Seward, Alaska — Seeing one of the thousands of glaciers will surely be a highlight of any trip you might be planning to the 49th state this summer. You can see them from the deck of a ship, paddling in a canoe, by floatplane or helicopter, or by driving and hiking to a park.

Here are some options.

Andy Newman / Special (ENLARGE)

The Herbert Glacier in Juneau, Alaska, observed by Holland America Line cruise passengers taking a helicopter tour.

Andy Newman / Special (ENLARGE)

Vacationers taking a shore excursion.

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From your cruise ship: Most Alaska cruises include a day at sea sailing past glaciers. Some itineraries take you past the Hubbard Glacier, others take you through Glacier Bay. This is a regular part of your cruise; you don't pay extra and you don't have to sign up for anything.

You'll likely see the glaciers calving, where sections crack and float away or crumble into the sea.

"Anytime you have a glacier exiting into a lake or body of water, there is the prospect that it will calve," said Roman Motyka, an associate professor of geology and geophysics at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks.

Motyka said about 90 percent of Alaska's glaciers are retreating. Among those most often seen by summer tourists in Alaska, Mendenhall and Exit Glacier are retreating; Hubbard and Taku are advancing.

Flight-seeing: With helicopter or small plane tours, typically you'll get a terrific view from the air, then land on the glacier.

These tours have limited capacity, so book well in advance, and be prepared for sticker shock. The two-hour Four Glacier Adventure by helicopter from Juneau, which includes landing on a glacier, is $309 a person when booked through Royal Caribbean for summer 2008. A three-hour adventure that includes a helicopter trip and sled dog rides on the Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau runs $524 when booked through the cruise line.

Booking on your own, glacier flight-seeing tours with sled dog rides run nearly $450 (less if you skip the dog ride) through Alaska Flightseeing Tours of Juneau (www.flightseeingtours.com/dogsled.asp ), Alpine Air Alaska in Girdwood (www.alpineairalaska.com/glacier_dog_mushing.html) or Godwin Glacier Dogsled Tours in Seward (www.alaskadogsled.com ).

Hiking: Several glaciers are easy to drive and hike to, including Mendenhall in Juneau; Portage Glacier south of Anchorage; Matanuksa Glacier, two hours east of Anchorage; and Exit Glacier near Seward.

Last summer almost 400,000 people visited Mendenhall. It's 12 miles by car or cab from downtown Juneau. A city bus drops you off a mile from the visitor center or take a shuttle or tour bus into the park. The park has a variety of trails, from easy loops to six miles. www.fs.fed.us/r10/tongass/districts/mendenhall .

By catamaran, canoe and other small vessels: Phillips Cruises and Tours offers a 26 Glaciers in One Day tour ($139) aboard a high-speed catamaran from Whittier to see glaciers in Prince William Sound (www.26glaciers.com).

Alaska Railroad offers an adventure ($185) to Spencer Glacier in Spencer Lake aboard a 10-passenger canoe (www.alaskarailroad.com ).

From Juneau, you can approach Mendenhall Glacier by kayak or canoe through Alaska Travel Adventures (www.alaskatraveladventures.com ). Kayaking is $89 and canoeing in a 10-person canoe is $125.