This morning begin your day with views of cascading rivers, cliffs covered in green and views of wild flowers galore. Hatcher’s Pass offers bird’s eye views of the Matanuska Valley! Be sure to wear good shoes, as you will have an opportunity to try your hand at gold panning in a real Alaska stream. This is not salted! This is an area just below the Independence gold mine, that harbors real nuggets! Lunch is offered at the Motherlode, a local favorite. This afternoon, our Alaskan tour will add the icing on your cake! Board an airboat ride to Lake George, the base of Knik Glacier. Lake George, an ice dammed lake was once responsible for floods of cataclysmic proportions. Knik Glacier, 28 miles long, 6 miles wide, and over 1000 feet thick, is one of Alaska’s grandest natural attractions. Knik Glacier, born in the Pleistocene Glaciation period (the beginning of the Ice Age) 600,000 years ago, covered the Anchorage bowl and the entire Cook Inlet. Knik Glacier found it’s way to Hollywood and was featured in such movies as Star Trek V, Running Free, and numerous music videos and commercials. While it remains active, motion imperceptible to the naked eye, this glacier is in a constant state of change. Dinner this evening is group choice. Overnight at your same accommodations. (B)

View our preferred accommodations for this area:
Palmer Wasilla Mat-Valley Lodging