GUIDED ALASKA Trip Information

ARCTIC DESTINATIONSArctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR)

From 9,000 ft peaks in the Brooks Range to the frozen Arctic Ocean, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge has all the adventure and wild beauty of your dreams.

About the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR)

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, in the Northeast corner of Alaska, is a 19 million acre wilderness refuge stretching from the Beaufort Sea nearly to the Yukon River. Its vastness, diversity and its wildlife, coupled with dramatic scenery make it Alaska’s most celebrated wilderness. Designated as wilderness in 1960, ANWR encompasses arctic tundra, boreal forests, wild rivers, the Brooks Range mountains, the coastal plain and the Arctic Coast.

Inupiat and Gwich’in call this undisturbed Alaska wilderness home. Birds migrate from all over the world to breed in the refuge. Nearly 180 bird species call ANWR home at least part of the year. There are 45 mammal species living in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge including polar bears, grizzly bears, porcupine, caribou, musk ox, wolves, and Dall sheep.

Geography of the Arctic Refuge

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is split by the continental divide. North of the divide in the arctic watershed the land is vast treeless tundra. Rivers like the Hulahula and the Canning form in glacier carved peaks and flow from the Romanzof Mountains, through the foothills and across the beautiful coastal plain. Where the rivers join the arctic ocean is a rich wetland home to shorebirds and waterfowl. And along the arctic coast are the barrier islands rich with birdlife, sea-ice and human history.

The endless summer daylight and the expansive wilderness combine to create a sense of limitless possibility. On the south-side of the Arctic Refuge, rich greens of the boreal forest fill the valleys and limestone peaks of the Brooks Range tower above the clear waters of the Sheenjek, Coleen, and Wind rivers.

Wildlife in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

The Porcupine Caribou Herd migration has become iconic for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. More than 200,000 caribou migrate annually through the refuge. In late winter they cross the Brooks Range to calve on the famed coastal plain at the very end of May and then migrate across the mountain front, typically crossing the Kongakut River in late June.

Grizzly bears, polar bears, musk ox, Dall sheep, Alaska moose, Porcupine caribou and even wolverine roam the refuge. ANWR is a magnificent Alaska birding destination. Some ANWR bird species include: Gyr and peregrine falcons, grey-headed chickadees, arctic warblers, snow geese, snowy owls and northern wheatears.

Guided Trips Available in ANWR

Arctic Wild offers guided wilderness trips throughout the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. We offer rafting trips on the larger rivers in the refuge and packrafting trips on the smaller ones. We also guide backpacking adventures in the Brooks Range and base camp trips to watch caribou migrations, photograph coastal birds or just to revel in the scenery and excellent hiking.

In addition to our scheduled trips listed below we also offer custom trips to better suit your interests and schedule. With more than 20 years of guiding in the Arctic Refuge there are few that know the area as we do.

FEATURED TRIPS


2025

June 09, 2025 - June 19, 2025
Hulahula Rafting
$9,100
June 11, 2025 - June 23, 2025
Kongakut to the Sea
$10,600
June 12, 2025 - June 16, 2025
Arctic Refuge Spring Base Camp
$8,100
June 13, 2025 - June 20, 2025
Aichilik River Rafting
$8,700
June 16, 2025 - June 26, 2025
Canning to the Coast Canoe
$9,200
June 20, 2025 - June 27, 2025
Caribou Migration Backpack
$7,500
June 24, 2025 - July 2, 2025
Jago Whitewater
$9,300
June 27, 2025 - July 2, 2025
Mission: Caribou
$8,800
July 1, 2025 - July 15, 2025
Firth River Rafting
$11,800
July 05, 2025 - July 11, 2025
Sheenjek Canoe
$7,900
August 13, 2025 - August 21, 2025
Kongakut Rafting
$8,800
September 02, 2025 - September 10, 2025
Wind River Rafting
$8,200
"The wilderness was spectacular, the leadership perfect."
"I am just finishing my tenth trip with you guys. As always, the trip was more than I expected and I had a great time. See you next year!"
"Of all outfitters with whom we have worked (and that is quite a number), you were by far the most organized and responsive."
"That feeling of wide open wonder, the possibilities for nearly limitless wandering, and the image of those proud caribou...that will stay with me a long time"
"Our guide was an encyclopedia on legs. He was always willing and ready to teach, to talk, to listen, to do another hike, or to lie low in camp if we were beat. He truly gave us the trip we wanted!"
client client client client client
Eileen - Canning River