Arctic Wild: Trip Itineraries
Arrigetch Peaks Backpack
Download a copy of the Arrigetch Peaks Backpack Itinerary (PDF, 124 KB).
• Dates: August 2nd-9th
Want more time in the wilderness? This trip combines with the Alatna River Canoe for a 15-day expedition not to be forgotten. The cost for both is $4,800.
• Region: Gates of the Arctic National Park
• Cost: $2,800 per person includes everything north of Fairbanks. Affordable camping gear available.
Sketch of the trip…
Arrigetch means "fingers of the hand extended", in Athabascan, an apt description of this unique group of peaks in the western Gates of the Arctic National Park. In the Arrigetch, razor-sharp ridges surround rugged and inviting headwater basins. Sheer granite walls shoot 2,000 - 3,000 feet high. Spires pierce glaciers on their way to the sky. All this is amid a landscape of gentle meadows, rushing streams and alpine tarns.
We spend a week backpacking 30 miles through these peaks, the most dramatic in the Brooks Range. We also camp in an alpine pass and visit a natural hot spring on a long day hike. It is quite possible that we will see bull caribou in the main valley, their antlers shedding velvet as they approach the fall rut.
Our backpack follows the shortest route to the peaks. At times we are on a small foot path, but mostly the route is cross-country over tussocks, boulders, and streams. Three layover days are planned for side explorations. Previous backpacking experience is recommended. Participants must be in good shape and able to carry a 50-pound pack (including 15 - 25 lbs. of food, fuel, and community gear).
What follows is a forecast of the trip, a general idea of the flow of events.
As a forecast, it may be amended to meet conditions and opportunities in the field.
Day 1: Fly north from Fairbanks across the Yukon River to Coldfoot, a little “Outpost of Progress” in the Brooks Range. Here, we board a smaller plane and continue on into the Gates of the Arctic National Park. Our skilled pilot lands us on a gravel bar . . . and then the plane leaves. The first three miles we backpack through tussock fields and past oxbow lakes. Hike an additional mile to a camp on the lip of a valley leading into the peaks. The views are exceptional!
Day 2: The second day is perhaps the only hard day of the trip. We will follow a small footpath through dense brush for about eight miles, gaining 1,300 feet elevation. We’ll make a camp right at treeline. We’ll reside here for the next two days/three nights.
Days 3 & 4: Layover days. With daypacks, climb under "The Maidens", two granite spires towering 3,000 feet above the valley floor. Ascend rocky slopes into "The Valley of the Aquarius," past a chain of emerald lakes surrounded by spires and walls. Leisurely hike along meadows under the towering cliffs of "Xanadu" and "The Albatross" to a small glacier, a remnant of the past.
Days 5 & 6: Return down valley four miles, then climb 1,500 feet in three miles to a small lake nestled in the tundra of a scenic pass. Opportunities are good for seeing moose, grizzly bears and possibly caribou here. Spend a layover day hiking the six-mile round-trip to a secluded hot springs in a hidden valley. Or, since we’ve been among sheer faces for the last two days, climb a non-technical peak for a view to be remembered.
Day 7: Climb 1,300 feet through cinquefoil and lupine to the top of a ridge, where a panorama unfolds, nearly impossible to comprehend. The Arrigetch, with their faces in the sky, rise to our south. To the north, out across the Alatna Valley, lay range after range of peaks and ridges extending beyond the Continental Divide. Three thousand feet below, the Alatna River meanders silently. We wander mesmerized along the top of this alpine ridge, then descend steeply to a gravel bar camp on the edge of the Alatna River. Hike eight miles today.
Day 8: Await the arrival of our bush plane. The busy world awaits. From Coldfoot we go to Fairbanks. Shower.
Included in the price of the trip:
Transportation beyond Fairbanks.
Outstanding guide service.
Wholesome, delicious, and mostly-organic food while in the wilderness.
Stoves, cooking & eating utensils.
Repair and safety equipment such as firearm (guide will carry) and one bear spray per guest.
All boating gear, including boats and paddles.
The use of one life jacket and one medium-sized dry bag per guest.
Not included in the price of the trip:
Non-camp lodging.
Non-camp meals.
Personal clothing, backpack (if applicable), and footwear.
Sleeping bag & sleeping pad.
Three-season tent.
Waterproof “Bill’s Bag” (carries as much as a backpack).
Waterproof camera case.
Fishing gear and fishing license.
Gratuity for guide(s).
Arctic Wild rents high quality gear at affordable rates. Rental gear includes:
Three-season tents
Sleeping bags
Sleeping pads
Rubber raingear bibs
Rubber raingear jackets
Rubber boots
Large Dry Bag
A Backpack Trip Equipment List is provided upon registration or request.
Weather & Bugs: A variety of weather should be expected including rainy periods and bright sunny conditions. Temperatures can range from in the 70's or higher down into the 30's or lower. Generally at this time of the year we get some sunny and some rainy weather. Snow is also possible. Bugs shouldn’t be bad at all, carry a head net and one bottle of 100% DEET insect repellent, just in case.
Recommended Reading: Brooks Range Passage, Dave Cooper; Our Arctic Year, Vivian & Gill Staender; Alaska Wilderness, Robert Marshall; We Live in the Arctic, Constance Helmericks; Two in the Far North, Margaret Murie; Arctic Wild, Lois Crisler; Make Prayers to the Raven, Richard Nelson; Two Old Women, Velma Wallis.