Itinerary Details
MT Sobek: Alaska & Yukon Alsek River Rafting
Day 1 Arrive in Haines, Alaska
Arrive in Haines, Alaska to check in for your pre-trip meeting at the Halsingland Hotel. Stroll past totem poles to our rafting equipment warehouse located in the former barracks of historic Fort Seward. After the trip orientation and handing out your personal river equipment and dry bags, walk to a casual eatery for dinner. Cap off the night with an optional toast for good luck and good weather at Southeast Alaska's first distillery, before returning to your room to pack your river gear.
Accommodation: Hotel Halsingland
(D)
Day 2 Travel to Haines Junction in Yukon Territory, Canada
3.5-hour private van transfer
3 hour/5 mile scenic float
After breakfast, board a van for a beautiful drive up the Chilkat River Valley through the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve, crossing the border into British Columbia, Canada, then on to Haines Junction in Yukon Territory. At the Kluane National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, stop at the visitor center to learn about this vast wilderness and its indigenous peoples. After lunch, drive over Haines Pass to the Serpentine Creek put-in on the Dezadeash River. (You may choose to hike part of the way on this rough 4x4 road.) After recapping our critical safety considerations, begin floating down a gentle section of the Dezadeash to your first campsite.
Accommodation: MT Sobek Camp—Alsek River, Yukon, Canada
(L, D)
Day 3 Raft the Mighty Alsek
4-7 hours/15 miles on Class II rapids
Today the river begins big and braided into many channels until the confluence with the Kaskawulsh River, where the Alsek River begins. Spend the morning with your binoculars watching for wildlife along the shore and overhead. As the day progresses the river picks up speed, past ancient lava flows and wild rock formations. You'll float further into the wilderness and camp near the Lowell Glacier, part of the vast St. Elias icefields. The river flows into Lake Lowell, formed by the terminal moraine of the glacier; often you can camp on the moraine for a striking view of the glacier. Here in the 1870s, Lowell Glacier dammed the river, creating a monumental lake. As the Glacier receded, the dam broke unleashing an epic deluge exceeding the volume of the Amazon River. Tonight, sleep in a valley surrounded by soaring glaciated peaks.
Accommodation: MT Sobek Camp—Alsek River, Yukon, Canada
(B, L, D)
Day 4 Paddle Amidst the Icebergs of Lowell Lake & The Lowell Glacier
4-7 hours/15 miles on Class II rapids
If the winds are calm, make your way across Lowell Lake to where the Lowell Glacier ends. The lake is teeming with icebergs that have calved and fallen off the glacier on the other end of the lake. It's a spectacular sight to raft through these glacier chunks, and to hear and watch the glacier's movement through the night.
(B, L, D)
Day 5 Recharge with a Layover Day & Hike Goatherd Mountain
Optional Hiking
Awaken this morning nestled against the majestic backdrop of Goatherd Mountain. With options to tailor your day, whether scaling the plateau or strolling through meadows, excitement awaits. Explore the iceberg-dotted shoreline, keeping an eye out for wildlife. Whichever path you choose, be prepared for unrivaled vistas of Lowell Glacier and the awe-inspiring peaks of the St. Elias Range. From Mount Kennedy to the towering Mount Logan, Canada's highest peak at 19,850 feet, witness the grandeur of Kluane National Park's icy realm.
(B, L, D)
Day 6 Run the Rapids of the Challenging “Lava North”
4-7 hours/15 miles on Class II-IV rapids
As you leave the lake the pace of the river picks up dramatically. It's an exciting day, but you'll don dry suits and keep safety as your primary focus as you approach the trip's most challenging rapids, including the infamous Lava North. Tonight, celebrate your thrilling passage in camp.
Accommodation: MT Sobek Camp—Alsek River, British Columbia, Canada
(B, L, D)
Day 7 Alsek Canyon
4-7 hours/15 miles on Class II-III rapids
Today the water is swift with continuous rapids as the river cuts through the Alsek Range. Soon the valley constricts, and tributary waterfalls pour of the cliffs. As you approach this namesake mountain, the guides will regale you with stories of Walt Blackadar. A surgeon and graduate of Dartmouth and Columbia, at age 43 he fell in love with river running and was the role model of a whole generation of paddlers. He transformed the image of paddling from pure competition to outdoor recreation and exploration. As you approach Tweedsmuir Glacier you'll stop above unnavigable Turnback Canyon, filled with sharp drops and horrendous currents.
