Call us 1-888-831-7526
Email Us!
Reserve This Trip

The itinerary is quite flexible, and will depend on weather, animal sightings, river conditions, and the desires of the group. If the water is low we will need to maneuver around or over shallow gravel bars, and if the water is high, we will have to contend with swift water around sharp oxbows in the river. At every bend, we'll be watching for caribou and possibly even bear, musk ox, moose, fox, or wolves. Temperatures may range from the 40's to the 60's during the day and cooler at night. Later in August we can expect frost at night and even a possible snowfall. This is the Arctic! Participants should come with a sense of adventure, ready to navigate a wilderness river in the far north. These ten-day trips are true wilderness expeditions, and guests should be prepared for a wide range of weather and river conditions. Previous canoe experience is expected, and participants should be in good physical condition. Begins and ends in Fairbanks.

Check out our Alaska Feature. Slideshows, stories, facts, and more.

Day 1 - We will pick you up at your place of lodging in downtown Fairbanks and head to the airport for our 1 1/2-hour flight to the small bush community of Bettles. Situated just above the Arctic Circle, on the Koyukuk River, Bettles is the jumping off point for our flight to the headwaters of the Noatak. By early-afternoon, we'll board a floatplane for another scenic flight, deep into Gates of the Arctic National Park, to an oxbow lake at the edge of the Noatak River. After portaging gear to the put-in, we assemble our canoes and have a canoe "refresher" lesson, getting a chance to learn and practice strokes that we will need on this gentle but sometimes swift-moving river. Then we load up the boats and float to our first camp, a few miles downriver.

Days 2-8 - We'll explore the broad river valley on a flexible itinerary. Canoeing on this often gentle, but sometimes swift-moving river will allow us to travel approximately 50 miles, and we'll explore more on foot. Immense sweeps of tundra make this area ideal for hiking. Hikes to the ridges and up the tributary valleys provide us with incredible scenic vistas of the valley and surrounding peaks.

Day 9-10 - After a reasonable portage (hauling our gear) to our pick-up lake, we spend the last few days in this Arctic wonderland hiking, fishing, picking berries, and watching the caribou. Mid-morning on day ten, board the plane back to Bettles and then south to Fairbanks. Often, the group gets together for one last no-host dinner this evening. Due to possible flight and weather delays, we recommend you stay this evening in town and make plans to leave Fairbanks the next day.

This trip is operated by Alaska Discovery, the oldest and most respected wilderness guiding company in Alaska, and a Mountain Travel Sobek company. For more information about this trip and to book, please email Alaska Discovery or call 1-800-586-1911.

Photo Credits
©Jeff Sloss