columbia glacier

My husband and I, plus his son and several friends also took the Lulu Belle to see the Columbia Glacier in August of 2014, and it was an outstanding trip! Captain Fred does a long monologue, but after traveling with him on three separate day trips over the years, we find him to be a fountain of information. While we were by the glacier's terminus, he was very quiet and allowed us more than an hour to take in the scene, the ambiance, and watch/listen for calving. We were able to get some wonderful photographs, not only of the glacier, but also of sea otters, sea lions, other wildlife, and the beautiful snowy mountains towering above.

Being here is just amazing. Views, colours, wildlife, ice... wonderful even if it's cold, foggy and wet! Go go go.

We took the Stan Stephens Tour. Great crew who shared tons of information during the cruise. Not much wildlife on the cruise but the glacier made up for it. It was a cloudy day so we had beautiful blue hues of the ice. The captain stopped us in an area far enough away from the calving glacier that we could hear, see and feel the results. We could have stayed there for hours. A must see when you are in Valdez.

It is well worth taking a tour into Prince William Sound to see the Columbia Glacier...especially before it disappears.It is absolutely stunning, awe-inspiring and should be listed as one of the "7 Wonders of the World"We went with Captain Scott - Chugach Coastal Cruising" and it was an experience of a lifetime as we were able to maneuver to within approximately a mile of the glacier!

We took 28 hours fly to Alaska from Taiwan then drove about 7 hours from Anchorage to Valdez to see Columbia Glacier. Finally ,when we see the blue color leaking from the ice, we know we came to the right place. It is so beautiful.

We have seen a number of Glaciers during our trip to Alaska, we went to see the Columbia Glacier with Stan Stephens Tours. Good professional outfit with a friendly crew & a very pleasant captain who shared a lot of interesting information but also left good periods of silence to enable you to enjoy the solitude of the area. As the day was overcast & cloudy some of the colour of he Glacier was a lovely vibrant blue. There were huge chunks of ice that had broken from the Glacier floating in the water & we were fortunate to see some 'calving' from the Glacier.There were approximately 70 people on our boat so it was easy to move around & to take photographs. If the boat was full I.e 150 people it would not be as enjoyable. The crew serve a cup of soup with a bagel & cream cheese, there is free coffee all day or you can buy other drinks & snacks. We bought hot chocolate which was only 75 cents.We stayed outside on the top deck the whole day which can be quite cold so make sure you dress warmly in layers, the inside cabins were quite well heated. Would recommend this company, had a good day, we saw lots of Sea Otters, Stellar Sea Lions & Bald Eagles.

Went on the Lu Lu Belle. Wonderful trip. We saw many different animals, and sea life. Captain Fred took us within 1/4 mile of the Columbia Glacier. We watched it calve. It was so exciting. The whole trip was one of the highlights of our trip to Valdez,AK

Breath-taking views, paddling around ice bergs, and saw many different marine animals. Had a wonderful day of kayaking with our guide, Pete.

The Glacier's are definitely a site to be seen while in Valdez I was a little nervous about them but so glad I took the time to explore

Suggest taking helicopter to go there. Different feeling and experiences. You can see lots of great view from helicopter and landing on the glacier.

We loved the glacier. We did the tour with LuLu Belle. The boat is greatly maintained and can get very close to the glacier. However, we did the tour with LuLu belle and its Captain Fred who talks endlessly for 7-8 hours with a stop. Endless monologs that ar heard all over the boat, inside and outside. Instead of enjoying the peacefulness of nature you keep on hearing monologs until your head blows.It simply does not make a sense.

We took a guided sea kayaking tour from Panagea to visit Columbia Glacier. We were so lucky that it was a sunny day. The visit was simply awesome. The different shapes and colors of icebergs, the abundant wildlives, and of course beautiful glacier in the background made the otherwise strenous rowing so worthwhile.Columbia glacier has been receding very fast in the past 20-30 years. The view will be different every single year. Visit it before it disappears!

Saw glacier calving several times. Nothing else will impress like this does. This was our first time even seeing a glacier. Hard to believe that such big chunks fall off and the glacier still remains massive (that's an understatement).

We saw the Columbia Glacier from the Lu Lu Belle tour. We sat for over an our watching and hearing huge chunks of ice calving into the bay.It was hard to believe that we were 1/4 mile away, but the sound delay of the ice hitting the water gave evidence of the distance.There was absolutely nothing that I disliked about seeing this natural phenomenon.

Wild, unspoilt, wildlife in abundance and peaceful. The weather is variable so go prepared. Ice field was spectacular and changed everyday. A must see!