Alaska Backpacking - Wrangell - St. Elias National Park

Basecamp hiking trips
(suitable for all levels and ages):

Nizina Glacier Base Camp - 3 days
Skolai Pass Base Camp- 4 days
Bremner Mine Base Camp - 4 days
Iceberg Lake Base Camp - 4 days

Easier backpacking trips:

Root Glacier Overnight Adventure - 2 days
Donoho Peak Wilderness Backpacking - 4 days (easier route)
Hidden Lake to Lakina River - 5 days - coming soon!

More rugged backpacking trips:

Donoho Peak Wilderness Backpacking - 4 days (harder route)
Upper Chitistone Canyon Backpacking Expedition - 4 days
Glacier and Tundra Backpacking Trek - 5 days
Kennecott to Lakina River - 7 days - coming soon!

Strenuous - Experience Required:

Hanagita Peak Backpacking - 6 days
Bremner Mine to Iceberg Lake (Seven Pass Route) - 7 days
- coming soon! -
Alpine scrambling Expedition - 8 days
Chitistone Canyon Expedition Adventure - 11 days
Skolai to Nizina Multi-Sport - 12 days

Back to top

Skolai Pass Basecamp and Trekking - 4 Days

When we picture the perfect setting for a base camp, the alpine tundra of Skolai Pass is right at the top. To the south, this remote valley is flanked by the exotic Hole-in-the-Wall Glacier with its seven icy tongues. To the north, the mighty Frederika Glacier lumbers down towards Skolai Valley.

A day hike to Chitistone Pass provides views deep into the Yukon Territory and of the western edge of the St. Elias Range capped by 16,421 ft (5,005 m) Mt. Bona. Dwarf Fireweed and alpine Forget-me-Nots dot the tundra in the summer and the piercing red of bear berry and dwarf willow blaze in the autumn. We invite people of all abilities to visit this spectacular backcountry kingdom and no previous experience is necessary. Enjoy!

Trip Highlights:

• Base camping and trekking in a stunning, remote alpine valley
• Day hike to the expansive views from Chitistone Pass
• Great trip for people of all abilities
• Explore the unspoiled Alaskan wilderness

Bremner Mine Basecamp Hiking - 4 Days

The Bremner Mine is a 40-minute bush plane flight south of McCarthy, and is nestled in an alpine pass between the Chitina and Bremner Rivers. Designated the Bremner Historic District, this abandoned gold mine provides a unique glimpse into what it must have been like to be part of the great "gold rush" to Alaska a century ago. Completely surrounded by craggy peaks, hangingvalleys, and verdant green tundra, the "camp" is a wonderful jumping offpoint for day hikes. The old bunkhouse provides a convenient place for a kitchen, protected from the weather…and what a great place to sit and scope the surrounding slopes for grizzly and Dall sheep. Day hikes head out in any direction; south down Golconda Creek to scamper to ridges for panoramic views of the Bagley Icefield, or north towards Monahan Creek and the shores of a sky-blue alpine lake with views of the high Wrangells. No camping experience is needed. People of all abilities are invited to visit this remote wilderness.

Trip Highlights:

• Base camping and trekking while exploring an historic gold mine
• Breathtaking views of the Wrangell Mountains and Bagley Icefield
• Day hiking on lush green tundra in the Chugach Mountains
• Exploring high ridges, alpine lakes, and wildflower-filled valleys

Back to top

Back to top

Iceberg Basecamp and Trekking - 4 Days

True to its name, Iceberg Lake is filled with icebergs. These icebergs, however, aren’t the floating kind. In fact, most of the lake has no water in it at all and the icebergs are sitting on the ground! Located 45 minutes south of McCarthy, by air, and nestled in the Chugach Mountains, Iceberg Lake is typical of many Alaskan lakes that are formed when a glacier dams up a river. Typically, at some point in the season, the ice-dam fails and the water that is backed up releases in an event called a jokulhlaup. The icebergs that were once floating on the surface of the lake are left sitting on the dry lakebed! Combine this with sweeping views of the Bagley Icefield and a setting surrounded by rugged peaks and hanging glaciers and you can see why Iceberg Lake is a fantastic destination for a base camping trip. No previous experience is necessary and we welcome everyone to experience this unspoiled paradise!

