Travelers visit Fairbanks in great numbers during late February through early April hoping to see the aurora, and many of them pay a visit to the ice cave at the front of Castner Glacier as well. I normally guide all my tours myself, but due to overwhelming demand I have hired experienced guides to lead additional Castner Glacier tours this spring in 2023. If you can transport yourself to Castner Creek, one of my assistant guides may be able to serve you even if there is no availability on my standard winter tours reservation calendar. I have also partnered with professional portrait & wedding photographer Mary Webb to offer optional adventure portraits on these additional tours.

Tours of Castner Glacier led by my assistant guides are all private and limited to 4 hours in duration, though many groups finish their hike in 3 hours or less. Each tour includes an informative narrated hike to the ice cave at the front of the glacier, where you’ll have plenty of time to photograph. Agile participants can explore very deep inside the ice cave where few people venture. (Bright lights and headlamps are provided.) Adventurous groups can try climbing the steep, snow-covered glacier for beautiful views or take a scenic detour to see more glacier ice and another nearby ice cave as time permits. Snowshoes or ice cleats are provided as necessary. Typically, snowshoes are only used after heavy snow when the trail is in poor condition since walking in ice cleats is otherwise easier, but customers who wish to try snowshoeing may request to do so.

Tours led by my assistant guides are available throughout late February & March starting at the below scheduled times, which are not adjustable. Prior to March 12, all tours start in the morning at 10am or 11am. After March 12, both morning and afternoon options are available. I recommend the morning option for those who want to beat the crowd and catch the early morning light on the mountains of the eastern Alaska Range on the drive & hike. I recommend the afternoon session for those who want to ensure enough sleep after possibly staying up late for the aurora, or for those who want to enjoy the (usually) warmer weather in the afternoon. Note that you may not return to Fairbanks until 9 or 10pm if you book the afternoon option, so take this into account when scheduling aurora tours the same evening or if you need to catch an evening flight. Please show up on time for your tour! If you are excessively late, your tour may need to be hurried or cut short, or potentially canceled without refund. The drive from downtown Fairbanks to Castner Creek takes roughly 2.5 hours without stopping, but after factoring in a restroom break in Delta Junction and a couple stops for photos at scenic points along the way the total time is usually closer to 3 hours. In inclement weather, you may need to budget an extra 30 minutes. Note that customers are not expected to drive if road conditions are “Very Difficult” or “Hazardous” according to Alaska 511, in which case we’ll attempt to reschedule your tour or refund you if the tour must be canceled. Customers who wish to break up the drive should consider staying closer to Castner Glacier in Delta Junction or the Lodge at Black Rapids. To book your tour or view availability, click one of the “Reserve” buttons at the top or bottom of this page.

Guide Bios

Phillip Wilson

Phillip was born in Delta Junction, Alaska and raised in Fairbanks. I’ve hiked 130 miles on a traverse of the eastern Alaska Range with Phillip and we’ve been on several other adventures together. Phillip has guided tours for me and the Lodge at Black Rapids for the past few seasons. He currently lives in a van (by choice) and also works seasonally on arctic research projects for the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) Geophysical Institute. Phillip graduated with a B.S. in Geology from UAF and has conducted glacier chronology & geomorphology research in the local area since 2017, so he can tell you everything you want to know about the terrain you’ll encounter in the Alaska Range. In his spare time Phillip enjoys ski mountaineering, climbing, and backpacking.

Dave McCombs

Dave is a lifelong resident of Delta Junction, Alaska. In the summer Dave and his family operate Tangle Lakes Lodge on the Denali Highway. I met Dave while he was managing the Lodge at Black Rapids last winter, for whom he guided many guests to Castner Glacier. Dave has spent plenty of time hiking, skiing, sheep hunting, and otherwise recreating outdoors in Alaska throughout his life. We’ve hiked to Black Rapids Glacier together and will be teaming on several adventures to Castner & Canwell Glacier in the coming months. Easygoing and friendly, Dave can tell you all about life in rural Alaska.

Photographer Bio

Mary Webb

Mary was raised in Fairbanks, Alaska and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in photography. She lives in the same van with Phillip Wilson (they’re partners) and similarly loves outdoor adventure. Mary photographs weddings around Alaska and provides artistic portrait services for individuals, couples, and groups. Check out her professional website or social media to view some of her work! Mary and I both share the same affinity for shooting environmental portraits with Canon cameras and a 35mm f/1.4 prime lens, so while her style will naturally vary from mine, you’ll notice similarity in our work.

Route Description

Castner Glacier is not your stereotypical blue glacier calving into a big lake or the ocean, but rather a gritty valley glacier covered in rock, mud, and—in the winter—snow. Castner Glacier is the simplest glacier to reach coming from Fairbanks, and for the past several years it’s been the easiest place to find an ice cave as well. However, there are no signs and no maintained trail leading to the glacier. The “trail” you may hear about in winter is really just a path in the snow packed down over time by the sweat of many hikers traveling along Castner Creek, and it often disappears after heavy snow or windy weather. I’m often the person who breaks in the trail and I make sure it follows a safe route when I do, but sometimes others create less-than-optimal trails in the snow, some of which may run near hazardous spots along Castner Creek or lead to confusing points where paths diverge. Hiking or snowshoeing to Castner Glacier is possible for most people who are capable of walking three miles without difficulty, and if you have good directions and the weather is nice you can probably stumble there without a guide, but during or shortly following heavy snow or windy weather, or in extreme cold, the hike can be quite difficult, and most people without Alaska winter hiking experience are hesitant or unprepared to go any farther than the glacier’s terminus or explore very far inside the ice cave at the front, and some people have fallen through the ice of this cave into deep water! Almost every tourist who hikes to the glacier unguided in winter is also confused by the unfamiliar terrain they encounter during the hike, the animal tracks they see in the snow, and the nature of the ice cave itself. The objective on every tour is to reach and explore inside the first ice cave at the front of the glacier while teaching participants about the Alaskan landscape they encounter along the way. We might also climb to the top of the glacier for awesome views or stop by a hidden nearby ice cave on the return hike as time and participant energy reserves permit. On our tours, there is plenty of time to photograph and play in the snow. (No ice climbing gear required. Snowshoes, traction devices, headlamps & helmets are provided as necessary at no extra cost.)

Route Length: 2.5 miles round-trip, negligible elevation gain, typically 3 hours +/-
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate