Jarvis Plateau

The Jarvis Plateau backpacking trip in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park is a pretty mild hike; nothing really too challenging, unless you really want to “go big”. Like all the trips I run, the itinerary is somewhat fluid. Weather, hiker experience and many other factors determine the actual trip. But to give the web visitor a basic outline of how this trip might typically unfold, here’s a detailed look at the Jarvis Plateau route: for simplicity sake, I’ll assume the trip dates are Aug 1 – Aug 8.

Realize everything here is simply an example. I’ve spent time up here just basecamping and dayhiking, or backpacking several miles a day, or a more adventurous expedition. We’ll figure out what itinerary works best for you and the group, and go from there.

Trip participants should arrive in Anchorage no later than the evening before our schedule trip departure date. For our example, the Trip would require all participants arrive in Anchorage sometime on July 31. I highly recommend you try to arrive even a day earlier is at all possible, to allow for flight delays resulting from weather. Expeditions Alaska does not provide, but can recommend, accommodation in Anchorage.

Day 1
Your guide will pick you up, from your accommodations in Anchorage first thing in the morning. The exact time will depend on how many people are on the trip, where everyone is staying, etc. Typically it will be somewhere around 8am, Alaska time (4 hours behind EST).

We’ll spend the day traveling to Nabesna, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. The drive typically takes about 6-7 hours, depending on stops, etc. We pass along the northern edge of the spectacular Chugach Mountains, following the Matanuska Valley, the open taiga forest of the Glennallen area. Then we head north and east along the Tok Cutoff, to Slana. Clear skies offer incredible views of the Wrangell Mountains just to the south.

At Slana, we’ll enter the park and drive the remaining 40 miles to Nabesna. We’ll stay there at Devil’s Mountain Lodge, have a great big dinner, and get some rest.

Day 2
The following morning we’ll need an early start. Pack up gear, eat breakfast at the lodge, and then load the bush plane for our flight into the backcountry. We land up high, around 7000′ right by the face of Mt Jarvis. Some nice campsites can be found up a little higher, so we’ll likely head up that way and make camp that afternoon.

Day 3
It’s crazy to leave this area too soon, so I advise spending a day or 2 up here, and we can explore the neck of Jacksina Glacier, the face of Mt Jarvis, and the ridge we’re camped on. Dayhiking options abound. A scramble up a nearby unnamed peak will top us out at over 8000′; one of the few places anywhere in Alaska you’ll be this high ASL without crampons and ice axes.

Day 4
Pack up and hike over the open rolling tundra to a new campsite to the south Easy hiking. Keep your eyes peeled for Dall sheep and caribou up here.

Day 5
Staying up on the tundra, we’ll saunter down a little lower, and camp by a couple of lakes.

Day 6
Descend off the plateau and find our way over to the Jacksina River where the landing strip is. We’ll camp and then spend the afternoon dayhiking up and/or down the wide open river valley.

Day 7
The pilot will come in and pick us up after breakfast, and we’ll fly back to the lodge. Drop off gear there, shower and change, eat lunch, and spend the afternoon on one of the many dayhikes in the area, if you like. Back at the lodge for dinner.

Day 8
We’ll get up early, have breakfast and hit the road for the drive back to Anchorage. Typically we get back to Anchorage around 5 or 6 pm. I’ll drop you and you/r party off at your Anchorage accommodation. I highly suggest you don’t plan on flying out of Anchorage that evening, but wait until the following day – we CAN experience weather-delays in the backcountry that could easily make it difficult to get back to Anchorage in time for a flight on this day. If you must book your return flight on this day, please (a) speak with us about it well in advance, and (b) schedule a red eye, such as 1:00am the following morning (Aug 9, 1:00am, for our example here).