Wild Art Tour Package
Nature. Art. Insight.
Embark on a rugged artistic odyssey amidst the awe-inspiring Matanuska Glacier—a journey beyond the ordinary with local Alaskan artist, Kaydee, and her family, as your guides. Use the breathtaking natural wonder of the glacier to drive your paintbrush onward into creating a one-of-a-kind piece of art, capturing your sense impressions into a personalized souvenir.
How your Tour Begins...
Check-In Day 1: Your artistic escapade begins with a check-in the afternoon at Little Bear Getaway Cabins, highlighted with possible encounters with the untamed—perhaps a moose meandering through or dall sheep adorning the rocky mountainside right next to your cabin. Engage in a cryptic scavenger hunt leading to a treasure stash to use during your stay (shhh, prior guests, thanks for keeping the treasure description a surprise!), and then cozy up around a campfire if you’re so called.
Day 2: Awaken to the always fresh alpine air, savoring coffee or tea against the mountainous backdrop all around. Breakfast is delivered to your private cabin sanctuary, setting the tone for the day’s adventure on the glacier, a mere 15 minutes away. Traverse the moraine by foot in under an hour, or via a snowmachine-pulled sled if you visit in the winter, immersing yourself in a world of mystic blue and black ice sculpted by nature into intriguing formations. The overwhelming beauty and magic of this exotic location stirs up artistic inspiration just standing there! Amidst deep crevasses and soaring serracs, we find a secluded nook, set up our camp chairs, and let alcohol ink and brush speak humanity’s wordless subconscious language— art. Alternatively, embrace the tactile creativity of wool “painting” with a felting needle. Unfettered and raw, this time to create with either medium will fly by. All senses are engaged, and this becomes reflected in your art. Using artistic expression as a barometer for your mental, emotional and spiritual health is a valuable life skill, able to be taken anywhere you may go, usable at any time. Don’t be held captive to the idea you need a studio, or lots of time, or a certain level of skill. The therapeutic value of noticing what natural elements trigger inspiration, then creating personal art from that is the focus of your tour.
Day 2 continues...
Savor a leisurely lunch, paving the way for the afternoon’s choice. The first option is a guided forest and mountain hike, with an Alaskan Tea Time, which is somewhat similar to the popular Japanese Green Tea Ceremony or Cacao Ceremony, but with a distinctly Alaskan twist! Heavenly concoctions of local Chaga, Rhodiola, Labrador Tea, and other herbs are brewed with loving intention and then meditatively sipped in the rugged and breathtaking natural surroundings. Or, retreat to the studio back at the cabins for more intimate rendezvous with your artistic muse or even further customize your getaway and receive a crystal singing bowl sound bath. Your day is flexible and customizable, and the only thing you need to watch the clock for is to not be late for dinner at the classic Long Rifle Lodge by 6:30pm, with views over the glacier.
Retire to a cocoon of warmth with grounding mattress pads to release any excess charge of artistic energy.
Sleep peacefully knowing all is well if art and nature are in your life.
Day 3: Arise at your leisure, and enjoy breakfast in bed if you wish, delivered to your cabin again. Check out by 11 am.
Exclusive Tour Features and Inclusions
- Two nights sojourn at Little Bear Getaway Cabins
- Breakfast for two mornings, a tour-day lunch, and dinner at Long Rifle Lodge
- Fully guided Matanuska Glacier Tour
- Time in, and access to, secluded area of glacier for artistic expression
- Art instruction and technique demonstration for those new to alcohol inks or wool
- Enchanting afternoon hike/snowshoe with an Alaskan Tea Time; alternatively, opt for extended art time in the studio or a meditative sound bath
- Connect to nature with animal track identification, and wild medicinal plant identification and use discussion
- Let inspiration run wild in a visually dramatic location, where logistics are often too challenging to try to bring an art project to. En plein air work is worth the effort.
