178 reviewsLongest flight
2hTalkeetna: Grand Denali Flight with Optional Glacier Landing
★ 4.9 · 178 reviews
- 2h, Two hours, the widest circuit
- Departs from Denali
- Most booked
- Free cancellation
$475
Check availability→ 
Helicopter Tours Denali
Helicopter tours Denali travellers search for are flown here by ski-planes that land on a glacier. We compared five flights from $304 with free cancellation; the top tour scores 4.8 from 80 reviews. It flies the Ruth Glacier and Great Gorge in 1 hour 45 minutes.
Price from
Denali flight$304
Today's lowest Denali flight across all 5 flights
Average rating
All 5 flights49
603 verified reviews across 5 flights
Time in the air
Shortest to longest60–120min
Shortest: Guided Tour of Denali
Longest: Grand Denali Flight
Free cancellation
Reserve now, pay later
Verified reviews
Secure payment
Instant confirmation
Mobile voucher
Everything you can book here
Five flights out of Talkeetna, one to two hours in the air
Five ski planes leave the Talkeetna airstrip, 180 kilometres north of Anchorage. Two things separate them: how long you are in the air, and whether the glacier landing is in the fare or sold as an option. The shortest is a Denali National Park tour by air at $335.
Lowest fare168 reviews
1h30Talkeetna: Southside Explorer with Optional Glacier Landing
★ 5.0 · 168 reviews
- 1h30, Cheapest way into the Alaska Range
- Departs from Denali
- Cheapest here
- Free cancellation
$304
Check availability→ 
Our top pickLanding included
1h45Talkeetna: Denali Flight Tour with Glacier Landing
★ 4.8 · 80 reviews
- 1h45, Glacier landing included, not optional
- Departs from Denali
- Mobile voucher accepted
- Free cancellation
$544
Check availability→ 
Both facesKahiltna Glacier
1h45Talkeetna: Mountain Voyager with Optional Glacier Landing
★ 4.9 · 78 reviews
- 1h45, Kahiltna and the Great Gorge
- Departs from Denali
- Mobile voucher accepted
- Free cancellation
$525
Check availability→ 
Shortest flightPilot as guide
1hTalkeetna: Guided Tour of Denali National Park By Air
★ 4.9 · 99 reviews
- 1h, One hour over the park from Talkeetna
- Departs from Denali
- Mobile voucher accepted
- Free cancellation
$335
Check availability→ Two questions
Which of the five flights is yours?
Answer what matters most and the page picks one of the five.
See it before you pay for it
What an hour over the Alaska Range actually shows you
From the road the range is a wall of ridges. From the cabin window you look down the icefalls of the Kahiltna and the Ruth, and on four of the five listings the plane sets its skis on the ice and you get out. Denali is 6,190 metres, the tallest in North America.
Side by side
Landing included, landing optional, or no landing at all
What people picture in a helicopter ride Denali — up, down on the ice, out on the snow — is bought outright on one listing: the $544 flight, where the landing is part of the fare. Three more sell it as an option, at $304, $475 and $525. The $335 hour over the park offers no landing.
