City-Based Day Tours

From Two Hours to an Extra Day In & Around Alaska's Cities

Enhance your Alaska vacation with a city-based day tour, from active adventures to historical and cultural tours, sightseeing, and wildlife viewing.

Alaska is so big that sometimes the best way to get perspective on it is to get up in the air. Flightseeing tours are among the most popular type of day tours in the state and take visitors over ice fields, fjords, and mountaintops. Wildlife viewing is also extensive – as in grizzly bears, humpback whales, and moose. Glacier and wildlife viewing day cruises are found in most coastal communities and are a great way to see marine wildlife, glaciers, and gorgeous coastal scenery. City tours show off the local flavor, while rail tours offer a comfortable experience of Alaska’s magnificent scenery.

Active Adventure Day Tours

You don’t have to be an experienced outdoorsman to enjoy Alaska’s active lifestyle. Popular tours include sea kayaking, canoeing, or rafting; hiking in state and national parks; trekking atop a crystal-blue glacier; sport fishing for the world’s finest salmon and halibut; and dog sledding, or mushing with the state’s premier canine athletes. These tour types are offered at various levels and are accessible to almost everyone.

Historical and Cultural Day Trips

Alaska Native cultural centers and tours highlight the indigenous peoples unique to the area, including dance performances or demonstrations of traditional practices, like totem carving. Alaska historical tours take visitors back in time to experience significant events like the Klondike Gold Rush, the construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, or life in a salmon cannery in the early 1900s. Many combine Alaska Native and non-Native cultures in informative tours that bring Alaska’s history to life.

Whatever Alaska city you are traveling to or flying in or out of, an Alaska day tour will round out your Alaska travel experience.

 

Browsing Over 100 City-Based Day Tours

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Backcountry Jeep & Canoe Safari

On this exciting tour out of Ketchikan, fill your senses with adventure and excitement as you take control of a 4-wheel drive Jeep Wrangler and wind your way up old rugged logging trails to scenic overlooks. Then grab... Browse itinerary

Ice Climbing on Root Glacier

For those traveling to the Kennicott-McCarthy area to visit Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and want to find a fun Alaska day tour, enjoy this introduction to ice climbing! Root Glacier offers the perfect venue for people of all... Browse itinerary

Root Glacier Hike (Full Day)

On this glacier hike day tour out of Kennicott-McCarthy, enjoy all the benefits of the half-day hike but with additional time to explore the Root Glacier’s dynamic features.  After “lunch with a view,” the possibilities are endless.  You... Browse itinerary

a pool of water atop a glacier

Root Glacier Hike (Half Day)

On this half-day glacier hiking out of Kennicott-McCarthy, depart Kennicott hiking down a two-mile trail built in the 1920s as a wagon road.  Along the way, stops will be made to discuss glaciology and local geology and enjoy... Browse itinerary

Kenai Canyon Rafting at Cooper Landing

Depart from Cooper Landing on a rafting float trip down the Kenai River that includes calm sections, whitewater, and a journey across the stunningly blue Skilak Lake.  Search for moose and bald eagles, learn about the life cycle... Browse itinerary

Kenai River Scenic Float Tour at Cooper Landing

Depart from Cooper Landing on a gentle rafting trip down the Kenai River. Watch for wildlife as your guide navigates your raft through snow-capped mountain scenery, hear about the early settlers and forces of nature that shaped this... Browse itinerary

Halibut Fishing in Homer (Half Day)

Enjoy fishing in Kachemak Bay from Homer, known as the “Halibut Capital of the world,” This half-day fishing charter reaches nearby fishing grounds for halibut.  This Homer fishing adventure is recommended for families or those who only have... Browse itinerary

Kachemak Bay Eagles Nest Kayaking Tour

Homer, Alaska, is surrounded by picturesque mountain peaks, remote fjords, and abundant wildlife, making Homer’s Kachemak Bay a premier destination for sea kayaking. This half-day kayak trip provides a short but wonderful introduction to kayaking and to this... Browse itinerary

Anchorage Dog Sledding Tour

This Anchorage day tour puts you in the Alaska dog sledding driving seat. After a scenic drive north to Talkeetna and dog mushing country, you will arrive at an Iditarod champion sled dog kennel and get an introduction... Browse itinerary

Anchorage Aurora Quest Tour

This aurora borealis photo tour from Anchorage is designed to maximize fun and opportunity for those fascinated with Alaska’s northern lights. The 6-8 hour tour to photograph the aurora’s lightshows will begin with a pick you up at... Browse itinerary

Winter Helicopter Flightseeing with Glacier Landing

Enjoy an extended flightseeing adventure from Girdwood over the heavily glaciated Chugach Mountains. This popular one-hour helicopter tour explores Lake George Glacier, Lake George Valley, Whiteout Glacier, and Colony Glacier. As you fly through the Chugach State Park... Browse itinerary

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