Accommodation: MT Sobek Camp—Alsek River, British Columbia, Canada
(B, L, D)
Day 8 Hike Tweedsmuir & Prepare to Portage
Optional Hiking
Awaken to more other-worldly scenery near the foot of Tweedsmuir Glacier. Today you can hike to the glacier, plus rest and relax. However, your main objective is to prepare for the helicopter assisted portage over Turnback Canyon. You'll consolidate your gear and fall asleep anticipating tomorrow's aerial adventure.
(B, L, D)
Day 9 Delight in a Helicopter Ride Over Turnback Canyon
25-minute helicopter flight
4 hours/15 miles on Class II-III rapids
Prepare the gear for transport, and board a helicopter for a short flight to the gravel flats south of the canyon. From the chopper, see every hairpin turn and the churning water crashing into the canyon walls. The scenery changes on the other side - the river is wider, there are numerous braided channels and more vegetation, and bald eagles perch along the mossy cliffs of the Icefield and Noisy Ranges. The rafts are relaunched and drift through the wide valley towards the majestic confluence of the Tatshenshini and Alsek rivers.
Accommodation: MT Sobek Camp—Alsek River, Alaska
(B, L, D)
Day 10 Continue Down the Tatshenshini River
4 hours/15 miles on Class II rapids
Continue down the river, crossing back into the United States and Glacier Bay National Park. On the southern horizon, a dozen glaciers flow down from the 15,000-foot Fairweather Range, while the Alsek disappears back to the north and east into the symmetrical peaks and waterfalls of the Noisy Range. Closer to the Gulf of Alaska, the climate becomes more maritime and the glaciers more numerous. Today the Alsek joins forces with another great expedition river, the Tatshenshini. After the confluence, pass the Walker Glacier, which has sprawled down its valley and time permitting you will hike and camp here.
Accommodation: MT Sobek Camp—Alsek River, Alaska
(B, L, D)
Day 11 Float Towards Alsek Lake
4 hours/15 miles on Class II rapids
Continue to float towards Alsek Lake, encircled in an amphitheater of soaring peaks and colossal glaciers which comprise the world's largest non-polar icefield. The river is braided and wide, but now massive in volume as you approach the Pacific coast.
(B, L, D)
Day 12 Paddle Among Sculpted Ice Flows of Alsek Lake
4 hours/15 miles on Class II rapids
Formed at the confluence of glaciers, Alsek Lake is one of the most spectacular spots on earth and the largest lake in Glacier Bay National Park. Watch and listen as giant chunks of ice calve into the water from the 7-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." Tonight, celebrate the near completion of your epic expedition.
(B, L, D)
Day 13 Depart from Dry Bay by Bush Plane
1-hour charter flight
4 hours/15 miles on Class II rapids
After floating into the flat, forested plains beyond Alsek Bay, arrive at the Dry Bay Fishing Company outpost along the estuary of the Alsek River. Bid fond farewell to your guides on this remote airstrip, then board a small aircraft for a spectacular charter flight to Yakutat in time for the scheduled Alaskan Airlines service to Juneau (the trip is tailored around this flight, and Juneau is your gateway city to other destinations).
(B, L)
Day 14 Some Trips get a Bonus Day!
Each year we are assigned our commercial take-out dates by Glacier Bay National Park (US) and our put-in dates by Kluane National Park (CA), who together regulate our operations. One quirk of this two-country system is each year we are assigned one trip that is 14 days in duration rather than our standard 13 days. On our 14-day trip we follow the same itinerary, but at the guide's discretion we add an abbreviated river day or even an additional layover/hiking day to the itinerary. This decision is made in real-time based on the guide's expert assessment of the weather, water flows, and each unique group's interests, abilities, and desires. Please make special note of the trip dates if you have selected our 14-day expedition, the above description for day 13 will apply to the 14th day of these trips.