Trip Highlights:

• Exploring the eerie blue icebergs left sitting on a dry lakebed
• Day hiking to beautiful alpine lakes and on moving glaciers
• Spectacular views of the Bagley Icefield
• Base camping near spectacular rugged peaks and hanging glaciers

Root Glacier Overnight Adventure

ALASKA OVERNIGHT HIKING ADVENTURE! If you want to get out and experience a bit of backpacking in Alaska, but aren't sure you're up for one of our longer expeditions or simply don't have the time, this overnight adventure is perfect for you! This majestic valley is a great introduction to hiking in the Alaska backcountry. Basically an extended version of our popular half and full day glacier hikes, this overnight adventure gives you two full days to explore the caves, moulins (vertical shafts drilled by water into the ice), crevasses and rolling hills of the Root Glacier. Strong hikers may even make it across the valley to the Kennicott Glacier for even more dramatic features.

We run these trips on a custom basis and each is tailored to your goals, desires and abilities. Please join us!

Back to top

Donoho Peak Wilderness - 4 Days

For many of us, the word Alaska conjures up images of rugged mountains, brawling rivers, abundant wildlife, and the independent people it takes to live in America’s “Last Frontier.” In reality, Alaska is all of this, and we’re truly lucky to have all of it right outside our back door. The Donoho Peak Wilderness Exploration is an excellent introduction to the rugged terrain and supreme natural beauty found in the Wrangell St. Elias National Park. And, since the trip departs from our doorstep, we’re able to offer the trip to you at a very affordable rate.

Trip Highlights:

• Majestic views of 16,390 ft (4,995 m) Mt. Blackburn and the mile-high (1.6 km) Stairway Icefall
• Expert instruction on wilderness backpacking techniques in Alaska
• Opportunity to summit 6,696 ft (2,040 m) Donoho Peak
• Exploring the streams, blue pools, and moulins of the Root Glacier

Upper Chitistone Goat Trail - 4 Days

If you’re looking for a shorter trek, but still want to experience some of the best backpacking terrain in the Wrangell St. Elias National Park; the Upper Chitistone Canyon Trek is for you. Located in the heart of the Wrangell St. Elias National Park, the Chitistone Canyon offers some of the most spectacular backpacking in Alaska, if not the world. This superlative hike follows the "Goat Trail", so named by miners making their way to the gold fields of the Interior. This "trail" explores the only pass that bisects the magnificent Wrangell and St. Elias Mountain ranges. Flying by bush plane, you and your guide are dropped off on a remote plateau in the Hole-in-the-Wall region where this adventure begins. Hiking into the canyon, you and your guide join the route of our 11-day Chitistone Canyon Expedition. The end of the adventure is spent in silent awe as you cross pristine Chitistone Pass and finish by scrambling out amid glaciers onto the tundra of Skolai Valley. The Upper Chitistone Canyon Trek is a moderately difficult trip designed for experienced backpackers who want to go beyond the trail and see some of the best the Wrangell St. Elias National Park has to offer.

Trip Highlights:

• Breathtaking views of the Wrangell and St. Elias Mountains from Chitistone Pass
• Test your Alaska backpacking skills on the “Goat Trail"
• Exploring the glaciers and high alpine tundra of the Upper Chitistone Canyon
• Shorter version of our spectacular Chitistone Canyon Expedition

Back to top

Back to top

Glacier and Tundra Expedition - 5 Days

Come experience the wild beauty of Alaska, backpacking with us on the Glacier and Tundra Exploration trip. At 13.2 million acres, Alaska’s Wrangell St. Elias National Park is the largest national park in the United States.

It is home to massive glaciers, lofty mountain peaks, and lush, tundra-carpeted valleys. This trip gives you a great sampling of the variety of terrain found in the Park as you travel through one of its most breathtaking glacial valleys.

Trip Highlights:

• Guided, Alaska backpacking tours through some of the most spectacular scenery in North America
• Exploring blue, glacial pools and green, tundra covered mountainsides
• Learning new skills from experienced mountain guides
• Experiencing Alaska wilderness backpacking in the Wrangell St. Elias National Park

Hanagita Peak Backpacking - 6 Days

Located deep in the Chugach Mountains of Alaska, 8,504 ft (2,592m) Hanagita Peak is an imposing fortress of rock and ice surrounded by rugged, trail less wilderness. If you’re looking for a challenging hiking trip in Alaska, this just might be exactly what you’re looking for. The trek begins at the small gold mining outpost of the Bremner Mine and continues over rocky passes and past alpine glaciers to the tundra valleys of the upper Klu River. This is an unexplored region, and once you arrive, you and your guide will seek out a suitable landing strip to rendezvous with a small bush plane for the ride back to “civilization”. This itinerary includes one day to explore pyramid-shaped Hanagita Peak. Due to the difficult terrain, extensive backpacking experience is required. You should feel comfortable hiking long days with a pack weighing 45-60 lbs. and have a good sense of balance and a desire for challenge.