Swipe the table sideways →
| Talkeetna: Guided Tour of Denali National Park By Air | TOP PICKTalkeetna: Denali Flight Tour with Glacier Landing | Talkeetna: Grand Denali Flight with Optional Glacier Landing | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price per person | $335 | $544 | $475 |
| What it is | The shortest flight over the park | Sets its skis down on a glacier | The widest circuit of the range |
| Time in the air | 1h | 1h45 | 2h |
| Glacier landing | Offered as an add-on | Included in the fare | Offered as an add-on |
| Leaves from | Talkeetna | Talkeetna | Talkeetna |
| Rating | 4.9 across 99 reviews | 4.8 across 80 reviews | 4.9 across 178 reviews |
| Cancellation | Free cancellation | Free cancellation | Free cancellation |
| Best for | An hour is all you have | Boots on the ice | Both sides in one flight |
| Check dates | Book this one→ | Check dates |
TOP PICK
Talkeetna: Denali Flight Tour with Glacier Landing
$544- What it is
- Sets its skis down on a glacier
- Time in the air
- 1h45
- Glacier landing
- Included in the fare
- Leaves from
- Talkeetna
- Rating
- 4.8 across 80 reviews
- Cancellation
- Free cancellation
- Best for
- Boots on the ice
Reserve now, pay later · Instant confirmation
Talkeetna: Guided Tour of Denali National Park By Air
$335- What it is
- The shortest flight over the park
- Time in the air
- 1h
- Glacier landing
- Offered as an add-on
- Leaves from
- Talkeetna
- Rating
- 4.9 across 99 reviews
- Cancellation
- Free cancellation
- Best for
- An hour is all you have
Talkeetna: Grand Denali Flight with Optional Glacier Landing
$475- What it is
- The widest circuit of the range
- Time in the air
- 2h
- Glacier landing
- Offered as an add-on
- Leaves from
- Talkeetna
- Rating
- 4.9 across 178 reviews
- Cancellation
- Free cancellation
- Best for
- Both sides in one flight
Verdict
Take the flight that lands on the glacier
It is the one flight of the five where the glacier landing is part of the ticket instead of an option at checkout: $544 for 1h45 in the air, rated 4.8 across 80 reviews, out over Little Switzerland, the Kahiltna Glacier, the Ruth Glacier and the Great Gorge. If the fare decides it, the 1h30 down the south side is $304.
Check dates and availability→Before you book
The landing is what the fares are about
All five listings board at Talkeetna and all five state Free cancellation, so the two things left to choose are how long you are in the air and whether you get out of the plane. Time in the air runs from 1h at $335 to 2h at $475, with $304 and $525 in between. The landing is in the fare on one listing only, at $544.
Two-minute check
What a ski plane flight from Talkeetna includes
A seat, the flight time the listing names, a pilot narrating the route, and on four of the five a glacier landing, included or optional. All five board at Talkeetna rather than at the park entrance, and all five state Free cancellation.
How many of you are flying?Every fare is per person, and the cabins are small
Where are you staying?All 5 board at Talkeetna, not at the park entrance
What do you want out of the flight?Time in the air runs from 60 minutes to 120
Answer the three questions above
You’ll get the one that fits your answers, and the thing about it that catches people out.
Five ways to see it from the air
603 reviews across the five flights behind helicopter tours Denali
These are the operators’ own numbers on GetYourGuide, shown as published. The two-hour flight carries the most at 178 reviews; the hour and a half along the south side scores highest, 4.96 across 168. We do not average other people’s reviews into a score of our own.
4.9
★★★★★
Based on 603
verified reviews
5 ★92%
4 ★6%
3 ★1%
2 ★1%
1 ★0%
All 5 flights on this page carry published ratings on GetYourGuide.
Read all 603→🏔
Talkeetna: Denali Flight Tour with Glacier Landing
From $544 · 80 reviews
★★★★★
The landing is part of the fare
The one we point at first: the skis go down on a glacier and you get out. 1h45 in the air from Talkeetna, past Denali and the Kahiltna. Rated 4.8 across 80 reviews — the lowest rating here, so read them — and at $544 the highest fare on this page.
✈
Talkeetna: Grand Denali Flight with Optional Glacier Landing
From $475 · 178 reviews
★★★★★
Two hours, the widest circuit here
The longest time in the air on this page at 2h, and the only one that crosses to the north side of the park. Rated 4.9 across 178 reviews, the largest record of the 5. The landing is an upgrade, so $475 is the flight alone.
🗻
Talkeetna: Mountain Voyager with Optional Glacier Landing
From $525 · 78 reviews
★★★★★
Into the middle of the range
The east and west faces of Denali, the Kahiltna Glacier, and the sister peaks the listing names, Hunter and Foraker. 1h45 in the air, rated 4.9 across 78 reviews, with the landing as an add-on. At $525 it sits just under the flight that includes it.
💰
Talkeetna: Southside Explorer with Optional Glacier Landing
From $304 · 168 reviews
★★★★★
The lowest fare into the range
The lowest fare here at $304, and the best-rated of the 5: 5.0 across 168 reviews. 1h30 over the south side, with the Great Gorge at the Ruth Glacier and the Don Sheldon amphitheater named on the listing. The landing is an add-on.
