Though the exact number is unknown, it is estimated that the 19 million acre refuge – an area the size of South Carolina – receives approximately 1500 recreational visitors a year. It is this type of trip in this type of wilderness that inspires Alaska Alpine Adventures, and we will visit the refuge again in 2010 to lead this spectacular trip down ANWR’s Kongakut River. ANWR lives up to its description as "America’s Serengeti" and this vast area supports more species and habitat diversity than any conservation area in the northern hemisphere. The US Fish and Wildlife Service calls the refuge, "The only conservation system unit that protects, in an undisturbed condition, a complete spectrum of the arctic ecosystems in North America." Caribou, polar bears, grizzlies and muskoxen wander the north slope of the Brooks Range and the highest concentration of nesting golden eagles in Alaska make the Kongakut River corridor their summer home. Humans also have a long history in the Arctic and the Gwich’in people of northeast Alaska and northwest Canada have depended on this vast area and its porcupine caribou herd for thousands of generations.

Our schedule on the Kongakut and our ten full days in the refuge will allow us ample opportunities to hike, fish, photograph, and savor this phenomenal ecosystem. Using inflatable canoes called SOARs, we’ll paddle the 75 miles of the Kongakut at a fairly leisurely pace, taking time at the put-in and along the river itself for day hikes and exploration. The river is mainly class II with short sections of class III whitewater.   As we float and paddle our way down toward the Beaufort Sea, breathtaking scenery will accompany us. This interactive visit to one of Earth’s most spectacular conservation areas will allow you the opportunity to contemplate the inherent value of wilderness in your own life and those of future generations.

This trip originates in Fairbanks, Alaska. Getting to Fairbanks is a snap.  Alaska Airlines, your travel agent, or the carrier of your choice can easily arrange roundtrip airfare from the lower 48.  Once you land in Fairbanks, your adventure really begins. For this trip into the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, you'll find that the areas we visit won't be found on any road map; out here there aren't any roads!

Bush Flights: Access to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is limited to air travel in a small airplane flown by an experienced bush pilot. This adventure includes the bush flight between Fairbanks and Arctic Village, Alaska and flights into the refuge necessary for  your itinerary.  Have your camera at the ready, your trip begins here.  For most, this will be your first experience in a small aircraft – a memorable one to be sure.  The flight to Arctic Village takes you across open tundra as you make your way towards the mighty Brooks Range, and takes approximately an two hours.  After arriving in Arctic Village, you will board a small bush plane outfitted for tundra landings for your flight into the wilderness.

Accommodations: Lodging on night one in Fairbanks is included in your package.  You’ll be staying in at Pike's Waterfront Lodge in Fairbanks.  We use Pike's because of it's comfortable rooms and convenient location near the airport.  Prices are double occupancy. If you prefer your own room on night one you will be asked to pay a single supplement of $75.00.  The remaining nights will be spent camping in the wilderness!

The Experience: Your trip originates in Fairbanks, and we'll meet as a group for the first time at Pike's Waterfront Lodge.  As you settle into your accommodations for the night, your guide(s) will be available to aid you with your gear and answer any questions you might have.

Up early on day 2, we’ll have breakfast at the lodge.  We'll then make our way over to our air taxi to catch our flight to Arctic Village, and then into the wilderness.  Our first day will allow us to collect our senses, gaze at the surrounding beauty, and get a feel for the terrain we will be covering.  You will quickly become acquainted with our style of wilderness travel and camp etiquette.  Meals are planned to be sumptuous, filling culinary adventures of their own.  Because weight and packaging is critical, careful consideration is taken in planning and packing the ingredients.  You can be assured every meal will be something you may never have experienced in the wilderness. We use organic and real food products when possible and the very best freeze-dried and dehydrated ingredients available.

What’s Included:

• All group gear (tents, inflatable canoes, stoves, fuel, dry bags, etc.) and safety equipment.
• Trekking poles.
• Roundtrip air transportation from Fairbanks to Arctic Village.
• Roundtrip air transportation from Arctic Village into the wilderness.
• Lodging on night one in Fairbanks.
• Professional guide service at a maximum 4:1 client to guide ratio.
• All meals from dinner on day one through lunch on the final day of the itinerary.

What’s Not:

• Lodging in Fairbanks prior to and after your adventure.
• Personal gear (sleeping bags, packs, rain gear, etc.).  See Equipment Lists
• Trip cancellation insurance.
• Alcoholic beverages.
• Guide gratuities.

Everyone asks:

What about the mosquitoes?
In case you've heard horror stories... the number of mosquitoes is greatly dependent on hatching season and annual weather conditions. While we are bound to encounter some mosquitoes during the course of our adventure, their numbers have not generally presented major problems on past trips in these specific areas. That said, please arrive prepared with insect repellent and a head net to fend off any mosquitoes that are present.

Will bears be a problem?
Alaska is bear country! There are both grizzly and black bears in most of the wilderness areas of Alaska we visit. We love seeing bears in the wild and it really is one of the most thrilling experiences common in Alaska backcountry travel. With that said, traveling safely and taking precautions to minimize a negative encounter are things we take very seriously. In addition to being subject to our thorough bear safety orientation, you’ll also see that we take many precautions when traveling in Alaska’s wilderness – 1 all of our food has been packaged to minimize odors – we vacuum seal most of our fresh ingredients and sauces, we pack our food in bear resistant food canisters, and we store our food well away from camp. 2 We make noise when we’re hiking in thick brush or when we’re hiking in windy conditions to minimize surprise encounters 3 we keep an exceptionally clean camp and 4 as a last resort we travel armed. Our guides carry 44 mags or shotguns. Most of Alaska’s national parks, excluding Katmai and Denali, allow for the use of firearms and our guides are thoroughly trained in firearm use. Again, using a gun is a last resort and thankfully we’ve never had to call one into service on a trip!