Trip Highlights:

• Backpacking through unexplored terrain in the Chugach Mountains
• Testing your backpacking skills in the wilderness of Alaska
• Close-up views of the imposing summit of Hanagita Peak
• Exploring the seldom-visited Klu River

Alpine Scrambling Expedition - 8 Days

Our Alpine Scrambling Expedition combines Alaska hiking and mountaineering for backpackers who wish to incorporate some easy Alaskan summits into their adventure. The climbing is non-technical, but still offers the opportunity to learn and practice basic climbing skills and techniques. Located in the high country of the Chugach Mountains, numerous summits offer a wide range of terrain types. Bush planes allow you and your guide to gain access to the area, and then backpack into higher country using glaciers and moraines as "trails". Rugged peaks in the six to seven thousand foot range (1,828 – 2,133m), some of them still unclimbed, rim the nameless valleys that you’ll explore. On clear days the possibility of awe inspiring views will awaken the climbing spirit in you as you scamper from peak to peak looking for new vistas of the mountains and tundra beyond. Previous backpacking experience and good physical conditioning are a must for this adventure.

Trip Highlights:

• Possible first ascents on remote Alaskan peaks
• Alaskan backpacking trip in the magnificent Chugach Mountain wilderness
• Exploring unnamed valleys and peaks with your experienced mountain guide
• Learning new techniques and skills to add to your backcountry repertoire

Chitistone Canyon Expedition - 11 Days

Located in the heart of the Wrangell St. Elias National Park, the Chitistone Canyon offers some of the most spectacular backpacking in Alaska, if not the world. This superlative hike follows the "Goat Trail", so named by miners making their way to the gold fields of the Interior. This "trail" explores the only pass that bisects the magnificent Wrangell and St. Elias Mountain ranges. A short bush plane flight takes you just below the entrance of the Chitistone Canyon, where you and your guide begin eight days of hiking through spruce forests and deep canyons the color of the American Southwest. The first days of the expedition are spent in the lower part of the canyon, where the terrain is relatively flat and allows for a gradual breaking in to the physical demands of backpacking in Alaska. Hiking up into the high alpine, a day trip follows each day of moving camp, allowing for the exploration of the tundra covered valleys and remote canyons alongside the trail. The end of the adventure is spent in silent awe as you cross pristine Chitistone Pass and finish by scrambling out amid glaciers onto the tundra of Skolai Valley. The Chitistone Canyon Expedition is a moderately difficult trip designed for experienced backpackers who want to go beyond the trail and see some of the best the Wrangell St. Elias National Park has to offer.

Trip Highlights:

• Breathtaking views of the Wrangell and St. Elias Mountains
• Backpacking in Alaska through awe-inspiring terrain
• Exploring along the mighty Chitistone River
• Hiking amidst the glaciers and tundra of magnificent Skolai Valley

Back to top

Featured in
Backpacker Magazine!

Back to top

Skolai to Nizina Multi-Sport - Backpacking and Rafting - 12 Days

Our Skolai Pass to the Nizina River Multi-Sport adventure traverses some of the most impressive terrain the Wrangell-St. Elias has to offer! The bush plane flight to Skolai Pass shadows your route; up the Nizina River Canyon, over the Nizina and Rohn Glaciers, skirting Rohn Ridge and crossing the Frederika Glacier, to finally land in the alpine tundra of Skolai Valley. Surrounded by hanging glaciers and alpine peaks, you’ll cross fast flowing rivers, hike on glaciers as they shape the landscape, climb rocky ridges, and descend to the source of the Nizina River. After 8 days, you and your Alaska mountain guide change from land to water travel, boarding rafts and silently floating beneath towering rock walls weeping with thousand foot waterfalls. At the take-out you rendezvous with a bush plane for the flight back to McCarthy.

Trip Highlights:

• Exploring the Wrangell-St. Elias wilderness on foot and by raft
• Wilderness backpacking over glaciers and tundra
• Exploring ice-berg filled Nizina Lake
• Spectacular views of the seven lobes of the Hole-in-the-wall glacier and the high peaks of the Wrangell-St. Elias Mountains