Last updated: December 1, 2023
Itinerary
What follows is a general flow of events. Expect the unexpected and prepare to be flexible.
August 4
Meet your guide for a pre-trip meeting in Fairbanks at 4pm at Arctic Wild headquarters.
August 5
It’s a long day. We fly north from Fairbanks over the Yukon River and Arctic Circle to the arctic village of Bettles. From Bettles we charter a plane into the Gates of the Arctic National Park. We’ll land near the river with mountains all around. If the mood strikes us, we will assemble the canoes and paddle for a bit. Or we might elect to explore our surroundings on foot and save the paddling for the next day.
August 6 - 13
We’ll canoe our way down the Noatak. On days when we travel, we will spend about five hours on the river paddling about 15 miles each day. Alternating days will be layover days when we will explore on foot from camp. We can climb peaks from every camp, but there is also lots of good walking along the river, or up pretty tundra creeks. There will be free time each and every day after camp is pitched. The long evening is yours to enjoy the golden arctic sunlight.
August 14
Clean up and pack our gear. Weather permitting, we’ll catch our return flight back up the Noatak, over a great many mountains and then on to Fairbanks. Remove rubber boots!
