Your Alaska Resource Center

View of Mount Bkackburn from Wrangell Plateau, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park Alaska.
Activities

Alaska Backpacking Trips

No trails. No crowds. Just Alaska.

Multi-day wilderness backpacking through Alaska's most remote national parks. Wrangell-St. Elias, Gates of the Arctic, Denali, Lake Clark, and more.

Small groups, expert guides, routes chosen for your experience level.

Start Your Planning Here
Alaska northern lights photo guide
Activity Guides

Northern Lights in Alaska: The Complete Guide

Know before you go.

A practical guide to seeing the northern lights in Alaska, covering timing, locations, forecasting, and what to expect when the sky performs.

Alaska gives you more aurora viewing options than anywhere else. The aurora doesn't care where you watch. Alaska lets you choose.

Here's where to start.

Your Odds Just Improved
Wrangell-St. Elias backpacking trip hiker, Alaska.
Destinations

Wrangell-St. Elias Backpacking Trips

America's largest park. Almost no one goes.

Six million acres of glaciers, mountains, and valleys with virtually no trails and fewer visitors than Yosemite sees in a day.

Access from McCarthy or Nabesna or Yakutat. Routes for every skill level, and wilderness that feels like it's yours alone.

Explore the Wrangells
Sea kayaking in Icy Bay. A Guide to Sea kayaking trips in Alaska.
Activities

Alaska Sea Kayaking Trips

Paddle Alaska's wildest coastlines.

Remote bays, tidewater glaciers, and wildlife encounters from the waterline.

Paddle beneath ice-covered peaks, watch seals haul out on bergs, and make camp on shores that see maybe a handful of visitors a year.

No experience necessary, just a willingness to get out there.

Explore by Kayak
Alaska brown bear photo tour bear cub, Katmai National Park.
Activities

Our Alaska Bear Photo Tours and Bear Camps

Four trips. All bears. All Katmai.

A 100-foot charter boat. Two remote wilderness camps. One camp near NPS facilities.

Four different ways to photograph brown bears in Katmai, July through September.

Explore bear tours →
Backpacking trip Malaspina Glacier Cook tent and kitchen on Malaspina Glacier backpacking trek, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska.
Gear & Equipment

Alaska Backpacking Gear Guide

No fluff. No sponsors. Just experience.

Thirty years of Alaska guiding distilled into one comprehensive gear guide. What works, what fails, and why. From the Big Three to bear country essentials.

Read the Guide
Backpackers crossing a river in Alaska.
Safety & Awareness

Alaska River Crossings

Rivers Don't Care

River crossings are what too many people ignore in Alaska. They're big, fast, cold and dangerous.

Assessment, timing, technique, and knowing when the answer is no. Here's what we recommend for you to know.

Learn More
Rafting trip, Canning River, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Alaska
Safety & Awareness

Alaska Wilderness Emergency Protocols

Who you call and when.

Satellite communicators, evacuation logistics, medical priorities, and decision-making when help is hours or days away.

What to carry, how it works, what to know, and how to stay calm when it matters most.

Let's be Safe Out There
Backpacking Wrangell-St. Elias National Park
Backcountry Skills

Alaska Wilderness Navigation for Off-Trail Backpacking

The map is just the start.

Terrain. Maps. Compasses. GPS data. Satellite Imagery.

Navigating with no trails takes attention. Every step is a decision. There's a lot to learn. We discuss it here.

Find Your Way
Our Alaska bear photo Tours are a quest for photos of bears like this.
Activity Guides

Alaska Bear Photo Tours

Alaska bear tours: a guide

Katmai, Kodiak, or Lake Clark. July salmon runs or September solitude. Photography-focused tours or general viewing.

We break down costs, timing, and what actually matters when booking Alaska bear tours.

See the differences
Backlit brown bear in Katmai National Park, Alaska.
Safety & Awareness

Bear Safety in Alaska’s Backcountry

25 years guiding experience. Zero bear conflicts.

Awareness beats reaction. How we travel in bear country, why we carry bear spray over firearms, and what actually keeps people safe.

Grizzly vs. black bear behavior, camp in bear country, and encounter response.

Travel Confidently
Backpacking in Gates of the Arctic National Park, Late spring, Alaska.
Backcountry Skills

Dealing With The Cold

It's easier to stay warm than get warm.

Hypothermia is preventable.

Layers, timing, and knowing when to act before you get cold.

Simple adjustments that keep small discomforts from becoming real problems.

