Floatplane
 

OK, following the Fodorite's advice for our August cruise, we have booked kayaking in Ketchikan, a helicopter excursion with a glacier landing in Juneau, a visit to a sled dog kennel in Seward, and a train trip from Seward to Anchorage. The one thing left the whole family wants to do is ride in a floatplane. I tried to arrange that in Seward but the only company I could find flies fixed wheel planes, not float planes. Besides Skagway, our only other port of call is Icy Strait Point. Any advice on the best place to set up the floatplane? Thanks for all the help!

Lake Hood in Anchorage used to be -- and likely still is -- the largest floatplane base in the world.

It's an interesting mix to start from a city lake and touchdown in somewhere remote. There are numerous charters there that offer a ride with a shore lunch, remote lodge visit or fishing options.

Another cool option, if you're traveling out of Seattle, is to use Kenmore Air out of Lake Union -- right near the heart of the city. It's not wilderness, but it's spectacular in its own right on a clear day.

plus, you wouldn't want to gamble on a floatplane having the weather to takeoff/land in seward, the water on resurrection bay if often too choppy for floatplanes.

I too would suggest Lake Hood, Lake Spenard for a floatplane, plenty of operators. But probably the most scenic area is Misty fjords out of Ketchikan.

You are great! I found Alaska Air Taxi in my Milepost and have contacted them by email and I've requested a brochure. They have two 1 1/2 hour floatplane flightseeing tours so this should work! See, I wouldn't really have thought of doing it in Anchorage! Do you know how we'll get from "downtown" Anchorage to Lake Hood?

Peggi,
You'll probably have to cab it. The bus system gets you relatively close, but not close enough. Some parts are actually not too far from the airport, but the lake is rather spread out. You could bus or shuttle to the airport and cab from there, but it really isn't that far from downtown. What's your hotel?

Make sure to specify floatplane because some wheeled planes use a strip there.

Other longtime floatplane operators are Rust's and Trail Ridge Air. Both should have websites.

We took the float plane trip from Juneau to Taku Lodge, where we had a salmon bake. The trip took about 3 hours and was one of the highlights of our Alaska trip. The Taku Lodge is across from a glacier, so the scenery is fantastic.

alvira -
I've been wanting to talk to someone who has made the Taku Lodge trip! It sounds like so much fun. Did "their" bear show up? Did you hike after the meal? How was the food?

I have been to Taku Lodge. My opinion only, I like flying. For me I could have left far before we did. A great deal of time was spent on the dining. Yes the bear did show up. For me, I give a big edge to glacier helicopter landings way superior compared to flightseeing glaciers.

We actually liked the Taku Lodge trip a lot. The flight over the glaciers and down the river was beautiful. The food was very good and the hosts and pilot quite friendly, the bear didn't show up (but the mosquitoes did--bring repellent). We haven't taken the helicopter trips so we can't compare--but the floatplane trip was cheaper and quite worthwhile.