain and Johnson Passes are also early season destinations because of their higher elevations. As the snow pack increases at the lower elevations, tours focus on the Placer Valley where riders can reach the terminus (or toe) of Spencer and Skookum glaciers.
Spencer Glacier is a mile across, and 30 miles long. Spencer Glacier has a lake in front of it. In the summertime giant chunks of ice break off, or calve into the lake forming gigantic icebergs. These icebergs become frozen in the lake during the winter season. Some icebergs are bigger than an average house. Remember the saying, “This is just the tip of the iceberg” Only 1/9th of an iceberg sticks out of water leaving a giant mass of solid ice nine times larger underwater. The ice that freezes on the lake is usually around four to five feet thick and could probably support a locomotive. The U.S.F.S. typically opens these areas sometime in December with the right amount of snow pack.
Blue Ice Paradise says it all! These glaciated valleys are the only ones in the entire Northern Hemisphere that you can access glaciers, icebergs and incredible “Ice caves”. Have you ever been inside a glacier? On this tour you can park in front of the glacier and walk inside some very cool caves.
For more information on guided tours with Glacier City Snowmobile Tours and to view their photo gallery to: www.snowtours.net or call them toll free at 1-877-783-5566.
Glacier city Snowmobile Tours operates out of its sister company “Great Alaskan Tourist Trap” located in the mini-mall at the entrance to Girdwood. It sits next to “The Ice Cream Shop” where Glacier City clients warm themselves with coffees, teas, or hot fudge sundaes!
