Shoup Glacier Kayak Tour
All Ages! • 8 Hours • Level: Beginner
About
The Shoup Glacier Day tour offers an intimate experience at one of Alaska's beautiful marine state parks!
Climb aboard our motor boat for a water taxi ride to Shoup Bay, where we will begin this scenic journey. Over the course of the day we will paddle up a fjord that has been revealed by a retreating glacier, past a nesting colony of black-legged kittiwakes, along a lush, waterfall-laden coastline, and up towards the face of the glacier. Enjoy a short walk on the beach and a lunch spot with a marvelous glacier view. At the end of the paddle we will be picked up by the motorboat for the ride back to Valdez,
Paddle around ancient, freshly calved ice and land on newborn beaches. With massive tide swings and ever-changing calving rates, every day is different in the Columbia Glacier zone.
Please note, the time spent paddling can vary, depending on how much wildlife we encounter and slow down for along the way while on board the water taxi.
This tour is offered most days of the summer, but please try and sign up in advance, as there are times we do fully book!
We use our own USCG inspected water taxis for all regularly scheduled trips.
What's included
- Kayak Equipment
- Rubber Boots & Gloves
- Rain Pants & Jacket
- Guide Services
- Motor Boat Transport
- State Park Fees
- Snacks and Hot Drinks
Difficulty: Easy (requires walking on uneven ground at lower tides.
What to bring
For all of our tours, the key is to avoid wearing cotton. You’ll also want to bring an extra layer, just in case. Synthetic materials or wool are the best options.
We supply rain gear (both tops and bottoms), rubber duckie boots, pogies (which are neoprene paddle gloves), dry bags, and everything you need to sea kayak, including pfd’s, sprayskirts, sea kayaks and paddles. We also serve hot drinks and trail-mix/pretzel snacks on all day tours other than Duck Flats and rafting.
Things you’ll want to bring (no cotton!):
- Lunch
- Water
- Long pants
- Lightweight shirt
- Medium/heavy weight polypro sweatshirt/fleece
- Some kind of warm, wind-cutting outer layer that can go underneath a rain coat in the rain
- Warm socks (wool or polypro)
- Your preferred warm gloves and/or liners (more for the boat ride and/or time spent on shore)
- Warm hat (or rain hat if you have one!)
- Sun glasses
- Sun screen
- Camera
- Binoculars
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