🕐
Talkeetna: Guided Tour of Denali National Park By Air
From $335 · 99 reviews
★★★★★
One hour, if that is all you have
The shortest flight here at 1h, for the day when the drive to Talkeetna has taken the morning. The pilot guides it, and the listing names Denali, Foraker and Hunter, the Tokositna and Ruth Glaciers. Rated 4.9 across 99 reviews, $335, Free cancellation.
What it really costs
What an hour or two over the range costs, line by line
Two things move the price, and neither is the aircraft: every listing is a ski plane. First, time in the air: one hour to two. The second is the glacier landing — inside the $544 fare, an option on three flights, not offered on the $335 hour.
Swipe sideways →
| What you book | Price | What that buys | Cancellation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Talkeetna: Denali Flight Tour with Glacier Landing | $544 | Denali, Little Switzerland, the Kahiltna and the Ruth; landing included | Free cancellation |
| Talkeetna: Grand Denali Flight with Optional Glacier Landing | $475 | The widest circuit of the range; landing optional | Free cancellation |
| Talkeetna: Mountain Voyager with Optional Glacier Landing | $525 | The heart of the range and its glaciers; landing optional | Free cancellation |
| Talkeetna: Southside Explorer with Optional Glacier Landing | $304 | The south side and the lowest fare; landing optional | Free cancellation |
| Talkeetna: Guided Tour of Denali National Park By Air | $335 | Over the park, pilot as guide; no landing offered | Free cancellation |
Costs the listing doesn't show you
- Getting to Talkeetna is on you. Every fare starts at the airfield and none of the five states a pickup, so the drive is part of the day you are planning.
- The landing is an upgrade on four of the five. Only the $544 flight includes it; on the others the operator prices the option on the listing.
- The appointment is longer than the flight. Check-in, the weather briefing and the walk to the aircraft sit outside the hour or two in the air.
- Standing on the ice needs clothes you may not have packed. Closed shoes with grip, a warm layer and dark glasses for the glare are yours to bring.
What is genuinely included
- The flight from Talkeetna on a small plane fitted with skis
- Time in the air as the listing states it, from 1 hour to 2 hours
- The glacier landing, written into the $544 flight
- The option to add that landing on the other four listings
- A pilot flying and narrating the route
- Free cancellation, stated on every one of the five listings
The honest answer
Is the included landing worth $240 more than the cheapest seat?
If you want to stand on a glacier, book the $544 flight: an hour and three quarters past Denali, Little Switzerland, the Kahiltna and the Ruth, with the landing in the fare instead of added later. It has the shortest record here, 80 reviews at 4.8. For the view alone, $304 buys an hour and a half.
What makes it worth it
- No road goes where these flights go: glacier and granite the whole way
- One of the 5 puts you out on the ice for $544, landing included
- The lowest fare, $304, belongs to the best-rated flight: 5.0 across 168 reviews
- All 5 leave from the same airstrip at Talkeetna, so only the flight differs
- All 5 state Free cancellation, so a date can be held early
Keep in mind
- A Denali helicopter is not on sale now; these 5 are planes on skis
- Nobody sells the mountain: the fare buys the aircraft, the pilot and the time
- On 3 of the 5 the landing is an upgrade, not part of the fare
- Talkeetna is roughly 180 km north of Anchorage, so the drive is real
- The flight with the landing has the lowest rating here, 4.8 across 80 reviews
The flight, start to finish
Check-in at Talkeetna, the climb, the glaciers, the way back
The length, then the landing
Time in the air runs from 60 minutes to 120. The landing is in the fare on one listing, at $544, and offered as an add-on on 3 of the others.
The drive to Talkeetna
Talkeetna is roughly 180 km north of Anchorage and roughly 250 km south of the park entrance. Whichever end you start from, the road is the long part of the day.
Weighing in, then the briefing
Small aircraft are flown to a weight, so expect to be asked yours. Seating is the pilot’s call, and the briefing covers getting in and out and the headset.
North out of the valley
The airstrip sits low by the rivers, and the first minutes climb away from them towards the range. On the 1h flight this part is short, because the flight is.
Glaciers, walls and the summit massif
The middle of the flight is what the fare is for, and the listings name it: the Ruth Glacier and the Great Gorge, the Kahiltna, Little Switzerland, and the faces of Denali.
The skis go down, and you get out
On the $544 listing the aircraft lands on a glacier and you step out onto the snow. On 3 of the others the same thing is offered as an add-on.
