Discovery of Alaska from the air

Flight Tours

ANCHORAGE FLIGHTSEEING

Gain a unique perspective of Anchorage, nestled peacefully between the Chugach Mountains and Cook Inlet.

Take off from Lake Hood, the world’s largest floatplane base, for Rust’s introductory seaplane adventure. Designed to showcase Alaska’s largest city and the surrounding wilderness while enjoying the exhilaration of takeoff and landing on water. Your expert pilot will assess the day’s conditions and select the best views. You’ll hear stories and fun facts as you fly over Anchorage and explore the Chugach Mountains, its secluded valleys, and the famed ‘Turnagain Arm’ aptly named by Captain Cook, or the stunning Susitna Valley with the opportunity to observe moose and black bears in their natural habitat… What a way to spend 30 minutes!

Note: This is a seaplane tour available only in the summer.

Highlights

• Seaplane initiation tour. Experience takeoff and landing on water.
• Monitor belugas and Dall sheep in the mountains and waters surrounding Anchorage.
• Listen to fascinating facts about Alaska narrated by an experienced and engaging Alaskan bush pilot.

The experience includes :

• Window seat and a two-way headset.
• Rich knowledge (and personality) of an Alaskan bush pilot.
• Rust’s meticulous attention to comfort and safety.

GLACIER AND WILDLIFE TOUR

Extended Journey with Lakeside Landing (Summer Only)

Guided Glacier and Wildlife Tour

This sensational flight will take you over miles of Alaskan wilderness, through alpine valleys, and above vast aqua-marine glaciers. Depending on conditions, you’ll head towards Knik Glacier in the Chugach Mountains east of Anchorage or Triumvirate Glacier to the west in the Alaska Range. Your expert pilot will show you how the constant flow of these “rivers of ice” has shaped the land, while sharing their unique perspective of living and flying in the last frontier. You’ll have the opportunity to observe wildlife in their natural habitat. During the summer months, add a photo stop by landing on a remote, wild lake!

Highlights

• Soar over the Chugach Mountains and the vast Knik Glacier bordered by spectacular hanging glaciers -OR- Explore the Triumvirate and Capps glaciers and the surrounding mountains.
• Feel the movement of the ice and see how it has shaped Alaska’s landscape.
• Spot mountain goats or Dall sheep at high altitudes.
• Keep an eye out for black bears and grizzlies, wolves, coyotes, foxes, and other Alaska wildlife.
• Descend for a low-altitude flyover of the valley to observe moose.

The experience includes :

• Window seat and a two-way headset.
• Rich knowledge (and personality) of an Alaskan bush pilot.
• Rust’s meticulous attention to comfort and safety.

PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND GLACIER TOUR

With a Seaplane Landing

Explore the Chugach Mountains and the pristine Prince William Sound.

Soar over the blue face of a 3,000-foot-thick glacier and admire some of Alaska’s most rugged peaks during this 3-hour seaplane excursion in the Prince William Sound departing from Anchorage with Rust’s Flying Service. It’s our pilots’ favorite journey because the landscapes are incredibly diverse, and the ever-changing weather conditions make each trip unique. Prince William Sound is a stunning region with 15,000 square miles of fjords and inlets, numerous tidewater glaciers, and a habitat rich in cold-water marine life.

Highlights

• Spot Dall sheep atop their rocky perches in the Chugach Mountains.
• Observe dozens of tidewater glaciers as they “calve” into the frigid blue waters.
• Playfully watch sea otters “lounge” and relax in the Sound.
• Witness the bluest blue of glaciers from the last ice age.
• Taxi to a large waterfall hidden in a secluded bay (optional stop).
• Look for whales, seals, bald eagles, otters, and black bears.
• Watch sea lions bask on the rocky coast.
• During salmon migration, witness black bears fishing in the streams of Saw Mill Bay.

The experience includes :

• Window seat and a two-way headset.
• Rich knowledge (and personality) of an Alaskan bush pilot.
• Rust’s meticulous attention to comfort and safety.

