Key Information: Tour Duration: 10
day(s) Group Size: 3
- 7
people Destination(s):Alaska Specialty Categories:Wildlife Viewing Season: July - August Airfare Included: Yes Tour Customizable: Yes Minimum Per Person Price: 3995 US Dollar (USD) Maximum Per Person Price: 3995 US Dollar (USD)
Located near the Canadian border on the north side of the Brooks, the Kongakut is a short 40 mile run that flows through a narrow corridor of emerald mountains. A typical day includes half day float, lunch and an afternoon ridge walk before dinner. A couple of days we hike all day. Boating enthusiasts will enjoy the middle section of the river as it spills through a turbulent gorge before breaking out into lower more benign hills and calmer water. The last day provides an opportunity to peek over the final ridge of mountains and out onto the coastal plain and Arctic Ocean only a dozen miles away. The river nurtures a small stable population of diverse wildlife that provide a steady viewing opportunity. Anomalous cottonwood groves expand the ava fauna options as well. June is the month to expect the famous caribou migration that defines the Arctic Refuge.
Your Itinerary:
Day 1:
Leave Fairbanks on scheduled flight to Arctic Village located on the southern flank of the Brooks Range and Arctic Refuge. Shuttle to the put-in in smaller air taxi service. Flight takes one over the Continental Divide - spectacular scenery. Establish camp. Local day hike.
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Day 2:
Full day for hiking in the high country. Begin to learn flowers and birds of the area. There is a nice alpine ridge above our camp with views way up a side creek and back to the continental divide.
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Day 3:
First day of floating. Learn the paddling skills and safety procedures and then drift down the braided river to the next camp. Camp is at a confluence of two rivers and very active wildlife area. We call this camp sheep knob, because of a small band of sheep that frequent the area. A variable length day hike awaits above camp.
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Day 4:
This is another float and hike day. We float through a narrow section in the river down to the next creek north. In the afternoon another climb up a long pleasant alpine ridge continues back to the steep mountains beyond.
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Day 5:
This is another float and hike day. We will camp just above the whitewater canyon and have an opportunity to hike a more mountainous ridge in the afternoon.
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Day 6:
Whitewater action. Short but sweet. Another ridge awaits in camp, but the view north changes radically.
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Day 7:
Slightly different routine today. The best hikes are on the way to camp so we will stop a couple times along the way to explore these walks.
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Day 8:
Another full day off for day hiking. Just above camp is a wonderful long alpine ridge that extends for miles around the creek we are camped on. Once you summit the ridge its all open with several ups and downs- all peaks with huge views.
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Day 9:
This is our last day of floating. We will leave enough time for the hike up the northern most foothills to overlook the coastal plain and the Arctic Ocean. Staring at the Ocean 12 miles away reminds you just how far you have come.
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Day 10:
We meet the pilot today and begin to retrace our journey, this time south bound. The flight back up the river will be a pleasant reminder of the trip and probably will make much more sense then when you flew in. In Arctic Village, we'll catch the mail plane back to Fairbanks and generally arrive in the late afternoon.
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