Stay Warm Out There
Carl photographing Brooks Range, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska.
Photography Instruction

Wildlife Photography Tips; See What Isn’t There

Stop pointing. Start seeing.

Visualization, purpose, and the discipline to wait. Why the best shots aren't luck, and why less gear usually means better images.

Field-tested advice from 25 years behind the lens.

See Differently
Packrafting trip on Lakina River, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska.
Backcountry Skills

Alaska Packrafting Intro – A Primer

Backpack in. Paddle out.

Lightweight inflatable boats that fit in your pack and open up Alaska's rivers, lakes, and coastlines.

Safety fundamentals, gear basics, technique primers, and the best rivers for getting started.

Get on the Water
Backpacker hiking Southern Traverse backpacking trip Bremner River, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska.
Destinations

Wrangell-St. Elias

The park other parks dream about.

Nine of the sixteen highest peaks in North America. The largest glaciers on the continent. Coastal rainforest to alpine tundra.

Wrangell-St. Elias is everything Alaska promises, concentrated into one massive, magnificent park. Alaska's Alaska.

Discover the Park
Alatna River, Gates of the Arctic National Park.
Destinations

Gates of the Arctic

Thirteen thousand years of footsteps.

Alaska's Brooks Range at its most remote. No roads, no trails, no crowds. People have been walking these valleys for 13,000 years.

We guide backpacking and packrafting trips through the heart of it.

Begin at the gates →
Spruce forest on a glacier, Malaspina Glacier, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska
Safety & Awareness

Climate Change and Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve

The ice is telling us something.

Malaspina Glacier alone accounts for half a percent of global sea level rise. Iceberg Lake now drains yearly after 1,500 years of stability.

Spruce beetle kill, shifting wildlife patterns, and a coastline that's changing faster than the maps can keep up. What's happening in Alaska's largest park.

See the Science

Helpful Blog Posts

Nissan Frontier pickup truck on McCarthy Road in harsh winter conditions, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska.

Heading to Alaska to photograph the northern lights? Learn what gear you actually need for winter driving from 25 years of guiding experience. Getting stuck is common; be prepared.

Read More
Arrigetch Peaks backpacking trip A steep descent of the Arrigetch Peaks, Gates of the Arctic National Park.

Alaska backpacking demands trekking poles. After years guiding trips across boulder fields, glacier moraines, and steep brushy terrain, I’ve learned that poles aren’t optional here. We traverse miles of talus, cross snowfields, and sidehill through terrain with little to no trail. That pole on your uphill side becomes critical for balance with a heavy pack. Poles also double as tent supports for cooking shelters and ultralight tents. I prefer cork handles and often use just one pole, though that’s personal preference. For Alaska’s challenging terrain, trekking poles make the difference between struggling and enjoying the trek.

Read More
Alaska brown bear charging, Katmai National Park, Alaska.

Bear spray is highly effective for deterring aggressive bears, safer than firearms, and essential for Alaska wilderness travel. This post covers research findings, real-world effectiveness, legal considerations, and practical tips for carrying and using bear spray safely, ensuring hikers and backpackers can enjoy bear country responsibly.

Read More
Winter photography, cold weather, asking Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska.

Clothing for Cold Weather Photography outings: clothing for photographing the subpolar and arctic Alaska winter conditions; loft, loose and lots.

Read More
Winter photography, cold weather, asking Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska.

Honest comparison of down and synthetic sleeping bags from an Alaska guide with nearly 30 years of Alaska backpacking experience. Learn about fill power, brand recommendations, and why neither choice is wrong.

Read More
A backpacker wearing a hooded down jacket hiking across Malaspina Glacier, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska.

I switched from fleece to a Montbell Thermawrap synthetic jacket this season for backpacking. Lightweight, warm, windproof, and stuffable, it outperforms heavier fleece jackets. Great for 3-season use, quick-drying, and compact. Ideal for summer and fall hikes in Alaska, it’s become my go-to layering piece for backcountry adventures.

Read More
Backpacker wearing Arcteryx Rain Jacket in Gates of the Arctic National Park, Alaska.

Don’t make these rain gear mistakes on your Alaska trip. Learn which jackets, pants, and boots actually keep you dry in the backcountry from a longtime Alaska guide.

Read More
Summer sleeping bag and pad backpacking trip Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska.

Essential guide to sleeping bags and pads for Alaska summer backpacking. Learn why 20°F bags are recommended, full-length zipper importance, and pad selection from a professional Alaska guide.

Read More

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