Last updated: May 5, 2023
Itinerary
What follows is a general flow of events. Expect the unexpected and prepare to be flexible.
June 11
Pre-trip meeting with your guides in Fairbanks at 9 am at Arctic Wild headquarters. Once questions are answered, gear checked, briefings given and everyone feels ready to cut the tether and head to the Arctic, we head to the airport and fly north to Arctic Village.
In Arctic we are met by our Gwich’in hosts who will help us get settled and oriented in their beautiful village.
June 12
A bush-plane will meet us in Arctic Village to shuttle us 3 at a time to the Jago River. We’ll make a comfortable camp, have a good dinner, and watch the sun refuse to set! Welcome to the arctic! We can climb a small hill for a lovely view of the valley ahead or take a longer hike up a side stream. There are few places in the Arctic Refuge as beautiful as our camp this first night.
June 13 - 17
We’ll paddle and hike our way down the Jago River, allowing for two or three layover days depending on water levels. We’ll take a layover in the mountains, another on the Coastal Plain, and if we make it through the canyon smoothly we can take another layover at the coast. On days when we paddle we encounter a wide variety of conditions from steep canyons to expansive plains. Each day is an adventure as we travel north across the refuge.
Day 11
Awake this morning at the northern edge of the continent. Weather permitting, we get a quick flight to the Eskimo Village of Kaktovik and then a longer flight back south across the Brooks Range, the Arctic Circle, and the Yukon River to Fairbanks arriving late in the day. Time to change your socks!
