One of the Most Beautiful River Journeys on Earth

Go ahead, run the risk of scenic overload! The great glacial forces that shaped the North American continent are alive and well on the Alsek River and plainly evident as you float past huge calving glaciers and jaw-dropping mountain scenery. The wildlife hasn’t really changed that much since the last Ice Age, while the massive cathedral of a landscape is so huge you could fit the Grand Canyon into it. You’ll delight in some exciting whitewater runs (we call the Alsek “God’s fastest scenic conveyor belt”); make a helicopter portage over unrunnable Turnback Canyon, a virtually impassable gorge whose roiling waters have defeated nearly all who have dared to challenge it; have opportunities to see bears, eagles, mountain goats, moose, and wolves; and marvel at the spectacular confluence with the Tatshenshini, a place many call “the center of the universe.” Optional hikes to view wildlife and take in the grand vistas guarantee a revelation of nature on its most awesome scale.

Activities

Scenic rafting with some Class II/III rapids, one Class IV (oar boats only), optional moderate to strenuous day hikes

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS

• Enjoy an ultimate wilderness experience on the grandest scale imaginable!
• Take an exciting helicopter portage over a canyon with unrunnable Class VI whitewater
• Optional day hikes in search of wildlife: mountain goats, moose, and grizzly bears!
• Float past the largest icebergs in all of Glacier Bay National Park in Alsek Bay

2010 Prices
$3,695 + tax (6-12 members)
$3,995 + tax (4-5 members)
$120 internal air

2010 Hiker's Special
$4,095 + tax (6-12 members)
$4,395 + tax (4-5 members)

Duration: 12 days Start Location: Haines End Location: Yakutat Best time to go: June - July

Itinerary

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  Day 1 : Travel to Haines Junction in Yukon Territory, Canada

  Meet in Haines, Alaska. Drive up the Chilkat River Valley, across the border into British Columbia, and on to Haines Junction in the Yukon Territory. Put in on the river, and begin rafting.

• Days 2 - 4 : Rafting and Hiking along the Alsek River

  Continue downstream, passing through mostly Class II rapids and enjoying the vast scenery. As the river current speeds up we’ll begin to realize the volume and force of the Alsek. We’ll pass large bedrock islands and possibly have time to stop and hike up into the heights above the river for spectacular panoramic views.

  We float further into the wilderness and may camp near the Lowell Glacier, part of the vast St. Elias icefields. The river is quite wide here, almost a “lake,” and we may have a chance to row near some of the awesome icebergs calved off from the glacier. A good hiking option from this area is a scramble up 3,500-footGoatherd Mountain. Wildflowers bloom here all summer long, and the groundcover turns to bright autumn colors in August. It’s about four hours to the summit, where we’ll be rewarded with outstanding vistas of the St. Elias range and the huge, spilling Lowell Glacier. On clear days, it’s possible to see Mounts Kennedy, Hubbard and Alverstone, over 35 miles to the west. Mountain goats are often seen on the cliffs and in the meadows along our route.

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  Day 5 : On the Alsek River

  Launch the rafts into the river and navigate through the icebergs at the snout of the Lowell Glacier. It’s a surreal scene as the icebergs calve off the glacier and float in this lake-like section of the river. The river picks up speed dramatically as it begins to cut through narrower canyons and increase in volume. We take easy routes through some of the rapids; by mid-afternoon, though, we encounter “Lava North,” a challenging section of Class IV whitewater that’s exciting and thrilling. Our guides will scout the rapid beforehand and determine the best route through; you’ll be in the most capable of hands (in fact, they make running this rapid look easy).

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  Days 6 - 8 : Day Hikes along the Alsek – Helicopter Portage

  For the next few days the water is swift with continuous small rapids as the river cuts through the Alsek Range. During these days on the river, we’ll take several day hikes to explore the area. We may spot grizzly bear, Alaska moose, mountain goat, beaver, wolf, muskrat, wolverine, mink, weasel, snowshoe rabbit, hoary marmot, and Alaska red fox along with numerous species of birds. The scenery changes constantly until we come to the Tweedsmuir Glacier, where the river cuts through the sheer rock walls of the Alsek Range on the east and the massive, boulder-strewn terminal moraine of the Tweedsmuir on the west. As the glacier cuts into the river, it forms Turnback Canyon, filled with sharp drops and horrendous currents. We may take a relatively easy hike to the canyon, and once there, the impossibility to raft this section of the Alsek is apparent. Only 30 feet wide in places, the river becomes a boiling cauldron of unnavigable rapids.

• Day 9 : Tatshenshini River

  On the southern horizon, a dozen or more glaciers flow down from the summits of the Fairweather Range, while the Alsek disappears into the symmetrical peaks and waterfalls of the Noisey Range to the north and east. To the west, the main channel of the Alsek flows into the Icefield Range where it seems to sink into the forest. In the middle of all this is a vast, gravel flat, braided with constantly changing channels and ringed with forests of willow, birch, and alder. We continue down the river through the deep forested canyons toward the coast. The climate becomes more maritime as we get closer to the Gulf of Alaska and the glaciers more numerous. Farther down the river, a large glacier has sprawled down its valley to within a few yards of the river’s edge. Named the “Walker Glacier” by river-runners, it offers a venue for those who are eager to try a glacier hike.

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  Days 10 - 11 : Alsek Bay

  We continue to float towards Alsek Bay (also known as Alsek Lake), spotting many species of birds, including bald eagles, semi-palmated plovers, spotted sandpipers, northern phalaropes, American pipits, and more. The Alsek and Grand Plateau Glaciers flow into Alsek Bay, and we’ll watch and listen as giant chunks of ice calve into the water from the seven-mile face of the Alsek glacier. Some icebergs are 75 feet high, indicating a depth below the surface at least twice as great. The guides will row among ice floes sculpted into bizarre, fluted, ever-changing phantasmagoric shapes—a veritable “iceberg garden.”

