mica guides

We did the Trek & Zip combo last August and it was a blast. Our guide Sandra knew so much about the glacier and took us to some cool features that we would not have found on our own. Then we rode both of the big ziplines. We've done canopy tours before in Costa Rica and a few other places, but nothing like this. The "Nitro" is a little scary to step off the tower but really fun. Then we were lucky that they just opened the new "G2" which is incredible. We flew off a high cliff over the river with the glacier in the distance. Really, really fast but it's hard to tell because so high up. The best part is there are two lines so you look over and see your friend flying beside you. Super cool! The only slight downside to the day was that we would have hiked faster on the glacier trek if possible, but there were a couple of slower people in the group. Our guide said they were considering introducing a faster paced trek next year. Great day out and MICA really does a good job!

We had a wonderful day exploring the Matanuska Glacier with our guide Reese. We signed up for a private tour and were fully satisfied with our experience. Reese was very knowledgeable about Glaciology and climbing and readily answered our questions. He customized the tour to our interests and accommodated our requests. Throughout the day, we covered a variety of topics including an overview of basic climbing techniques, crevasse rescue scenarios, static and self-equalizing anchors, rappelling and mock lead climbing. We were also pleased with Mica Guides’ safety standards. Overall, it was a great experience and we highly recommend MICA Guides for exploring the Matanuska Glacier.

We did the guided trek in July this summer and had a great time. We had two couples and 3 teenage boys and everyone had a good time. The trekking is not hard and the views are beautiful. Our guide was informative and made sure we were all enjoying ourselves. I do not feel the website is clear about how important boots and good, thick, calf height socks are. I did not have my own hiking boots with me and borrowed some - which you may want to do even it you have boots because they are going to get wet and muddy. I did not have high enough socks either and came away with a painful blister above my ankle. Had I understood and been more prepared the overall experience would have been better.

The night before our Matanuska Glacier hike with Mica Guides it was raining, so we wondered how and if this would even happen. But the morning of our hike was crisp and clear and could not have been better weather-wise. We got to Mica Guides for our three hour glacier hike after staying the night before at nearby Tundra Rose Guest Cottages. Our guide was Sam, who got us our boots, crampons, and helmets, and explained ice safety and what we would be seeing. Then the seven of us on the hike that morning loaded into a van for the bumpy ride to the Matanuska Glacier. This was an outstanding experience! Sam showed us the different ways to walk uphill, downhill, etc - always stressing safety. We saw crevasses, blue glacial ice, clear glacial ice, the melt pool at the face of the glacier - this is something we can't do back home in Colorado!! It was a sunny morning and it actually got warm out on the glacier. This just added to the ice melting with little rivers of water flowing all around us. It is not too strenuous a hike - it seems anyone in reasonable condition could do this. Sam was a great guide, who kept the hike interesting and entertaining. Yes, you can drive up to the glacier and hike on your own. But Mica provides a better experience (in my opinion) with the proper equipment and well trained guides. We were so glad we did this!!!

My husband and I (both in our 60s and reasonably fit) and my 26-yr old daughter went on the 3-hr hike. We were combined with another family of 3 - much younger (maybe late 30s and their under 10 son). We got fitted in the office with crampons and helmets and then drove to the glacier in a van. While we saw some cool things on the glacier and it was neat to be able to walk around on the ice, I felt the guide was very unenthusiastic, the pace was too slow and the stops too long. I felt like he was making time to be able to take up the whole 3 hrs. We saw others hiking much further than we did. We saw people out there on their own who didn't seem to be having any problems. We are used to doing things independently and almost wish we had done this on our own. It's a very costly "walk" to have to be bored and come back disappointed. I understand the safety issue, but I think there was more to it than this. The guide just wasn't into it. We got back to the van, and I would say we probably waited 20 for the other group to get back so that we could leave together - and that's after we walked at a snail's pace. I just cannot recommend this for a reasonably fit, active person. I don't feel we did anything, except tap the ice for water to fill up our water bottles, that we couldn't have done on our own.

Our guide Elle was awesome! She was knowledgeable and kept the trek flexible as per requests from the group. It was an awesome experience to walk on a glacier and we got some great views. The blue color of the glacier was just mesmerizingly beautiful!!

On our final day in Alaska we booked the 4 hr. Ice Falls Trek. After getting outfitted with our helmets and crampons, we were set to explore the Matanuska Glacier. (They do provide boots if you need them, but we preferred to wear our own hiking boots.) We dressed in several layers expecting it to be quite chilly up on the glacier. Our guides, Abby and Danny, were fun and informative. After hiking to the foot of the glacier, we were already peeling off our first layer of clothing. Once up on the glacier, the 2nd layer came off! There was no wind up on the glacier and it was around 55-60 degree cloudy day on June 13. I was even too warm in my fleece long underwear top. Abby & Danny taught us proper technique of how to walk in crampons and how to climb up the hills of ice and come back down with no problems. The trek took us up on the glacier quite a ways. What stunning views of the ice falls where we saw ice climbers learning how to climb the sheer walls of blue ice. We had spectacular views of the crevasses on the ice falls, and a small glacial lake. Safety is one of their top priorities. We paused at several places on the glacier for time for photos and once for snacks. Everyone was required to carry a backpack with water, snacks, and rain gear. The vastness of the Alaskan scenery is breathtaking. You won't be disappointed with this adventure. It is well worth the $$$$ for the experience of a lifetime. The Ice Falls Trek cost $69 per person plus a $20 glacier access fee since it is on private property. We also tipped our guides. It was a marvelous Alaskan adventure.