Down the same valley
The return runs back to the airstrip you left from. Nothing on these listings continues to the park entrance or to Anchorage, so the morning drive is the evening drive.
How the season runs
The flights run roughly May to September
All five listings board at Talkeetna, roughly 180 km north of Anchorage by road, and all five fly small planes fitted with skis. What changes is time in the air: 1 hour at $335, 1h30 at $304, 1h45 at $525 and at $544, and two hours at $475, the only one that crosses to the north side of the range. The landing on the ice is written into the $544 flight and offered as an upgrade on the other four. Book a few weeks out, and early in the day.
On the ground
What a flight over the Alaska Range looks like
The skis, on the glacier
Included on one listing, an option on three.
The mountain, from the air
Denali, 6,190 m, the highest in North America.
Crevasses, past the wing
The Ruth Glacier and the Great Gorge.
Out of the cabin
How long you stand there is the pilot’s call.
What it is really like
Five ski planes out of Talkeetna, and one lands on the ice
The mountain is flown from Talkeetna, on a small plane fitted with skis, and the skis are the point: they let the aircraft set down on a glacier where there is no runway and no road. Five of those flights are on sale, from 1 hour to 2 hours in the air, between $304 and $544, and every one of them states Free cancellation.
Our top pick is the $544 flight, 1h45, rated 4.8 across 80 reviews. It is the only one of the five with the landing written into the fare rather than offered as an extra: the listing names Little Switzerland, the 44-mile Kahiltna Glacier, the Ruth Glacier and the Great Gorge, and then it lands. If standing on the ice is why you are booking, this is the one that promises it in writing.
The widest circuit is the 2-hour flight at $475, rated 4.93 across 178 reviews — the strongest record here. Two hours buys geography: it crosses to the north side of the range for the alpine tundra and the Wickersham Wall, which the listing calls the greatest continual vertical relief in the world. The landing is an upgrade on this one.
Between them sits the 1h45 at $525, rated 4.92 across 78 reviews, which stays in the heart of the range: the east and west faces of the mountain, the Kahiltna Glacier and the sister peaks, Mount Hunter and Mount Foraker. The shortest is the narrated hour at $335, rated 4.88 across 99 reviews, close to the summit above the Tokositna and Ruth glaciers.
The fare this page quotes from is $304, for 1h30 down the south side of the range, rated 4.96 across 168 reviews — the highest score of the five. The listing names the Great Gorge at the Ruth Glacier, a mile-high granite wall holding a 4,000-foot-thick river of ice, and the Don Sheldon amphitheater. It is the cheapest way into the Alaska Range by air, and the landing can be added.
One line is worth reading twice, and it is about the sky rather than the fare. These flights run roughly May to September, which is a timetable and nothing more: the mountain is 6,190 metres high and it makes its own cloud, so it is often hidden, and no operator here predicts what a morning will show. What all five listings do state is Free cancellation.
So the choice is short. Decide whether the landing has to be certain, then decide how long you want to be in the air. Nothing else changes between the five: the same airfield, the same aircraft, the same mountain.
Five flights, one airfield
The landing is included on one listing and an upgrade on the rest
Every flight below boards at Talkeetna on a small plane fitted with skis, the aircraft that can set down on a glacier. What separates the five is time in the air — 1 hour to 2 hours — and whether the landing is in the fare or added to it.
Our top pick
Talkeetna: Denali Flight Tour with Glacier Landing
1h45 · ★ 4.8 (80)
$544See dates The widest circuit
Talkeetna: Grand Denali Flight with Optional Glacier Landing
2h · ★ 4.9 (178)
$475See dates The lowest fare here
Talkeetna: Southside Explorer with Optional Glacier Landing
1h30 · ★ 5.0 (168)
$304See datesPractical
Plan the flight
The drive is the part people underestimate: Talkeetna is a morning from Anchorage, and the park entrance is further still. Mount McKinley is the mountain’s older name, so Mt McKinley helicopter tours end at these same five flights; a Denali tour by road is a separate day.
Our top pick
The $544 flight, 1h45, rated 4.8 across 80 reviews — the only one with the glacier landing in the fare.
The lowest fare here
$304 for 1h30 down the south side, rated 4.96 across 168 reviews. The landing can be added.
