Last updated on March 8th, 2023 at 04:24 am
Towering peaks, blue pools and huge glaciers were what greeted us on our flightseeing tour in the Yukon. This was the most incredible experience and a once in a lifetime trip for us. I honestly can say it was absolutely worth every single dollar.
We kept a pretty tight budget on our road trip but if you are planning a trip yourself I can’t recommend budgeting in a flightseeing tour in the Yukon. The views were out of this world and in all honesty, as with so many mountain adventures, the pictures we took just don’t so it justice!
Where To Take A Flightseeing Tour In The Yukon
We opted to take a flightseeing tour in the Yukon over Kluane National Park, this was to get a birds eye view of the largest non polar icefield as well as Canada’s highest mountain Mount Logan. Without taking a flightseeing tour of this area it is very difficult to truly experience this area. You’d need to have mountaineering and glacier travel experience, which we certainly don’t have!
There are lots of other options for a flightseeing tour in the Yukon, including helicopter flights into Tombstone Territorial Park and flights across the lakes region of the Yukon.
For me, I decided on taking a tour over Kluane as it was an area we otherwise wouldn’t be able to access. We were lucky enough to get backpacking reservations for Tombstone Territorial Park, so we would see it on foot a few days later.
The Logan Super Tour
For our flightseeing tour in the Yukon I booked the Logan Super Tour, this two hour tour is the longest option Kluane Glacier Air Tours offer. Since it was for Mike’s 40th birthday, I decided to go all out.
The whole process from booking onwards was very relaxed, they recommend booking in the morning for a smoother flight and they don’t take payment in advance to hold your spot. I booked our flight a few months in advance since I wanted a flight on Mike’s birthday. I was sent an email confirmation and we were all set.
After a long day of driving we pulled into the Pine Lake Campground just outside of Haines junction, this was almost right next to the Haines Junction airstrip, where our flightseeing trip would take place the following day.
We were incredibly lucky with weather for almost our entire trip in the Yukon, warm and dry was the typical. However the province was having a particularly aggressive wildfire season. We woke up at camp to a bright and sunny day with blue clouds and headed to the air strip.
The flights that morning were running a little behind which was fine, we took out our camp chairs, made a sandwich and chatted to a woman who would be sharing the flight with us.
Our pilot was doing back to back tours and he landed the tour before ours, refueled and checked us in. He gave us a full safety briefing and before we knew it we were loading up. There was only one other lady on our trip and she took the front seat next to the pilot while Mike and I sat behind. The middle row of the plane had a window which opened, meaning we could take pictures without the reflection.
The Cessna planes they operate seat four plus the pilot so everyone gets a window seat, which is a huge bonus. Although I have to admit I’m not a great fan of flying and the small plane was a new experience for me!
The plane was equipped with headsets so we could talk throughout the flight and once we had those on as well as our seatbelts, we were hitting the runway and into the air.
Shortly after take off you get your first glimpse of the white expanse which you will be taking in for most of the trip. The flight essentially takes a massive loop, it goes in and out through the same valley but then does a large loop going all the way round the backside of Mount Logan.
Our pilot was incredible, full of knowledge and antidotes. He was also keen to share information about the trails in the area, which we could see way below on our way towards the icefields.
As we went around Mount Logan he was also happy to tilt the plane to allow us to get the best views and the best pictures, which was above and beyond. Pointing out other huge peaks and talking about the history of how people first used to explore the area.
We also flew over incredible glaciers, with bright blue pools of water in them. I’ve seen many glaciers but never from above where you can truly appreciate the enormity of them.
I’m honestly not sure two hours has ever gone so fast because before we knew it we were heading back to the airstrip.
After we pulled up, we went into the office and paid for our trip. I assume you pay on your return in case the trip has to be changed due to weather. As it was, we had a sunny and smooth flight. We headed to Kathleen Lake after our flightseeing tour in the Yukon to spend the night, an absolutely beautiful spot for a campground.
Other Tour Options
Kluane Glacier Air Tours offers four flightseeing tours in the Yukon, as well as the Logan Super Tour, they offer the Kaskawulsh, South arm and Lowell tour which is one hour tour, the Grande Mountain Tour, which is one hour and fifteen minutes and the Pacific Grande Mountain Tour which is an hour and a half. Any of these tours will offer incredible glacier and mountain views so I am absolutely certain they would all be amazing options.
