A favorite topic of mine.
The Impossible Question
Where Do I Want to Backpack Most?
It’s impossible to say. In some ways, I’d simply suggest (and often do) “wherever you happen to have good weather”.
And I’ve done more than a small share of backpacking in Alaska. I’ve backpacked in the arctic, walked the shores of the Arctic Ocean, and I’ve backpacked in temperate rain forests of SE Alaska. I’ve also traversed many, many points in between.
I enjoy them all. Really. I can’t think of any place I don’t enjoy backpacking the wilderness in Alaska. I’ve had some trips that were harder than others, I’ve had some trips with less than favorable weather, I’ve had some trips that I’d love to have another jaunt at and do a “take two”. But I’ve certainly found positive experiences on all of them.
My Top Alaska Backpacking Destinations
Backpacking in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park
There’s something about backpacking in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park that just holds me. That could be the alder of the Chugach mtns, LOL.
Seriously, backpacking in Alaska is just a unique experience every time. I’ve backpacked the Goat Trail many times, and it’s different every time. The Southern Traverse is a gem, and our newer backpacking route, The Wrangell Ramble, is a really cool hike.
And I’m the first to admit there are far more places to explore on my bucket list here than there are ones I’ve checked on that list. Those remain my “to do” list.
But of the places I’ve spent time in the wilderness here, and backpacked and hiked for any length of time, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park just wins every time.
And it’s not close.
Backpacking in Gates of the Arctic National Park
Gates of the Arctic National Park is a gem, with an array of opportunities to get out and saunter. it’s got a wonderful primordial feel to it, and in some locations, many miles of really, really good walking.
Big broad valleys, and array of mountain peaks and passes to explore. River crossings are generally a bit more manageable than Wrangell-St. Elias because Gates is a lot less glaciated.
Both these parks are spectacular backpacking. I’ve hiked up around the Arrigetch Peaks numerous times and had some epic moments there. It’s as grand as they say it is.
Backpacking in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
ANWR similarly so. Backpacking and walking around Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is special, and I’ll always enjoy a trip there. In fact, we ran an exploratory trip backpacking in ANWR in summer of 2022 and it’s now one of our staple routes. Let me know if you wanna join us.
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is an extraordinary place, larger than South Carolina, with no trails at all. Zero.
Access is tough. You can walk in from the Dalton Highway, which some folks do. But for most people outside Alaska coming to visit, who aren’t used to configuring their own routes and dealing with the myriad different variables Alaska backpacking trips might bring (river crossings, terrain challenges, weather, etc), a fly-in trip seems to be best and most common approach.
The terrain in the Brooks Range can be nice walking, but it can also be deceptively tough. Muskeg and bog will be far more challenging than you expect. To those not used to that terrain, it’s also hard to discern from a distance; so what looks like a nice walk from a 1/2 mile away will be far slower and harder than you thought.
You can access the Refuge by plane from Coldfoot, Arctic Village or just south of Deadhorse. Pick a good air taxi, and make sure they’re familiar with where you want to go.
Visit the Refuge when you can.
Backpacking in Denali National Park
Denali National Park is a cool place, for sure. There’s no place like it. And that mountain is just sublime. One of my favorite backpacking trips there I spent 12 days in the park, wandering from the east to the west, and had an absolute blast.
Our Denali backpacking trips run on the southside of the park, away from the buses, away from the tourist crowds and the busy-ness of that area of the park.
The southside of Denali National Park is steeper. Greener and more jagged. The backpacking is rewarding there, but not (as is always the case in Alaska) without it’s challenges. Sidehilling is a thing. how hard is that? Sidehilling is tougher than you think.
Access is more difficult; there’s no bus system to get you to the trailhead like there is on the northside of the park. We use an air taxi to drop us off, which gets us away from it all.
Denali National Park is known for its wildlife, and we’ll often seen bears on our travels.
Decadent Denali is the trip we recommend for those looking to backpack and explore a very rarely visited region of the park.
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What Makes Alaska Backpacking Special
Backpacking in Alaska, to me, is about big mountains. Jagged, clawing peaks. Glaciers that pour down from those peaks, and moraines and talus and scree that all speak to the ever-changing transit nature of the landscape.
Picking my way through the brush, or finding that campsite that I never want to leave, or sitting all evening long to watch the sun slowly ebb away behind the horizon is an experience that holds me present. Always.
The Alaska wilderness is a wild like few other places in North America can ever be. Backpacking in Alaska is equally like backpacking in few other places in North America. It’s special.
Do I need Specific Backpacking Gear for Alaska Trips?
I recommend everybody looking for a backpacking trip to Alaska, particularly those unfamiliar with the place, read over our Gear Guide for Alaska Backpacking. It’s not sponsored content, we’re not advertising anything there, no affiliate links. It’s just thousands of words from our decades of experience walking around the wilderness of Alaska. Even for those well experienced with trekking on the tundra nad the mountains of the arctic, you’ll more than likely find it helpful.
In short, a cook tent is gold. Hiking poles are gold. A sturdy tent and solid rain gear matter most.
Stay dry, stay warm and watch what’s going on around you.
What’s Different About Backpacking in Alaska?
Why Wrangell-St. Elias Keeps Calling Me Back
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park isn’t the first place I’ve backpacked in Alaska. It’s not even home of the first fly-in solo expedition I ever did here. But it’s certainly the one that really woke me up, made me feel differently about a place, an experience, about wilderness, about wildness, about myself.
Given the opportunity to hike pretty much anywhere in the state that I would like to, I still find myself being drawn back to this park. I want to know it more intimately, to see more of it, to feel it beneath my body and to roam its breadth as awestruck as I was the first time I set foot here.
And I get to do that every summer.
So grateful.
Cheers
Carl
Ready to Explore Alaska’s Best Backpacking?
Join us on a guided expedition to Wrangell-St. Elias, Gates of the Arctic, or ANWR. Experience Alaska’s wildest places with us. It’s a treat.