The most range
The 2-hour circuit at $475, rated 4.93 across 178 reviews, and the only one that crosses to the north side.
The heart of the range
$525 for 1h45, rated 4.92 across 78 reviews: both faces of the mountain, Mount Hunter and Mount Foraker.
The shortest appointment
$335 for a narrated hour — a Denali guided tour from the air — rated 4.88 across 99 reviews, above the Tokositna Glacier.
Free cancellation on all five
Every one of the five listings states it. Read the wording on the listing you actually book.
Your booking and photo ID
You board a small aircraft at an airfield and the operator checks who is flying. Keep both on you.
Honest weights for everyone flying
Small planes are loaded by weight and balance, and the pilot seats the cabin from those numbers. Give real figures.
Boots you can stand on snow in
If your flight lands, you step out onto glacier snow rather than a platform. Closed shoes with grip, and a warm layer.
Sunglasses for the glare
Glacier snow throws the light straight back up at you. Dark glasses and cover for your face earn their place.
A strap for camera and phone
Nothing loose near an aircraft door, and nothing you would grieve in the snow. One wrist strap sorts it.
Dark clothing if you shoot through glass
A pale sleeve bounces off the cabin window and lands in the middle of your photograph.
Decide if the landing must be certain
Only the $544 listing includes it. On the other four it is an option you add while booking.
Then pick your minutes in the air
One hour at $335, 1h30 at $304, 1h45 at $525 and $544, two hours at $475.
Book a few weeks out
The season runs roughly May to September and these are small aircraft with few seats, so the good slots go.
Take an earlier slot
It gives the operator room to move you later the same day if your flight cannot go when it should.
Ask about children through the listing
None of the five publishes a minimum age, so the answer comes from the operator rather than from us.
Allow more time than the flight
Check-in, the weather briefing and the walk to the aircraft sit outside it. Your booking gives the reporting time.
From Anchorage
Talkeetna is roughly 180 km north by road — a morning drive, which makes a same-day return a long day.
From the park entrance
The entrance on the Parks Highway is roughly 250 km north of Talkeetna, so a Denali park tour up there means a drive south to fly.
What drives instead of flies
A Denali State Park tour is a road day of its own; the five listings here board at the Talkeetna airstrip and fly.
The mountain itself
Denali is 6,190 metres, the highest in North America, and the listings fly its faces rather than the road to it.
What the pilots name
Little Switzerland, the Kahiltna and Ruth glaciers, the Great Gorge, the Don Sheldon amphitheater, Mount Hunter, Mount Foraker, the Wickersham Wall.
Where the landing happens
On a glacier, on skis, with no road to it. That is the whole reason the aircraft has skis at all.
Best time
When these flights run
These flights run May to September; outside that window there is nothing here to book. Inside it, what changes is daylight, how busy Talkeetna is and how far ahead the seats go — so book a few weeks out rather than the evening before.
May
The season opens
The quietest weeks at the airstrip. All five listings are bookable and a seat is usually available at a few days’ notice, including the one with the landing in the fare.
Jun – Jul
Longest days, busiest weeks
The longest daylight of the season, with the five listings running, so a flight fits into a morning. Also the busiest weeks in Talkeetna: book weeks ahead, not days.
Aug
Long days, thinner crowds
Numbers come off through August while the five listings keep running and the days are still long. The two-hour circuit and the hour and a half are often bookable a week out.
Sep
The last weeks of the season
Shorter daylight means fewer slots, and they sit earlier in the day. Talkeetna is quiet, and from October to April there is nothing here to book.
Worth knowing
Six things the listings do not spell out
01
The landing happens where there is no runway and no road. The skis are what let the aircraft set down on glacier snow. Five listings out of Talkeetna, from $304 to $544.
02
Only one of the five includes the landing. The $544 flight has it written into the 1h45. On the other four it is an upgrade you choose, so add it deliberately rather than assuming it.
03
The extra money buys minutes, not a different aircraft. One hour at $335, 1h30 at $304, 1h45 at $525, two hours at $475. Only the 2-hour circuit crosses to the north side.
04
The season is a timetable, not a forecast. Flights run roughly May to September. A 6,190-metre mountain makes its own cloud and is often hidden, and no listing here claims otherwise.