What kind of food might we expect?
Our food is excellent – in fact it is something that clearly differentiates us from our competitors. We have spent the past decade fine tuning our backcountry menu. Breakfasts include pancakes, scrambles, various homemade granolas and cereals, French pressed coffee, assorted teas and hot drinks. For lunch we enjoy foccacia sandwiches, bagels and Alaska lox, hummus and toasted pita chips, and assorted wraps. We also have homemade snack mixes both salty and sweet and energy and candy bars available throughout the day. Dinners could include lasagna, pad thai, beef mole’ tacos, penne pasta with a roasted red pepper pesto, wild mushroom risotto, etc. And we ALWAYS enjoy one of Derek’s home baked desserts after dinner.

When would you require a deposit? and how much? Trip cancellation insurance? Can we get it through you?
We require a deposit of $1000 per person to officially reserve a trip. Really the deposit is due as soon as you’d like to book. That way, we have the trip inked in on the schedule and can begin the effort to coax others into joining the adventure. When you decide to book, we then generate an invoice that we send by email. You’ll then have the option to pay the deposit by mailing us a check, calling us with a credit card number or by using a Visa, Master Card, or American Experss on our secure online payment system. As for trip cancellation insurance, Alaska Alpine Adventures is licensed to sell Travel Guard - an industry leading insurance product designed specifically for adventure travelers. Please contact us for details, or click here to obtain a quote.

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge:

Why go to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge?
Rafting and hiking in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is simply a trip of a lifetime. ANWR is one of the least visited and remote areas left in North America, and, despite the media attention it receives, it offers the opportunity for unparalleled exploratory adventure. Though the exact number is unknown, it is estimated that the 19 million acre Arctic refuge – an area the size of South Carolina – receives approximately 1500 recreational visitors a year.  ANWR lives up to its description as “America’s Serengeti” and this vast area supports more species and habitat diversity than any conservation area in the northern hemisphere. The US Fish and Wildlife Service calls the refuge, "The only conservation system unit that protects, in an undisturbed condition, a complete spectrum of the arctic ecosystems in North America."

Where is the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge?
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge lies 250 miles northeast of Fairbanks, and over 450 miles north of Anchorage.  The national wildlife refuge is the eastern component of the 700 square mile protected Brooks Range. Gates of the Arctic National Park makes up the central portion, and the Noatak Preserve the western.

How do you get to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge?
Access to refuge is mainly by small aircraft or, in some instances, can be arduously accessed by foot.

Is transportation to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge included in the price of the trip?
Absolutely, our Arctic trips are all inclusive from Fairbanks. All you need to do is get yourself to our lodge in Fairbanks on Day 1 of your itinerary.

Where will you meet us?
Your Alaska Alpine Adventures guide will meet you in the afternoon at the lodge on day 1 for an orientation dinner and gear check. 

Who will I be flying with and what time will we be departing on day two?
You will join your guides for breakfast at the lodge on the morning of day two.  From there, the group will shuttle to the air taxi for the flight to Arctic Village.  We will be flying with Wright Air from Fairbanks to Arctic Village.  From there, we'll transfer to another plane equipped for tundra landings for our flight into the wilderness. 

Is the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge a good place for viewing wildlife?
Absolutely. The wildlife refuge is home to grizzly and polar bears, dall sheep, caribou, moose, wolves, and tremedous seasonal populations of migratory birds.

Itinerary:
Day 1: Today you are free to arrive in Fairbanks on your own. We’ll be staying at Pikes Waterfront Lodge, which is located near the airport on the banks of the Chena River.  After checking into the hotel, you’ll meet our guides by early afternoon in the hotel lobby. Tonight we’ll do an orientation dinner at our favorite Thai restaurant in Fairbanks and upon returning to our hotel, we’ll pour over maps and discuss the route.  Dinner included.

Day 2: After an early breakfast, we’ll drive to the airport and board planes for our 300 mile journey over the Yukon flats to the native community of Arctic Village. We’ll then transfer to smaller aircraft for our flight into ANWR. This spectacular flight will take us ten miles above the Arctic divide to the headwaters of the Kongakut River. Our skilled bush pilots will drop us off on a gravel bar along the river where we’ll set up our first camp.  All meals included.

Day 3: We’ll spend today in the high country hiking, exploring, admiring the vistas and looking for dall sheep, wolves and grizzlies.  The hiking in the Refuge is simply outstanding.  Wide open tundra expanses, alpine ridges, and open gravel bars beg to be explored on foot.  You’ll quickly understand why our adventure is 12-days in duration – you just have to hike in ANWR! All meals included.

Days 4-11: Since we’ll have near 24 hours of daylight, our schedule on the river will be flexible and we’ll take six to seven days to float the 55 miles of river to our pick-up at Caribou Pass. The river itself is spectacular as it carves its way through mountain gorges of rock and tundra. The water runs fast, clear and cold from its headwaters on the north slope of the Brooks Range to the Beaufort Sea. We’ll camp on river bars and spend our layover days (four in all) hiking, wildlife viewing, exploring, photographing, relaxing and digesting the solitude in this vast and remote wilderness.  All meals included.

Day 12: Today we’ll break camp and await our pick-up. Once again, our bush pilot will use his skills to negotiate the terrain. If the weather conditions cooperate, we’ll return to Fairbanks by 7pm. If you are leaving Alaska on this day, please schedule flights home from Fairbanks for after 9pm.  Breakfast & Lunch included.