Meares Glacier & Wildlife Cruise from Valdez

About This Experience

The long day out of Valdez, and the one to take if you want to be close to a live calving face. Seven and a half hours north across Prince William Sound to the head of Unakwik Inlet, where Meares Glacier comes down out of the Chugach and meets salt water.

Meares is the opposite of its famous neighbour. While Columbia Glacier has been in catastrophic retreat since the early 1980s, Meares has been advancing since it was first surveyed in 1905 - one of only a handful of advancing tidewater glaciers left in North America. No moraine dams this inlet with drifting ice, so the boat holds station in front of the face, engines off, and you wait for the crack. Calving is not guaranteed on any given visit, but the odds here are good and the waiting is the point.

The run north and back is a wildlife cruise in its own right: waterfalls off the coastal mountains, sea otters rafted in the kelp, a Steller sea lion haulout on the return leg, and the standing chance of humpbacks, orca, Dall's porpoise and puffins. Food is spread across the day - a bagel snack in the morning, a late lunch as you leave the glacier, a dinner roll on the way home - and the boat is back on the dock around 5pm.

Highlights

• Stand in front of Meares Glacier - one of the few advancing tidewater glaciers in North America
• Engines-off time at the calving face at the head of Unakwik Inlet
• A full 7.5 hours across Prince William Sound, with a Steller sea lion haulout on the return
• Watch for humpbacks, orca, sea otters, porpoise, bald eagles and puffins
• Morning snack, a late lunch at the glacier and unlimited hot drinks included

What's Included

• ✓ A morning bagel snack, a late lunch, and a dinner roll on the return leg
• ✓ Complimentary coffee, tea, lemonade and water throughout
• ✓ On-board guide and a multilingual map

Not Included

• Gratuities
• Hotel pickup and drop-off

What to Bring

• A warm insulating layer plus hat and gloves - the air at the face is colder than the forecast
• Waterproof jacket and rain gear; the cruise runs rain or shine
• Long trousers and closed-toe shoes
• Binoculars and a charged phone or camera
• Sunglasses and sunscreen for glare off the water
• Cash for gratuities and the snack bar

Good to Know & Caveats

• This tour runs rain or shine. Prince William Sound sees a lot of weather, and a grey day at a glacier is still a day at a glacier.
• Calving is a natural process. The boat gives it time, but nobody can promise ice will fall while you are watching.
• At 7.5 hours this is the longest day boat out of Valdez. Plan it as your whole day, not a morning.
• A ramp leads down to the dock and can be steep at low tide; boarding assistance is available.
• If you have come to Valdez specifically for Columbia Glacier, check the ice conditions before choosing - crews sometimes steer guests here when Columbia Bay is impassable.

Meeting Point

The Stan Stephens office sits on pilings above the Tour Dock at 112 N Harbor Drive, immediately behind the Best Western in Valdez. Check in one hour before departure; boarding opens 30 minutes before. A ramp leads down to the dock and can be steep at low tide - say so at check-in if you would like a hand.