DISCOVER DENALI NATIONAL PARK

Denali in a Day! Explore North America’s Tallest Peak on this Anchorage Departure Day Adventure

Soaring impressively at 20,310 feet, Denali (formerly Mount McKinley) is the centerpiece of Denali National Park, and you’ll get the best view on a Denali aerial tour with Rust’s! Soar to new heights on the intimate Discover Denali Flightseeing Tour, a 3-hour journey with an experienced Alaskan bush pilot who loves to share the most remote and spectacularly wild landscapes of Alaska. This is one of the most popular tours.

Highlights

• Soar over vast Alaskan wilderness untouched by modern man.
• Fly above open alpine tundra and braided rivers fed by glaciers.
• Keep an eye out for moose, bears, swans, and occasionally wolves or coyotes.
• Explore the incredible glaciers, peaks, and valleys of Denali, the highest mountain in North America.
• Tokosha Mountains and winding Tokositna Glacier.
• Marvel at the Ruth Glacier, a 62 km long glacier cutting through the world’s deepest gorge, the Great Gorge, with granite walls.
• Observe how the ebb and flow of ancient glacial ice have shaped the landscape.
• Spot cascading icefalls and occasional avalanches.
• In summer, enjoy a landing on secluded lakes on floats or, once frozen, on skis in winter.
• When lake landings are not available (mostly in winter months), enjoy a visit to the office of our sister company, K2 Aviation, in the picturesque town of Talkeetna.

The experience includes :

• Window seat and a two-way headset for communication with the pilot and fellow passengers.
• Rich knowledge (and personality) of an expert Alaskan bush pilot.
• Rust’s meticulous attention to comfort and safety.
• Complimentary coffee, tea, or cocoa available in our offices.
• Free shuttle service to and from local hotels and the airport (summer only).

Bear Viewing

CHINITNA BAY BEAR VIEWING

Located at the southern end of Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, Chinitna Bay is our only tour operated in a wheeled plane instead of floats. It is home to a multitude of brown bears that come to the bay to feed on protein-rich sedges, abundant clams, and fish for late summer salmon runs. About a 1.5-hour plane ride from Anchorage each way, your experienced pilot will point out points of interest along the route, including mountains, glaciers, and volcanoes, as well as wildlife viewing. Upon arrival at Chinitna Bay, your pilot will land on a secluded beach in front of the Bear Mountain Lodge, where you will meet your guide. Listen to your expert guide share stories about the resident bears and their families. You will travel with your guide in a customized bus/4×4 vehicle to where the brown bears are most active. Once in the best spot, you will disembark the bus and observe these magnificent animals digging for clams, sunbathing on the beach, feeding in the meadow, or in the bay. You will be amazed by the sheer bulk of the male brown bear and fall in love with the cubs as they wrestle and play.

Note: This tour is rated as a moderate activity level as it involves some walking on uneven and unpaved terrain.

Highlights

• Intimate 90-minute scenic flight from Anchorage
• Up-close guided bear observation in Lake Clark National Park
• Traveling in a small 4×4 bus and on foot to where the bears are most active
• Observing brown bears digging for clams and frolicking on the beach

The experience includes :

• Window seat and a two-way headset.
• In-depth knowledge (and personality) of an Alaskan bush pilot.
• Rust’s meticulous attention to comfort and safety.
• Guided bear-watching experience led by a naturalist guide.
• Snack box.

REDOUBT BAY BEAR VIEWING

Witness Alaska’s black and brown bears in their natural habitat on a guided Alaska bear-watching excursion at Redoubt Bay Lodge, a small rustic hand-made lodge situated in a critical habitat area of 171,000 acres.

Redoubt Bay Lodge is located 70 miles southwest of Anchorage, near the stunning entrance of Lake Clark National Park and Preserve. Redoubt Bay is home to one of the most concentrated and visible bear populations in the state of Alaska. As your Alaska bear-watching journey begins, bear observation is conducted from a covered pontoon boat with our experienced naturalist guides through the Big River chain of lakes, hosting red and coho salmon runs and serving as a popular feeding site for resident bears.

