What is the Best of Alaska Tour? Kayaking, Fishing, Sightseeing in a day!
What makes the Best of Alaska Tour the “Best of Alaska”?
Our Best of Alaska trip takes you to the glaciers for an ice specific paddle, provides a meal, fishing for 4 hours for rock fish and salmon (in season), and sightseeing to the National Park, all in the same day, in a small group setting. It’s definitely the best deal around!
It’s a bold statement. We get it. “Best of Alaska” is a big thing to claim. Why would we dare?
Well… There are a lot of logistical issues when you plan your trip to Alaska – tons of pros and cons to each decision made. Seward is a really dynamic place with a LOT going on that’s at the top of a lot of traveler’s lists. Planning is a huge issue for most groups and it often feels impossible to make everybody happy. Sometimes you figure out how to make everyone happy, but then you can’t line out how to actually get them to each activity as they all leave at different times.
The Best of Alaska Tour isn’t just Glacier Kayaking in the National Park, it’s not just a half day fishing charter, and it’s not just a Kenai Fjords Tour through the Chiswells, Aialik or Northwestern. It’s all three, and it’s the answer to a bevy of group travel concerns and issues.
The Fox Willie and the Michael A, Miller’s Landing’s custom built landing craft, load up the night before with kayaks and gear for a day of adventure!
13 Reasons to consider the Best of Alaska Day Trip
- All of these activities depart at the same time of day and return at the same time of day – one drop off & pick up point – the family or group stays together.
- Nobody on the boat HAS to fish or kayak – it’s optional to participate – just tell us when you book! If you’re planning the trip for your 20 year old kids and you wouldn’t be caught dead in a kayak – you can stay on the boat with us and photograph them on the water, check out some harbor seals, catch a tan on deck even, tell the deckhand stories of your adventures. If fishing is definitely not on the menu – we aren’t going to MAKE you fish!
- All ages are welcome – the fishing is light tackle and super fun / fast paced. Even if you don’t generally consider yourself a fisher-(person), you’re going to have a good time. It is an amazing thing to witness when we get into these Silver Salmon and Black Bass! If you’re traveling with children and you’re dying to kayak with the glaciers, it’s generally speaking flat calm in there and we don’t have to cover a lot of ground, it can be an appropriate trip for them. If the kids are too young or the weather isn’t the best, they can stay on the boat with the crew while you paddle!
- Lunch is included for everyone on the trip, no need to go to the store the day before and bulk up or fix bag lunches.
You won’t have to eat herring if you don’t want to, but if you choose to, we can probably arrange it. Otherwise, snack on a tasty sandwich or wrap!
- It’s a small group tour – no more than 6 people on the water per guide, no more than 16 passengers on the boat – ever.
A few paddlers consider their options in a bay rent with floating glacier ice.
- It’s done in double kayaks, which are super stable for beginners, no experience is necessary for the fishing or kayaking portion.
Deckhand Dylan with a starfish! You never know what you’ll catch when fishing in Seward, Alaska!
- The kayaking is done in either Aialik Bay or Northwestern Fjord, with a preference for Northwestern Fjord – these places are generally speaking totally flat calm, and you’re dropped off and picked up already within a close viewing distance of the glaciers – no pressure to paddle fast or cover a lot of ground unless that’s what the group chooses they want to do. When we put you on the beach, you’re standing in front of the glacier already.
Ice riddles the beach in the Kenai Fjords – start your paddle right in the action! Whether we visit Aialik or Northwestern for the kayaking portion, we waste no time getting you right to the glacier’s face!
- If Kayaking isn’t your thing, you aren’t kayaking all day. If Fishing isn’t your thing, you aren’t Fishing all day, but if Sightseeing isn’t your thing you’ll have to suck it up buttercup because it’s gorgeous everywhere we’ll be.
- You aren’t stuck on a boat all day – the boat is this amazing feat of engineering and can drop you off on the beach with a custom designed aluminum landing gate. No ladders or boats to climb in and out of, just walk right off!
With 3 landing craft to use, we can access and utilize the park in so many ways, and with redundant assets if there is an unexpected breakdown mid season!
- Photos of the group together – you don’t get that when 4 people are on a fishing charter, 3 are on a kayaking trip, and the others are on a tour boat.
The crew meets back at the landing for photos of their Black Sea Bass and Yellow Eye catch!
- You’re constantly in motion – the boat is either going to or coming from one of the activities – there’s no dead time where you’re sitting around waiting for something to happen.
- It’s a full day adventure – 6AM departure with a 6PM return. Have the crew filet your fish on the way home or hang them for a photo at the dock, either way you’ll be on your way to a quick shower and the worlds freshest seafood meal in no time.
You can do this – Get your dates together, tell your boss you’re going away for awhile, call some friends if you want to split the costs – but mostly let us help you do this within your budget. We’re here to help!
- It’s cost effective – a full day small group Northwestern or even National Park Tour can cost over $200, kayaking tours in the fjords start at $350 all over town, and only include on average 3 hours of actual kayaking (you get closer to 4 with ours, all right in the ice) and a half day fishing charter for Silver Salmon or Rock fish start at $205. To do all three of these adventures it would take you three days, and cost you between $750-$850 per person minimum, depending on the options. Ours starts at $460, with group or sale rates as low as $400.