We’ll spend the first part of the trip hiking around Surprise Lake and exploring the 2500’ deep caldera, the impressive remnant of a massive volcanic eruption 3500 years ago. The expedition will culminate with an exciting 4-day rafting trip down the spectacular Aniakchak River where you’ll float from a volcano to the sea.  Aniakchak National Monument & Preserve, encompassing 586,000 acres of pristine Alaska wilderness, offers amazing hiking, incredible rafting, and some of the wildest weather in Alaska in one of the least visited and most remote units of the National Park System.

This trip originates in Anchorage, Alaska. Getting to Anchorage 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 Anchorage, your adventure really begins. For this trip into Aniakchak National Monument, 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 Aniakchak National Monument is limited to air travel in a small airplane flown by an experienced bush pilot. This adventure includes an internal flights between Anchorage and King Salmon, Alaska on either Alaska Airlines or Pen Air,  and floatplane flights to Aniakchak 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 Aniakchak takes you across the southern Aleutian Range with towering peaks and tumbling glaciers below the aircraft.  The 200 mile flight to King Salmon, Aniakchak National monument’s gateway community, takes just over an hour. After arriving in King Salmon, you will then be taken by bus to Katmai Air's floatplane base located along the world famous Naknek River.  Here you and your guide will board Katmai Air's floatplane for the hour and a half flight to the Aniakchak Caldera and Surprise Lake.

Accommodations: Lodging on night one is included in your package.  We use a couple of the best properties in Anchorage, and they are comfortable and conveniently located downtown.  Prices are double occupancy. If you prefer your own room on night one you will be asked to pay a single supplement of $105.00.  The remaining nights will be spent camping in the wilderness!

The Experience: After checking into our accommodations in Anchorage, you’ll meet our guides by early evening before an orientation dinner at one of our favorite restaurants in Anchorage.  After dinner, we’ll pour over maps and discuss the route.

Up early on day 2, we’ll have breakfast before making our way over the the Anchorage International Airport to catch our flight to King Salmon, and then onto Aniakchak by floatplane.  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, stoves, fuel, inflatable canoes, dry bags, etc.), satellite phone,  and safety equipment.
• Trekking poles.
• Ground Transportation from the B&B to Anchorage International Airport on Day 2.
• Air transportation from Anchorage to King Salmon.
• All internal bush flights necessary for the trip.
• Lodging on night one in Anchorage.
• Professional guide service at a maximum 4:1 client to guide ratio.
• All meals from lunch on day one through lunch on the final day of the itinerary.
• Storage for your extra travel items while in the field.

What’s Not:

• Lodging in Anchorage prior to and after your adventure.
• Personal gear (sleeping bags, packs, rain gear, etc.). - See Equipment Lists
• Additional room nights in Anchorage or King Salmon due to weather delays.
• Trip cancellation insurance.
• Alcoholic beverages.
• Guide gratuities.

Reservation Policy:

A deposit of $1000.00 per person is required to reserve a trip with Alaska Alpine Adventures. The remaining balance is due 60 days prior to the start of the trip. Reservations made within 60 days of the trip starting date require payment in full.

If the participant cancels a reservation earlier than 60 days prior to the starting date, the deposit will be refunded, minus a $500.00 administration fee. If the participant cancels within 59-31 days of the starting date, 50% of the trip balance will be refunded. If cancellation is made within 30-0 days of the trip starting date, there will be no refund of any costs. Alaska Alpine Adventures recommends cancellation insurance available through Travel Guard. Please call or email us for details.

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. Alaska’s national parks 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!  Be sure to check out some tips on traveling safely in bear country on our blog!

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 granola 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 Experess 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.

Aniakchak National Monument:

Why go to Aniakchak National Monument?
Simply because we love to explore the most remote and amazing locations in Alaska.  Aniakchak National Monument & Preserve, encompassing 586,000 acres of pristine Alaska wilderness, offers amazing     hiking, incredible rafting, and some of the wildest weather in Alaska in one of the least visited and most remote units of the National Park System.

