Alaska Hiking and Backpacking Trips

Check with us about our specials in the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes with the 100th anniversary of the erruption of Novarupta coming up.

"Bill and Kathi were my guides on an unforgettable adventure to Katmai National Park in Alaska. We backpacked into the Valley of Tenthousand Smokes and explored the valley and volcanoes. The guiding, these two folks provided, was superb. Skilled assessments of river crossings, bear safety, food supply, friendly conversations, lots of fun, and always a sense of being watched over, when things got tough left me wanting to do more trips with Bill and Kathi. I will be back next year to explore more of the Great Land."

Areas we offer on our guided backpacking trips are primarily Katmai National Park and the Brooks Range. We also operate in other areas of Alaska. We will custom design a trip for you upon request.

If you are looking for backpacking trips without crowds and off the beaten path then this is the place for you. Enjoy the best of Alaska with a personal guide.

Backpacking trip “Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes” in Katmai National Park

This trip is in our opinion one of the best backpacking trips in Alaska to one of the most unusual places in Alaska.

The trip starts with a flight from Anchorage to King Salmon. From here we take a bush plane into the famous Brooks Camp and spent a night on the campground where we have a chance to watch Grizzly bears at the famous Brooks Falls (best months July and September).The next day a 4x4 bus will take us along a rugged 23 mile long dirt road to the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes. From here our backpacking adventure begins. We will hike on to the ash flow of Novarupta which was site of the largest volcanic eruption of the 19th century. We cross the river Lethe and Windy Creek to get to our first night's camp at Baked Mountain.
The next 7-10 days we explore Novarupta,fumaroles, glaciers, Katmai Pass, Mageik Lakes or even climb one of the volcanoes.

Great opportunity to see caribou and other wildllife such as bears, wolves, dall sheep, arctic fox and more.
From Coldfoot we take a bushflight into a base camp. We explore different valleys and peaks every day.
If we are lucky the caribou will come right through our camp. Best time for this trip to see caribou is
mid to late August. Most times we will go into the Gates of the Arctic National Park, but we may also go
into Arctic National Wildlife Refuge depeding on the time of year.
Cost: $ 2900.00 per person
trip duration: 7 days
Trip starts and finishes in Fairbanks.
Included
professional guide service, bush flights from Fairbanks, cook stoves, bear resistant food containers, water filters, tents, bear spray, safety equipment, sat phone, electric fence
Not included
lodging in Fairbanks

Hike along a ridge in Denali State Park for an upclose and personal view of North Americas tallest peak Mount McKinley at 20.320 feet also known as Denali, the Great One.This 6 day trip leads us from forrested hills into alpine tundra and small lakes on the Kesugi Ridge.Possibility of seeing moose, caribou, beaver and bears.This hike is road accessable and gives you a good idea what Alaska has to offer.
The hike on the Kesugi Ridge is most beautiful in the fall in late August/beginning of September when the colors of the tundra are exploding. Denali State Park is much less crowded than the nearby larger Denali National Park. Most of this hike is on a ridge above treeline. We will spend the night in tents and carry all of our food. We start out and hike up above treeline from Coal Creek trailhead into the tundra where we pass by several small lakes where we have the chance to see beavers. We have seen moose, bears, beavers and other wildlife on this hike.
We have plenty of time to explore this beautiful ridge with views of Mount McKinley ( Denali), Moose's Tooth and other peaks of the Alaska Range.
The hike culminates at Byers Lake .
The fall colors in late August/early September are spectacular on this hike. In our opinion the best time for this hike!

difficulty: daily hiking and carrying packs, overnighting in tents, clients should be able to carry a 30-35 pound backpack.

This hike takes us over Rainy Pass, famous part of the Iditarod Trail in the Alaska Range. Much of the Iditarod Trail is impassable in the summertime, because it is made up of wetlands, rivers and lakes. On this hike we will make our way from Rohn over the pass and to Puntilla where the historic Rainy Pass Lodge awaits us at Puntilla Lake. Mushers, snowmobiles and human-powered racers make their way over the pass every year in February, but in the summertime this place is rarely visited. We will find solitude, high country filled with wild flowers, dall sheep and other wildlife. The Iditarod Trail is just a framework, and our route will require some creek crossings and bushwhacking. This is a demanding hike through trailless terrain and only recommended for strong and adventurous hikers that don't mind to bushwhack and ford many streams and sidehill on scree.