Last updated: November 29, 2017
Itinerary
What follows is a general flow of events. Expect the unexpected and prepare to be flexible.
August 16
Meet your guide for a pre-trip meeting in Fairbanks at 4pm at Arctic Wild headquarters.
August 17
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 on a sprawling lake near the river. 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 18 - 27
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 per day. Alternating days will be layover days when we can 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 28
Clean up and pack our gear. Weather permitting, we’ll catch our return flight back up the Noatak, over a great many mountains back to Bettles, then on to Fairbanks. Remove rubber boots!
