Visit The Wild
A trip report from our 2024 Canning River rafting trip in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. From the Marsh Fork put-in in the Brooks Range to the coastal plain on the Arctic Ocean.
Gates of the Arctic has no roads, no trails, and no services. At 8.4 million acres, getting there requires either a very long walk or a small plane. This is where packrafts shine.
Where does the name Noatak come from.
The Noatak begins on the north flank of Mt. Igikpak and flows 400 miles to the Chukchi Sea. Its entire course lies above the Arctic Circle. Its entire watershed lies within protected wilderness. No other major river in North America can make both claims.
The floatplane banks hard over a granite ridge and the valley opens below. A ribbon of turquoise water winds through green tundra, flanked by mountains streaked with late snow. Two hours ago we were drinking coffee in Bettles. Now we’re threading through the Endicott Mountains with Mt. Igikpak filling the horizon.
Here’s a photo of us rafting down the Upper Marsh Fork of the Canning River. This is essentially the headwaters of the Canning in the Brooks Range, close to the continental divide. How Do We Get Here? We go to ANWR via Coldfoot, and fly in tot he backcountry from there. Our favorite Alaska air […]
Rafting trip on Canning River, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Travel Marsh Fork River to Canning River and the Coastal Plain.
Exploring the remote southern reaches of Wrangell-St. Elias. From packrafting Malaspina Lake to walking ancient bear trails worn six inches deep into the moss, this coastal trek offers a level of solitude you won’t find anywhere else in Alaska.
12 days on the southern edge of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. We traversed the largest piedmont glacier in North America, dropped to the beach, and walked the Lost Coast.
From ice and crevasses to campfires in t-shirts. This was our trip of the year.
A guide to hiking and backpacking in Gates of it Arctic national Park & Preserve, Alaska. Discuss Logistics, route choices, and safety and preparation.
A Brooks Range backpacking trip (and rafting trip) through the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Camping on alluvial fans, hiking ridgelines at 2am, chasing light that never quite dies.
Photography in arctic summer means shifting your clock to the wee hours. They don’t call this the land of the midnight sun for nothing.