Where is Aniakchak?
The Aniakchak National Monument and its surrounding 1/2 million-acre national preserve is located approximately 400 miles West-Southwest of Anchorage along the volcanically active "Ring of Fire" in     the heart of the Aleutian Mountains.

How do you get to Aniakchak National Monument?
Access to Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve is soley by small aircraft or, in some instances, by boat.

Is transportation to Aniakchak included in the price of the trip?
Absolutely, our trips are all inclusive from Anchorage. All you need to do is get yourself to our hotel in Anchorage on Day 1 of your itinerary.

Where will you meet us?
Your Alaska Alpine Adventures guide will meet you at 6 PM at the hotel on the evening of night 1 for an orientation dinner and gear check. 

Who will I be flying with and what time will we be departing on day one?
Your guides will meet you at the B&B at 8AM.  You'll fly with your guides commercially to King Salmon, Alaska with either Alaska Airlines or Pen Air.  From there, we'll be flying with Katmai Air from King     Salmon to Aniakchak. 

Is Aniakchak National Monument a good place for viewing wildlife?
Absolutely. In addition to seeing all 5 species of Pacific salmon, the monument and preserve is home to grizzly, coastal brown, and black bears, dall sheep, caribou, moose, wolves, and tremendous seasonal populations of migratory birds.




 

Itinerary:

Day 1: Your trip begins today in Anchorage, Alaska.  You can arrive at any time and transfer to our B&B independently.  We’ll be staying at the Susitna Place or the Copper Whale Inn, which are both located close to the airport and adjacent to downtown Anchorage.  Depending on your arrival time, the remainder of the day is at leisure to relax after your flight or to explore some of the city’s notable sites including the Anchorage Museum of History & Art or the city Park Strip.  This evening, you’ll meet your guide at 6pm and head to an orientation dinner at a local restaurant.  The orientation will include a discussion of the route, an introduction to our unique style of Alaska wilderness travel, a familiarization of the principles of Leave No Trace, and a conversation about traveling safely in bear country.  Dinner included.

Day 2: After breakfast, we’ll board a flight to King Salmon, where, if the weather cooperates, we’ll then board a floatplane destined for Surprise Lake within the Aniakchak Caldera.  As we unload our gear and establish camp on the shores of the lake’s azure waters, we are sure to be awestruck by the magnitude of our surroundings.  With mountains surrounding us on all sides, the outside world will seem distant and detached. You’ll forever remember the overwhelming feeling of solitude as the float-plane lifts from the lake and disappears into the distant horizon. All meals included.

Day 3-5: We’ll take the next three days to explore the amazing Aniakchak Caldera.  With daypacks containing essentials, we will head out in search of adventure.  Whether climbing to the caldera’s rim or scanning for wildlife along the lakes edge, we are sure to feel immersed in the wilderness that surrounds us! The hiking within the caldera is endless and wonderful.  Devoid of vegetation, the hiking offers unparalleled access to the ridges and peaks that rim the valley floor. All meals included.

Day 6: Today we will trade our trekking poles for paddles as we break down camp and load our boats for our descent down the Aniakchak River, a nationally registered Wild & Scenic River.  The river runs swift as it exits the caldera through the famed "Gates".  Losing almost 75’ per mile, this section of the river requires careful navigation through car sized boulders and exciting rapids!  All meals included.

Day 7 – 9: We will spend 4 total days on the river, taking time to enjoy the wilderness that surrounds us, and anticipating the changes we will see as we scan the horizon for the Pacific Ocean.  On the shores of Aniakchak Bay we’ll share our final camp with the residents of this coastal environment, including seals, sea otters and the sea birds that call this magical place home. All meals included.

Day 10: Weather permitting, we’ll again revel in the skill of our bush pilots as they whisk us back to King Salmon and the conclusion of our adventure. From King Salmon, you’ll catch a flight back to Anchorage. If you are leaving Alaska on this day, please make certain that you schedule all homebound flights from Anchorage for after 11 pm. Breakfast & Lunch included.