Quick Details
Per Person (Group Rate)
3+ People • Price per passenger
$ 395
Per Person with Glacier Landing (Group Rate)
3+ People • Price per passenger
$ 540
Private Charter
1-2 People • Priced per charter
$ 1185
Private Charter with Glacier Landing
1-2 People • Priced per charter
$ 1620
Fly Among Giants
Fly deep into the heart of Denali National Park to the legendary Kahiltna Glacier Base Camp—where the world’s elite mountaineers begin their summit bid of North America’s highest peak.
The Denali Mountaineering experience is a scenic flight tour over Denali National Park. The journey begins by exploring the stunning Kanikula Glacier, followed by views of the towering Mt. Hunter, Mt. Foraker and the majestic Mt.McKinley, the tallest peak in North America. During climbing season, this route offers an exclusive glimpse of the Denali base camp, where climbers prepare for their summit attempts.
The route also provides you with views of the world-renowned Ruth Glacier and the Don Sheldon Amphitheater and the opportunity to land in one of the authorized areas designated by the National Park Service.
Glacier landings allow you to appreciate the magnificence of nature and the mountains in comparison to ourselves, evoking a new appreciation for life and nature, as well as the bravery of the men who fly and attempt to climb those peaks.
The Route of Climbers, Seen from Above
The Denali Mountaineer Adventure traces the dramatic flight path mountaineers take into the range. You’ll witness the exact landscapes that define expedition climbing in Alaska:
- The Kahiltna Glacier, stretching over 44 miles beneath the south face of Denali
- The striking vertical rise of Mount Hunter and its sharp ridgelines
- The raw expanse of the Alaska Range, sculpted by ice, time, and weather
- A sweeping view of Denali, the tallest peak in North America
- Many of the key features featured on our Southside Sheldon Adventure, with extended focus on Denali’s mountaineering corridor
This flight offers a rare look at the climber’s perspective—without the cold, risk, or commitment. It’s ideal for adventurers, photographers, or anyone drawn to the spirit of alpine exploration.
Interactive In-Flight Experience
As with all Sheldon Air Service tours, your flight includes a premium, noise-canceling headset to allow for live conversation with your expert pilot and fellow guests. Ask questions, listen to insight about the peaks below, and enjoy the freedom of a fully interactive flightseeing experience.
A Glimpse Into the World Few Ever See
he Kahiltna Base Camp is a working mountaineering station, but also a powerful symbol of challenge, grit, and remote beauty. For many, this flight offers the perfect way to engage with Denali’s mountaineering culture—from a warm seat, through a clear window, and with a seasoned pilot as your guide.
An extraordinary journey to the start of something epic.
Rugged. Inspiring. Entirely Unforgettable.
Rugged. Inspiring. Entirely Unforgettable.
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You’ll depart from Talkeetna and experience the vast rivers and forest lands on the flight to the Kahiltna Glacier in the Alaska Range.
The river and forest lands are home to Alaska’s wild game such as black bear and moose. In addition the occasional lodge can be sighted along the lake shores, often only accessible by float plane.
On the way, this route gives you outstanding views of Little Switzerland, a popular destination for both technical climbing expeditions and fun day trips. This particular subset of the Alaska Range is characterized by steep rocky peaks similar to the European alps. Accordingly, many experienced climb teams come to this location for the pure technical climbing challenge.
Next you climb over the Kahiltna Glacier, easily the largest glacier in the Alaska Range, as it winds toward the tallest mountain in North America.
Nearly at the head of the glacier is a small branch off to the east that contains the landing area Don Sheldon pioneered as the arrival point for climbing expeditions. This is where the climbers begin and conclude their journey — “Base Camp”.
In the course of the May-June climbing season, Sheldon pilots pick up and drop off mountaineering teams to Base Camp in varying weather. As the video at the top of the page shows, even if it is overcast in Talkeetna, outstanding scenery can still be observed once in flight over the range.
Your route continues and leads to the Don Sheldon Amphitheater at the top of the Ruth Glacier. If you wish, you can ask to add a glacier landing to this flight, and we can land on the Ruth. A landing lets you really soak in the flight and put it all into perspective. It provides you and your group with a special moment to appreciate the scale of the surroundings in flight.
You will see the Mooses Tooth, Bear Tooth and Broken Tooth peaks, popular climbing destinations on the far side of the Amphitheater.
To top off your Alaska flightseeing adventure you will experience the majestic Ruth Gorge on the last leg of the flight through the range. The Great Gorge, as it is also called, is a mile deep in some places. The floor is the rugged Ruth Glacier. Make sure to watch for the brilliant bright blue pools of glacier melt water atop the glacier!
On the way back, the Tokositna River area at the base of the Alaska Range offers another opportunity to view moose and bears in their natural habitat.