Aniakchak Base Camp

Aniakchak Base Camp

Reservation request

DATES

July 27, 2026 - August 01, 2026

REGION

Aniakchak Crater National Monument and Preserve

TRIP COST

$9,000

DATES

July 27, 2026 - August 01, 2026

REGION

Aniakchak Crater National Monument and Preserve

TRIP COST

$9,000

Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve is America’s least-visited National Park, and we think it is one of the most interesting. Where else can you camp in an active volcano with coastal brown bears? Join us for the adventure of a lifetime in Aniakchak Crater.

TRIP DETAILS

Picture a still-hot volcano, rising from the Pacific Ocean, whose crater is home to grizzly bears as big as horses, with a mineral green lake, and some of the best hiking in Alaska. Welcome to Aniakchak National Preserve and Monument!

From our weather worthy and comfortable camp next to the lake and within striking distance of the warm springs, we will spend our days enjoying the caldera in all its moods.

There are cinder cones to climb, a river to walk down with impressive rapids to view, wildlife such as brown bears, wolves, and caribou.We can hike the crater rim and look out to either the Bering Sea or the Pacific Ocean (weather permitting).

There is even a volcano inside of a volcano (Vent Mountain) we could climb. Or we could attempt to circumnavigate the 6-mile wide caldera. We can also focus our energy on photography, watching birds, or simply watching the weather and the changing light on the enormous crater walls. However we choose to use our time, the land will inspire and delight us.

Few people have ever heard of Aniakchak and many fewer still have had the opportunity to visit this spectacular part of the Alaska Peninsula. The peninsula stretches southwest from Anchorage for 600 miles of the most remote and beautiful wilderness anywhere. With smoking volcanoes, rivers full to their banks with salmon, and some of the world’s largest bears it is a rich and awe inspiring region. Half of the way down this road-less peninsula lays the least visited unit of the National Park Service, Aniakchak Crater National Monument.

We plan this trip during the mid-summer in hopes that the weather will be mild and sunny, but we will come prepared for the famous winds and storms of the region.

The crater is full of surprises, from its resident moose, to the thermal springs, to the tenacious plant life growing on coarse volcanic rocks, to lakes and rivers full of salmon. The Caldera was formed a scant 3500 years ago and erupted as recently as 1931. Signs of the active geology are everywhere in the area. Join us for a week of wildlife, exploration, and adventure with latitude.

Last updated: March 6, 2025

Itinerary

What follows is a general flow of events. Expect the unexpected and prepare to be flexible.

July 26

Meet your guide in King Salmon for an evening pre-trip meeting.

July 27

We will board a de Havilland Beaver for a beautiful flight down the peninsula over countless lakes to Aniakchak Crater. The plane will land us near a bright green lake right in the caldera. We will unload, set up a comfortable base camp, and get to exploring!

Or, if the weather is not cooperative we will kill time in King Salmon for the day and hope to fly-out the following day.

July 28- 31

We can do as much or as little as we want each day. Your guide will be available to lead hikes, interpret geology and natural history or simply suggest and facilitate your adventure. We’ll have a wind worthy and comfortable camp, so if the wind howls, we have a place to relax. But mostly we’ll be exploring the caldera on foot, investigating geothermal features, climbing high for views and scanning for wildlife. There is no end to the adventures we can have.

August 1

On our last day (weather permitting) we are picked up by the same plane which brought us to this rugged paradise. We hope to arrive in King Salmon around dinner time, but the weather will continue to call the shots.

I genuinely feel, having traveled in South America, Australia, and Africa to remote villages and lodges, huts etc. that Alaska was the most foreign I have ever felt. And I am glad to have experienced it.
One of my biggest impressions is that I am so so very glad we had Arctic Wild as our outfitters. Michael Wald and his team were terrific and well prepared. I can’t say enough about the attention to detail and the experience of them and especially our guide Nancy Pfeiffer. I talked with other guides and with other groups. After each conversation, (trust me, they were lengthy chats as we were on a gravel runway sitting on our packs…) I thought how lucky we were to be with Nancy and Arctic Wild.

- Linda, Washington, USA

DETAILS

WHAT'S INCLUDED

Transportation beyond King Salmon

Food while in the wilderness

Stoves, cooking & eating utensils, water filter, base camp tent

Safety & repair gear

Professional guide service

Select Camping Equipment

WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED

Lodging

Non-camp meals

Personal clothing and gear per our Equipment List

Gratuity for guide(s)

Please note that weather delays are common in this region. Extra nights and meals in King Salmon are possible and your responsibility.

WEATHER & BUGS

Expect temperatures in the 50’s most of the time with a breeze or a genuine wind. We could get 70 and sunny or we could see a storm to remember. Bugs shouldn’t be present in the crater, rain and fog are much more likely. Weather related aviation delays are likely. Travel insurance is essential.

RECOMMENDED READING

Beyond the Moon Crater Myth by Katherine Johnson Ringsmuth

Alaska Peninsula (Alaska Geographic) by Penny Rennick

Moments Rightly Placed by Ray Hudson

Where the Sea Breaks it Back by Cory Ford

The Bears of Katmai by Matthais Breiter

More Alaska reading is available from our Bookstore.

"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!"

Eileen - Canning River

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