What remains today is a vast area known as the Valley of 10,000 Smokes, and, even nearly 90 years after the cataclysmic eruption, the landscape still bears the scars.  Brimming with adventurous possibility and inviting exploration, Katmai's Valley of 10,000 Smokes is a backpackers dream. Rimmed with active, glaciated volcanoes, and blanketed with a hiker-friendly surface of sand and ash from a massive 1912 eruption, the Valley is a must-see for anyone with a "peak" experience in mind. On this trip we will circumnavigate the valley floor, with stops along the way to attempt non-technical ascents of Mt. Griggs, Mt. Mageik, and the Mt. Katmai Caldera.  Backpacking in Katmai and the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes is wilderness like nowhere else on Earth. Click Here for more photos from Katmai!

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 Katmai National Park,  you'll find that the areas we visit won't be found on any road map; out here there aren't many roads!

Bush Flights: Access to Katmai National Park 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 into Katmai 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 Katmai takes you across the southern Aleutian Range with towering peaks and tumbling glaciers below the aircraft  The 200 mile flight to King Salmon, Katmai National Park’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 brief flight to Brooks Camp - our home for the evening of night two

Accommodations: Lodging on night one is included in your package.  We use a few of the best B&B and hotel 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.  Night two, we'll spend in the developed NPS campground at Brooks Camp.  This campground is surrounded by an electric fence and offers pit toilets, fire pits, and picnic pavilions.  The remaining nights will be spent camping in the wilderness!

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

Up early on day 2, we’ll have breakfast at the hotel.  We'll then make our way over the the Anchorage International Airport to catch our flight to King Salmon, and then onto Brooks Camp 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, kayaks, dry bags, etc.), satellite phone,  and safety equipment.
• Trekking poles.
• Ground Transportation from the hotel 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 at a hotel 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
• Trip cancellation insurance.
• Additional room nights in Anchorage or King Salmon due to weather delays.
• 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. Most of 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!

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, organic cowboy coffee, assorted teas and hot drinks. For lunch we enjoy homemade snack mixes both salty and sweet and energy and candy bars. Dinners could include lasagna, pad thai, beef mole’ tacos, penne pasta with 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.

The Valley of 10,000 Smokes:

Why go to the Valley of 10,000 Smokes?
Backpacking in the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes in Katmai National Park is a trip of a lifetime.  Near the end of the Alaska Peninsula and along the crest of the Pacific Rim of fire there sits a National Park of legend and lore.  This park, Katmai, is home to the largest brown bear population in the world, holds the spawning grounds of literally millions of sockeye salmon, and contains within its wild borders the unaltered evidence of one of the world's most powerful volcanic eruptions ever recorded. What remains today is a vast area known as the Valley of 10,000 Smokes, and, even nearly 90 years after the cataclysmic eruption, the landscape still bears the scars.  Brimming with adventurous possibility and inviting exploration, Katmai's Valley of 10,000 Smokes is a backpackers dream.

Where is the Valley of 10,000 Smokes?
The Valley of 10,000 Smokes and the 3.5 Million Acre Katmai National Park it's contained within lies the end of the Alaska Peninsula at the crest of the Pacific Rim of fire.  This remote park is over 200 air miles south west of Anchorage. 

How do you get to the Valley of 10,000 Smokes?
Access to the Valley of 10,000 Smokes in Katmai National Park and Preserve is soley by small aircraft or, in some instances, by boat.

Is transportation to the Valley of 10,000 Smokes 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 B&B 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 B&B 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 the famous Brooks Camp, the access point for the Valley of 10,000 Smokes. 

Is the Valley of 10,000 Smokes a good place for viewing wildlife?
Absolutely. Katmai National Park is home to grizzly, coastal brown, and black bears, dall sheep, caribou, moose, wolves, and tremedous seasonal populations of migratory birds.  We'll spend the afternoon of day 2 viewing the famous brown bears of the Brooks River.

Itinerary:

Day 1: Your trip begins today in Anchorage, Alaska.  You can arrive at any time and transfer to our bed & breakfast 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 a filling breakfast at the hotel, we’ll board a flight to King Salmon, a small fishing town on the Naknek River near the Bering Sea coast.  We'll gather our gear, and board a float plane to Brooks Camp. Here, we'll have a chance to view the famous brown bears of the Brooks River and prepare for tomorrow’s bus ride into the Valley. All meals included.

Day 3: After breaking camp and adjusting our packs, we board the Valley of 10,000 Smokes bus and leave the last bit of civilization behind. The Valley’s eerie landscape reflects the power of the eruption that buried the valley floor under 700 feet of pumice and ash and dotted the surface of this lunar-like topography with thousands of steam vents (fumaroles). Nearly a century of harsh weather has enhanced the beauty of the Valley of 10,000 Smokes, and one can now gaze into river canyons hundreds of feet deep where the layers of pumice and ash have been slowly eroded by the channeled rain and snowmelt. As we hoist our packs and head to the valley floor, we will immediately see the effect that this powerful and historic event had on the landscape.  Our goal today will be the clear water of Mageik Lake – 12 miles from our drop-off.  On the way, we’ll be sure to revel in our surroundings and enjoy the route between the Buttress Range and the slot canyon that is the River Lethe.  We’ll have the glaciated Mt. Mageik in our sites throughout the day.  As we enjoy our first meal in the valley, we’ll discuss glacier travel techniques and tomorrow’s summit attempt. All meals included.

Day 4-9: We'll spend the next few days exploring the Valley of 10,000 Smokes. If the weather is kind and our legs primed, we'll attempt non-technical ascents of Mt. Mageik, Mt. Katmai Caldera, and Mt. Griggs, three of the most impressive destinations that rim the Valley floor.  While success achieving all three summits is slim and often prevented by inclement weather in the high mountains, the Valley always reveals amazing secrets and absolutely breathtaking landscapes.  Regardless of the final summit talley, we'll enjoy the adventure of a lifetime as we explore this most amazing and highly regarded national park.  All meals included.

Day 10: After enjoying a final night at Juhle Creek, a clearwater stream that forms an oasis at the rim of the valley beneath Griggs Volcano, we’ll trek the final miles to our pick-up point and celebrate our success at circumnavigating this unique and amazing valley.  The bus will deposit us back at Brooks Camp and our waiting float plane, where we will be sure to scan for one last sighting of the amazing bruins that call the Brooks River home. From King Salmon, we’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 10 pm.  Breakfast & Lunch included.