- Feel a heightening of your senses being in nature, and “tie” that to your art piece, resulting in a souvenir that will later vividly activate your memory-of-place recall with 100 times more detail than if you simply walked through
Tour Price Guide
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2 Adults (age 16 and over) $877 each
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6 or more Adults $733 each
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Kids 14 and under $355 each
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Kids 3 and under FREE
Frequently Asked Questions.
Your airfare to Alaska and transportation to Sheep Mountain, which is a two hour drive from Anchorage. A rental car is advised. Dinner the day of arrival. Alcohol. Check out is by 11 am the morning after your last tour day, but breakfast is provided.
Summer: We recommend dressing in light layers, as we are in an alpine desert. At 2,200 ft elevation, the temperature swings are a bit more dramatic than elsewhere in Alaska. A set of rain gear is good insurance, as is footwear that can get muddy and is suitable for a moderate hike. A light day pack would be helpful for carrying water bottles, hat, sunglasses, etc.
Winter: warm, windproof clothing suitable down to -20F.
It means no plumbing is in the cabin. A jug of water with a pump top is used. Restroom facilities are in a separate building a short outdoor walk away (30 feet to Polaris Cabin, 70 feet to Blue Moon Cabin, and 200 feet to Aurora Cabin). Each cabin has a private, dedicated bathroom, but all the bathrooms are in the same building.
We are an hour away from any medical care or even a basic convenience store. The cabins are just off the main road, so 4WD is not necessary, though advisable in the winter months.
50% of the total is required to hold. 50% required 2 weeks prior. If you must cancel after that, 50% is refunded, unless we can fill your spot (and then 100% will be refunded)
Most all levels of fitness can be accommodated, but a moderate hike lasting up to about 3 hours is anticipated. For immersive glacier experiences, you will need to carry a 9 pound camp chair in a carrying case with strap. If you’re opting for an extended stay with other activities, check out their respective websites; ie, please see Nova Alaska’s River Rafting guidelines (swimming proficiency required) for the whitewater rafting.
It might be just your party! If you have booked the Wild Art Tour, only other guests who also wish to do the same tour on the same day *may* be with you; it’s first come first serve for what type of tour will be done that day. However, other guests may be staying at the cabins but may not be part of the activities. Up to 12 people total can stay at Little Bear Getaway Cabins (each cabin has a Queen and a Twin bed, plus an available cot or trundle).
Kaydee identifies as a “slow,” artist, too, so we understand, but just know it is only self-imposed pressure to finish! If you would like, we can get you started on your piece the night before the tour day, or send you with some of the supplies to finish later, at home. On the glacier, we would only need to “move on” if there were a safety concern that arose, but usually, hungry bellies will keep a schedule.
Au contraire! We are eating with you, and we like to fuel our bodies well. Expect high protein meals, with no refined white sugar, bovine dairy, or grains, unless it’s our homemade authentic sourdough or gluten free oats. We do serve meat, but that can be omitted per your request, as could any allergenic foods. Think sausage, egg and chopped veggies in an almond flour wrap; baked oatmeal with walnuts and birch syrup; bacon, lettuce, tomato on sourdough; fresh fruit and quiche; tuna dip and veggie chips; quinoa apple salad, or, in the month of August, sourdough pancakes with fresh wild blueberries right from the bush!
While it is true, “there’s no such thing as bad weather, only poor clothing,” and we certainly want to get you outside your proverbial comfort zone so you actually have an experience worth writing home about, we are here to make your immersion in Mother Nature memorable, not miserable. Time on the glacier can be shortened by only hiking it, and the sound bath brought back at the studio, or inside the screened-in pavilion with the campfire pit. Similarly, the Tea Time can be done in the pavilion. No refunds given for rainy, snowy, windy, or subzero days.
Absolutely! Call and we can discuss details, as certain activities take a certain amount of time and logistics may prohibit it, but there is so much flexibility! Customizing your tour is at no extra fee. Again, however, it’s first come first serve for which tour is going to be offered on any given day.
Yes, of course, you may book more nights at the regular nighty rates for each cabin. Book early to avoid having to switch cabins! If you wish to have other guided activities, meals, etc, on subsequent days, talk to us about the possibilities that open up for multiple day experiences.