Last updated: August 8, 2024
Itinerary
What follows is a general flow of events. Expect the unexpected and prepare to be flexible.
July 29
Meet your guide in Fairbanks for a pre-trip meeting at 4 pm.
July 30 - 31
Catch the morning “mail plane” to Bettles, AK, population 12! After visiting the National Park headquarters we load into a smaller plane and fly the final miles into the Brooks Range. After landing on a small gravel bar and unloading, the plane disappears and we are alone in the wilderness. If the weather allowed an early start we should be able to hike up valley for a few hours this afternoon.
The following day we work our way through the woods, through the river, through the tussocks, through the brush, back through the river and up to a wooded river bench near Bombardment Creek.
August 1
Marshall Lake beckons! Take the day to bushwhack and scramble into the high country towards Marshall Lake and take a bracing swim beneath the glaciers.
August 2 - 3
Packs are lighter now as we work towards the headwaters of the North-fork. Shortly after Bombardment Creek trees disappear and the country opens wide in front of us and excitement grows.
But before gaining the height of land the Koyukuk is deeply incised forming a twisting and dendritic canyon for several miles.
At extreme low water you can splash your way up the creek below the canyon walls. Typically we have to climb out early and skirt the edge to gain the pass.
August 4
From your camp there are several summits which beg to be climbed. Snowheel Mountain offers views to the south of ice and snow, but there are several other un-named peaks and ridge-line options which make for excellent day-hikes. Your desires, and the weather will inform and direct where you wander, but all the options are spectacular!
August 5
Northward. Enter the Oolah Valley, a sea of green surrounded by 350 million year old grey ocean sediments thrust into the pale arctic sky. We skirt the edges of the valley finding bands of dry ground and good walking. Stopping now and again to scan the valley for wildlife.
August 6 and 7
If you thought there was no place more beautiful than the Oolah Valley, no landscape more rugged and compelling than Marshall Lake, Cockedhat Mountain may change your mind. We think the valleys radiating from Cockedhat are among the most beautiful in Alaska and there is no end to the exploration we can do. We hope to have a full day to explore the high country without packs. There is no end to the hiking we can do here.
August 8
Alas, all good things must end. Weather permitting our plane arrives mid-day for the flights back to Fairbanks, landing back in the busy world in time for a shower and a late dinner.