This bear-watching location attracts many anglers as well as bears. This bear-watching excursion is an easy day trip from Anchorage to the critical habitat area of Redoubt Bay. Enjoy a half-day tour with morning or afternoon departures, lasting approximately 6.5 hours (extended and overnight packages are available). A hot lunch served in the main lodge is included in the price.

Note: There is a small amount of walking, and guests must be able to board a pontoon boat.

Highlights

• Intimate 50-minute scenic tour from Anchorage.
• Redoubt Bay field guide providing insights on bears, flora, and fauna.
• Homemade lunch at the cozy and rustic Redoubt Bay Lodge.
• Interactive experience with Alaska’s natural history guides.
• Observation of Alaska’s brown and black bears via a covered pontoon boat.
• Countless photo opportunities!

The experience includes :

• Window seat and a two-way headset.
• In-depth knowledge (and personality) of an Alaskan bush pilot.
• Rust’s meticulous attention to comfort and safety.

KATMAI NATIONAL PARK BEAR VIEWING

The Katmai National Park and Preserve, protected by the federal government, is globally renowned for the observation of Alaska’s brown bears. Accessible only by air, it represents Alaska’s wilderness in its rawest form.

The Katmai Bear-Watching Adventure by plane takes you to Brooks Falls, where three bear observation platforms connected by elevated boardwalks allow extraordinary, unobstructed, and close-up bear watching in Katmai National Park. In July, attracted by salmon spawning, up to fifty bears can be seen along the 1.5-mile-long Brooks River.

While Katmai bear observation at Brooks Falls is self-guided, the Katmai National Park rangers provide an initial briefing upon arrival and are available throughout the park to answer your questions. On-site waiting lists for the lower river bear observation platform may be implemented when visits reach their maximum capacity to ensure quality bear observation. This means that sometimes the bear observation area is crowded, and the park ranger may ask you to move to another platform. There is plenty of space overall in Katmai to see bears.

Note: It requires walking on maintained trails to reach the two main bear observation platforms. The total distance is approximately 1.2 miles. The trail is mostly flat and well-maintained.

Highlights

• Intimate two to three-hour scenic tour departure
• Katmai bear-watching at Brooks Falls: watching them catch leaping salmon!
• Wildlife observation during the return flight for belugas, moose, and Dall sheep.

The experience includes :

• Window seat and a two-way headset.
• In-depth knowledge (and personality) of an Alaskan bush pilot.
• Rust’s meticulous attention to comfort and safety.

LAKE CLARK NATIONAL PARK BEAR VIEWING

Enjoy a breathtaking 1 hour and 10-minute seaplane tour from Anchorage to Lake Clark National Park. Your expert pilot will land at Redoubt Mountain Lodge on the stunning blue Crescent Lake, where you’ll spend your day. Upon arrival, you’ll meet your experienced bear-watching guide, who will accompany you on a covered pontoon boat to areas along the lake where bears feed on spawning wild Alaskan salmon.

Situated in the upper reaches of Bristol Bay, Lake Clark National Park is a showcase of Alaska’s wild landscape. Encompassing four million acres, the park includes volcanoes, rugged mountains, glaciers, wild rivers, waterfalls, and diverse wildlife populations native to Alaska. You won’t forget your visit to one of America’s most remote national parks!

Note: There is a small amount of walking, and guests must be able to board a pontoon boat.

Highlights

• Intimate 70-minute scenic flight tour from Anchorage
• Up-close bear-watching in Lake Clark National Park from a covered pontoon boat
• Homemade lunch in the rustic lodge located in Lake Clark National Park
• Observe powerful Alaskan brown bears fishing for salmon and frolicking in the water

The experience includes :

• Window seat and a two-way headset.
• In-depth knowledge (and personality) of an Alaskan bush pilot.
• Rust’s meticulous attention to comfort and safety.