Key Information: Tour Duration: 10
day(s) Group Size: 4
- 5
people Destination(s):Alaska Specialty Categories:Wildlife Viewing Season: August Airfare Included: Yes Tour Customizable: No Minimum Per Person Price: 2950 US Dollar (USD) Maximum Per Person Price: 2950 US Dollar (USD)
Three parallel ranges of mountains sit just north of the core of the Brooks Range. They provide a lush refuge for a wide variety of species against the open coastal plain just to the north. We will start at the west end in the core mountain area and weave our way through these three poly chromatic ranges and end on the east side of them with a view of the ocean. Halfway through the trip we hike along what I think is the prettiest canyon in the Refuge. Autumn will have begun to touch the vegetation and it will blend nicely with the color of the hills. We should see many of the animals that seek out this refuge, find a wide array of marine fossils, and toward the end of the trip we will be able to find much evidence of the Paleo-Indian culture that arose here.
Your Itinerary:
Day 1:
Leave Fairbanks on scheduled flight to Arctic Village located on the southern flank of the Brooks Range and gateway to the 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:
Begin our hike east. We will try to get on a routine of hiking shorter days that allows for either optional late afternoon hikes or resting. This is a long haul and by traveling slowly we will ensure that we will be able to enjoy the entire trip.
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Day 3:
Another day of hiking. First good Paleo-Indian sites.
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Day 4:
Perhaps day hike through a narrow gorge that cuts through the Sadlerochit Mountains.
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Day 5:
Crossing over a low pass into the main valley we will travel down.
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Day 6:
For the next 3 days we will hike along the prettiest canyon there is in the Refuge. Low water in Autumn showcase the unusual bedding of the creek. These beds contain tons of marine fossils.
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Day 7:
Prettiest canyon in the Refuge. Fossil contest.
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Day 8:
Camp on a bench by another Paleo-Indian site with spectacular view of the second tallest mountain in the Brooks Range.
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Day 9:
Hike over Sunset Pass to pick-up location and by several more archeological sites.
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Day 10:
Pick-up day; repeat both plane rides back to Fairbanks.
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