• Day 12 : Dry Bay – Departure

  End rafting at Dry Bay and take a scenic bush plane flight to Yakutat. Depart Yakutat.

Properties shown are representative of the accommodations we use on this trip, may not be inclusive of all accommodations we use, and are subject to change.

Expert leadership is the key to an exciting, unforgettable experience. Our trips feature gifted leaders for whom leading trips is a true vocation. Besides showing you wonders you’d never find on your own, they make sure everything runs smoothly and safely without a hitch. They are knowledgeable about all aspects of your trip, and take great pleasure in sharing their insights with you. More than just guides, they positively elevate your experience by being teachers, companions, and the best of friends. You’ll be in good hands with them every step of the way.

• Brock Tabor

  Brock Tabor, Alaska Discovery River & Kayak Guide: For ten years Brock has been committed to a professional career as an outdoor educator and wilderness guide. His experience range from teaching skiing, sea kayaking, rock climbing, and river rescue to photographing the plazas of Ecuador. Brock has a strong background in natural history which he enjoys sharing. Of guiding for Alaska Discovery, Brock writes, "I enjoy the opportunity to interact with people in an unusual setting. The rewards people gain through these trips are contagious!"

• Brian Stevenson

  Brian Stevenson has been a professional river guide for twenty years. He continues to lead expeditions throughout the world, yet he always looks forward to returning to the rivers and mountains of Alaska. Brian says Alaska's rivers provide a wilderness experience which is unparalleled by any other place he's ever been. Brian holds a degree in geography and is a lifelong student of world politics

• Christa Sadler

  Christa Sadler is a geologist, educator, river guide and writer with a serious addiction to rivers, deserts, mountains and chocolate. Christa has been guiding on the rivers of the West since 1986, and although she has a home in Flagstaff, Arizona, she's hardly ever there. Her research in archaeology, geology and paleontology has taken her around the globe, including searching for dinosaurs in Montana, fighting off dust storms and overly curious camels in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia, and steering clear of annoyed marine iguanas in the Galapagos Islands. Christa also runs ‘This Earth,” a small business that brings geology and fossil programs to students aged K-12 around the country. She loves to write about geology, rivers, fossils and the land, and she has published several books and articles. She teaches and guides in the spring and fall, and escapes to Alaska in the summers to guide and write. Winters are usually spent recovering. Or sea kayaking in Baja California.

• Kevin McDermott

  Kevin McDermott, Alaska Discovery River Guide: "Thirsty" is an integral part of our Arctic rivers program. A laid back manner puts everyone at ease and he is a wealth of knowledge about the Artic rivers. Kevin has been guiding since he was 17 years old. Although he normally spends his winter months in Telluride Ski Area, he has climbed Mt Denali three times, and reached the summit in 2000.

• Mike Speaks

  Mike Speaks has a list of international guiding experiences that reads like the archives of the old Explorer's Club in London. He was recently the expedition leader for a 590-mile National Geographic trip down the Blue Nile in Ethiopia. He has rafted first descents in Malawi, Ethiopia, Borneo, Madagascar, and Pakistan. He has been a river guide for two decades on the greatest rivers of the world, including the Zambezi, the Bio-Bio, the Tatshenshini, and the Alsek. He has assisted in film documentaries of Egypt, Burma, India, and Bhutan. He has explored all the rivers of northern Pakistan. This Alabama boy will have you speaking with a drawl within minutes, yet he makes his home on the flanks of Mount Denali in Alaska. He's a naturalist, a ski mountaineer, a whitewater expert, an experienced sea kayaker, and a humorist through it all. Michael is a favorite for his quick wit, take-charge style, and outstanding leadership.

• Chris Denker

  Chris Denker, Alaska Discovery River Guide: Chris writes, "I prefer cooler weather than hot." Chris lives in Haines, Alaska. In the spring he can be found attempting to summit Mt Fairweather or skiing into the Alsek Range. Although, he has guided for over a decade, and much of that time on the Tatshenshini and Alsek Rivers, he still rafted a 27-day private river trip to more fully explore the area. In the winter Chris works in Antarctica as a field team member studying sea birds. Cooler weather? "Well, yeah, I guess I got it."

• Sam Jansen

  Sam Jansen, Alaska Discovery River Guide: Sam grew up in northern Arizona and studied creative writing and geology. While working for the U.S. Geological Survey, he fell in love with the Grand Canyon, whitewater, and wilderness guiding. Since 1991, Sam has been exploring many of North American's wild places by raft and kayak. Sam is an excellent videographer, but he is best known for a wit drier than the Arizona desert.

• Joe Ordonez

  Joe Ordonez, Alaska Discovery River Guide: Joe lives in Haines, Alaska. A born humorist and storyteller, Joe travels the globe working as a naturalist. Joe has a great talent for getting people involved in the naturalist's view of life and before you know it you are crawling around on the ground in delight searching for Ptarmigan scat. He guides river trips for us and is co-author of the book, "The Complete Guide to the Tatshenshini." He will be publishing several books on the history of the towns of Southeast Alaska

• Don Johnston

  Don Johnston guides regularly on the Alsek, Tatshenshini, Karnali, Coruh, Zambezi and Upano Rivers for MTS. He has taught literature at Colorado State University, is fluent in Spanish, and has worked as a translator in the US courts and on Big Game Hunting Safaris in Zimbabwe. When not guiding, Don often works on projects for the non-profit group Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) and has been stationed in Angola, Zimbabwe and currently Darfur, coordinating MSF's flights carrying staff, passengers, medical equipment, food etc. Don also has a master's degree in English Literature and has recently finished writing his first novel.

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