Wednesday Afternoon Field Trip Options (please choose only one)
Option #1 – Alaska Agriculture Tour
Travel to the “breadbasket” of Alaska agriculture, the Matanuska-Susitna (Mat-Su) Valley. Buses will depart at noon from the Marriott Anchorage Downtown. You will travel about 45 min to the Plant Materials Center (Alaska Plant Materials Center | Division of Agriculture) in Palmer. Here you will tour the facility and have a box lunch (provided). Then it is off to a local farm to get insight into Alaskan agriculture from a farmer’s perspective. After this you will visit the Muskox farm (Musk Ox Farm | Palmer, Alaska) to learn about this unique arctic animal. The day will end with a short hike at Butte Trail (Hiking the Butte near Palmer, Alaska) with views of the Chugach Mountains, Knik Glacier and the Matanuska Valley. This approximately 6-hour tour will end when the bus returns you to the Marriott Anchorage Downtown. This tour is limited to 112 people. Cost is $98/person.
Option #2 – Matanuska Glacier Tour
This tour will depart at noon from the Marriott Anchorage Downtown. A box lunch will be provided as you travel by charter bus for 2-hours through the scenic Matanuska-Susitna valley to the base of the Matanuska Glacier. Here Matanuska Glacier Adventures will provide you with all the necessary gear. A guide will lead you through the recessional moraine to the terminus of the glacier, where you will venture into a wondrous world of glacial features including moulins, crevasses, open water streams, and conduits. Spend the afternoon exploring blue and basal ice in addition to learning about the history and glaciology of the Matanuska Valley of Southcentral Alaska. The entire trip will be approximately 6.5 hours and will return to the Marriott Anchorage Downtown. The tour is limited to 56 people. Cost is $230/person.