5 Tour Operators to Know in Greater Anchorage, Alaska

In September, more than 100 travel advisors and suppliers attended the 2025 Future Leaders in Travel event in Anchorage, Alaska. Hosted in partnership with Visit Anchorage, TravelAge West and parent company Northstar Travel Group, the three-day event was all about building business — but there was ample time for play, too.

All attendees were invited on evening adventures in and around Anchorage during the main days of Future Leaders, but most advisors also participated in pre- and post-event fam trips that allowed them to dig deeper into the region’s adventure opportunities. They rode helicopters to glaciers, went on bear-viewing excursions, sampled local beers and more.

Based on those adventures, here are five Anchorage operators to consider when planning an Alaskan escape for clients.

Alaska Backcountry Adventure Tours

With an impressive adventure hub in Palmer, Alaska (about a 45-minute drive from Anchorage), Alaska Backcountry Adventure Tours offers all-terrain vehicle and snowmobile trips to the incredible Knik Glacier and more. Licensed drivers ages 16 and up will have the ride of their lives in the operator’s off-roading vehicles. Think Mario Kart-meets-Alaska, with ATVs dashing through muddy puddles along miles and miles of glacial riverbed, with bald eagle and moose sightings possible along the way.

Lifetime Adventures

Set just behind the shores of Eklutna Lake, Lifetime Adventures has a miniature cabin full of kayaks and bicycles, plus friendly guides ready to help guests get outfitted for fun. Guided adventures are available for clients; they can go on a hike in search of epic views of the glacial-fed lake or combine activities such as paddling and biking. The Lifetime team is able to accommodate large groups, too.

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Natalia Yepes, owner of Adventuresque Travel Boutique, cycled and kayaked with the operator during a Future Leaders fam trip.

“This was a pristine area that was so incredibly peaceful,” Yepes said. “I will work with Lifetime in the future, because I know my clients will get a relaxing and beautiful experience in nature, with good equipment, too.”

Outbound Heli Adventures

So much of Alaska’s terrain is rugged and inaccessible by car — which is where float planes and helicopters come in. On one Future Leaders fam trip, advisor Kareena Islam of Grand Travel & Cruise hopped on a helicopter with local operator Outbound Heli Adventures, which offers flightseeing tours and adventures that highlight glaciers, sounds, mountains and more. Islam’s heli ride took her group to Knik Glacier.

“Watching the landscape shift from wild terrain to shimmering glacier pools before landing right on top of the ice felt truly surreal,” she said. “And then came the best part — jumping straight into a glacier pool."

The operator’s professional and highly knowledgeable team “blended thrill and education,” according to Islam, who plans to recommend Outbound to any client heading to this part of Alaska (Outbound is also based in the town of Palmer). Heli hiking, dog sledding, glacier trekking, ice climbing and glacier paddle boarding are among the Outbound adventures she is keeping in mind.  

Revel Treks & Tours

Destination management company Revel Treks & Tours, helmed by Kierre Childers, offers guided day and multiday trips in Eklutna Valley and beyond. Small group journeys or private trips help travelers feel like true Alaskans as they explore less-visited sights and support local establishments (breweries, coffee shops and more) along the way.

Candice Rouquette of Embrace the Journey Travel spent three days with Revel on a Future Leaders fam trip. Her summary? The destination management company (DMC) “turned an already beautiful destination into something truly unforgettable."

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Rouquette’s group hiked the Butte Trail in Palmer and took a helicopter to Knik Glacier, among other activities. But it was the personal attention bestowed upon guests that she was most impressed by. Matthew Angelo of National Discount Cruise Company, who was on the same fam, was equally taken by the details.

“The van was always stocked with water and snacks — I still don’t know when Kierre had time to restock — and she surprised us with coffee and hot chocolate at the summit of the Butte in Palmer,” Angelo said. “And when the weather didn’t cooperate for our Denali flightseeing tour, she seamlessly arranged a last-minute helicopter experience over Knik Glacier that included a landing and 30 minutes of hiking on the ice."

That last-minute pivot showcased Childers’ ability to act quickly and her close ties with fellow Alaskan operators. And all the while, the fam trip attendees were having an extraordinary time.

“Revel Treks & Tours reminded me that great DMCs do more than manage logistics — they create connection,” Rouquette said. “They listen, adapt and elevate every detail until the entire experience feels effortless.”

Rust’s Flying Service

In operation since 1963, this family-run company offers flightseeing, bear viewing, fly-in fishing and annual Iditarod adventures. 

Advisor Melanie Rodriguez of Life Is Better Traveling flew with Rust’s on the Redoubt Bay Lodge Bear Viewing journey during a pre-fam. The six-hour trip takes guests 70 miles southwest of Anchorage to a bay full of sockeye and Coho salmon, which attracts resident bears. 

“I still get chills thinking about being that close to bears in their natural habitat,” Rodriguez said. “Nature documentaries do not even come close. The feeling of flying over that last ridge, seeing a glacier valley beneath you, the shock of that bright blue water, and then watching a fluffy salmon-eating machine lumber through its buffet? It was pure magic.”

Salmon Berry Travel and Tours

Day tours and customizable multiday packages are available through Salmon Berry Travel and Tours, which is based in Anchorage. Advisor Rodriguez explored greater Anchorage with Salmon Berry (flying with Rust’s was part of the operator’s multiday fam), and she was immeasurably impressed by both the adventure the operator curated and the connections she made while traveling. 

Advisors on the fam made fast friends as they watched a wiener-dog race at Girdwood Brewing Company, took a scenic chairlift ride at Alyeska Resort and drove around in hopes of spying a moose in the wild. 

“We left as a fam family — and yes, there is a group chat,” Rodriguez said. “These are now core memories. And I say ‘we’   because our group truly bonded. “

The Salmon Berry team cared for Rodriguez like family, too. She has severe food allergies, but her needs were met throughout the fam. 

“They made sure I was safe everywhere we went,” Rodriguez said. “They even got me hiking on a glacier — something my friends and family absolutely did not believe I would ever do. Yet, there I was. They opened my eyes to a whole new way of exploring.”