We ended up being on a "private" hike as no one else was scheduled. My husband had initially been incredulous that we were paying someone to take us out onto the glacier. By the time we got back, he was raving about the things that we would never have seen on our own. They provide boots and crampons as well as helmets. One piece of advice, it isn't as cold as you might think. I was peeling off layers before we ever hit the ice and continued until I was down to short sleeves. The views on the trek were amazing. I can't believe we got so close to them!

We had a day in Anchorage at the end of our trip and were searching for things to do in Anc and found out about this Glacier called Matanuska and also a Ice climbing tour on the glacier which I though was pretty cool and found Mica Guides. The ice climbin was definitely one of the most amazing things of my trip! And our guide Phil was just amazing and was very patient with the group who were all beginners in Glacier climbin! It was just surreal climbing those beautifully carved Glaciers but very tiring! Phil gave lot of tips and answered all our questions with lot of patience! I would highly recommend Mica Guide to anyone who want to explore Matanuska glacier! I would recommend packing lot of fod for this trip as you will be hungry as a bear after/during this activity with all the physical activity!

This trip was a highlight of our Alaska holiday. Our guide, Reece, was excellent. He did a great job of instructing a group of absolute beginners such that we were all able to climb some walls by the end of the day. He was also very informative about glaciers in general, making it the most informative glacier trip we have ever done. He made the trip a lot of fun and was very attentive to safety. We would recommend this trip to anyone of moderate fitness.

Mica Guides loans crampons, boots, helmets, and backpacks if you don't have them, included with the cost for the trip. The 3+hr trek is moderately difficult, with ups and downs and a couple stops for a quick rest. The guides are safety-conscious and blaze the trail that avoids any danger. On even an overcast day the tek is great fun, but a sunny one is more certain in this valley in a small rain shadow than in many areas around Anchorage, Palmer of the Mat-Su region. Bring $20 cash for the gate fee in addition to the guide fee.

At first our group decided to glacier hiking ourselves at Matanuska but at the end we changed our mind to go with MICA. And it was really the right decision. I would definitely recommend them to other people with many reasons. First, obviously you could go further than hike by yourself....they know better where to go and see! Walking yourself, you would have a high chance to miss many interesting things. Second, They give you some knowledge about glacier+history. And lastly, you save your shoes! Out there were just wet and dirts....go for it!...you won't regret.

I would have given this attraction a score of 100 if I could have!! I don't have words to say how amazing this was!!! My husband and I and our two teenage kids went. My son loved it, and my husband did well too. My daughter and I did fewer climbs because we are not as adventurous, and the guides did an amazing job of including us and never making us feel like wimps! Chris and Ben were encouraging and gave excellent instructions. They rigged up a total of 6 climbs for us. It was a long cold day, and we were for sure tired, but it was well worth it.Be advised though, this is a difficult trek. Just walking out on the glacier and navigating the up and down slopes while walking was difficult for me. Walking on ice while wearing the gear was awkward But the guides took it all in stride and were quick to offer a helping hand. Taking a lunch is a must, and a thermal pad to sit on would be a good idea too. We wore raingear to keep dry and that was helpful. Be advised, there is nowhere to use the restroom the entire day! Thankfully we backpack so I had an appropriate "waste bag" with me. And bless their hearts, the guides even took that in stride!My son can't wait to go back and do it again, and I would absolutely trust our safety to those guides again any time. It was so much better than I had been worried about.

I'm glad that you enjoyed the ice climbing day with us and I appreciate your comments. I'd just like to take the opportunity to help others understand our zipline(s). The Nitro, off a 3-story tower is as you say just one zip. But it's one big zip over 1500 feet long. The length of zip cable is longer than many canopy tours total of all their ziplines combined. You just do it all at once with us and do not wait around for others to go from tree to tree. It's not a canopy tour. Also, when combined with one of our glacier trips, it's only $39. Far less than canopy tours which are about $150 in this area. Just last week we opened up an even longer, faster and higher zipline, the G2. Almost a half mile long and we've hit over 60 mph. Guests can choose to ride the Nitro, the G2 or both.

We had a wonderful day hiking the glacier. Just a note if you take advantage of the extended hour daylight and are staying in the area you may not fid any restaurants open after the late day hike.