Ellison Air

Ellison Air is a family owned seaplane operation based in Anchorage, Alaska, run by lifelong Alaskans. It says it has a tradition of more than 30 years of flightseeing, and it flies a Cessna 206 Stationair on floats, a rugged six seat aircraft widely used for Alaska bush and lake flying.

Its longest scenic flight is a two hour glacier and wildlife tour with a lake landing, covering glaciers and icefields and looking for moose, Dall sheep, caribou, swans, bears and mountain goats. A one hour Susitna River tour looks for seals, moose and beluga whales and passes old homesteads and a section of the Iditarod Trail, with Mount Susitna, known locally as the Sleeping Lady, in view. A short local tour of about 30 minutes covers Anchorage, Cook Inlet and the Susitna Valley.

The company also flies bear viewing trips. One goes to Redoubt Bay and the Big River Lakes, where brown bears fish for salmon, and a full day trip goes to Katmai National Park to watch bears catching salmon at Brooks Falls, one of the best known wildlife sights in Alaska.

Beyond tours, the company offers custom itineraries and floatplane air taxi service for river float trips, remote cabins and lodge transfers.