05
Free cancellation appears on all five listings. That is the most useful line on a page where the weather decides the morning. Read it on the listing you book: the wording belongs to the operator.
06
Nothing here publishes an age or a weight limit. The pilot will ask for real weights, because small aircraft are loaded by weight and balance. Both questions go through the listing before you pay.
Round out the trip
Booked alongside
Go deeper
More on the aircraft, the landing and what each flight costs
Common questions
Five ski planes and one landing, answered straight
Is there a helicopter tour over Denali?
Not at the moment: both rotary listings have been withdrawn from sale, and we would rather say so than sell you a picture. What is on sale over the mountain is five flights from Talkeetna on small planes fitted with skis, from $304 to $544, and one of them lands on a glacier as part of the flight.
Do these flights land on a glacier?
One of the five does. The $544 flight, 1h45, rated 4.8 across 80 reviews, has the landing written into the fare, and its listing names Little Switzerland, the 44-mile Kahiltna Glacier, the Ruth Glacier and the Great Gorge. On the other four it is an option you add when you book.
How long is the flight?
It depends which of the five, and time in the air is the main thing the fare buys: one hour at $335, 1h30 at $304, 1h45 at $525 and at $544, and two hours at $475. The appointment is longer — your booking gives the reporting time.
Where do the flights leave from?
All five from Talkeetna, Alaska: roughly 180 km north of Anchorage by road and roughly 250 km south of the park entrance on the Parks Highway. Your listing names the meeting point and the time to be there, and nothing on this page departs from anywhere else.
What happens if the weather is bad?
Denali is 6,190 metres high and makes its own cloud, so it is often hidden, and nobody here predicts what a given morning will show. All five listings state Free cancellation, which is the practical answer: read the wording on the one you book, because the terms belong to the operator.
What does it cost?
Five fares, one per listing: $304 for 1h30 down the south side, $335 for the narrated hour, $475 for the two-hour circuit, $525 for 1h45 through the heart of the range and $544 for the 1h45 with the landing included. Where the landing is an upgrade, the operator prices it.
Can I go with children?
None of the five listings publishes a minimum age, so the answer comes from the operator rather than from us — ask through the listing before you book. Two things are worth knowing: small aircraft are loaded by weight and balance, so the pilot needs real weights, and if your flight lands, part of the trip is spent standing on snow.
When should I go?
The flights run roughly May to September, and that is a timetable rather than a forecast. Inside that window the cloud decides what you see. The useful plan is a slot early in the day and a few weeks of notice: these are small aircraft with few seats, and Free cancellation makes booking ahead sensible.
One PDF · no account needed
Denali from the air — the flight we would book
Which of the five Talkeetna listings matches the trip you want, with the fares side by side, the time in the air, and where the landing is included rather than an upgrade. Built from the operators’ own listings and the same live prices as this page.
- All 5 flights, with the 1 hour to 2 hours as the listings state it
- Which listing includes the landing, and which four sell it as an option
- What each route flies over, named by the operator
- What the listings say about cancellation, weights and the season
Check your inbox
The plan is on its way. If it isn't there in a minute, look in Promotions.
Why trust this page
How we put this together
Checked, not guessed
Durations, inclusions and operator wording come from the live GetYourGuide listings for each flight. Prices and ratings are read off the same listings and updated with the page.
How we pick
All five flights over the Alaska Range that board at Talkeetna are on this page, not a shortlist. The choice between them is minutes in the air and whether the landing is included. Nobody pays to be featured.
What a listing can promise
A listing sells the flight, the time in the air and, on one of them, the landing. It cannot arrange the sky, so where a listing names summits and glaciers it is describing the route.
Denali, stated plainly
Denali stands 6,190 metres, the highest mountain in North America. All five flights board at Talkeetna and run roughly May to September. A mountain that size makes its own cloud and is often hidden.
The answer
Decide on the landing, then pick your minutes in the air.
The aircraft that flies this mountain is a small plane on skis out of Talkeetna, and the skis are why it can set down on glacier ice with no road to it. The landing is written into one of the five listings and an upgrade on the other four; time in the air runs from 1 hour to 2 hours. Flights start at $304.
Check dates and availability→ Free cancellation on all five listings · Reserve now, pay later