Last updated: September 27, 2022
Itinerary
What follows is a general flow of events. Expect the unexpected and prepare to be flexible.
July 18
After seeing the sights in Kotzebue and collecting park stamps at the Western Arctic Parklands visitors center, meet your guide for a pre-trip meeting at 6:45 pm in Kotzebue.
July 19
Fly from the Inupiat village of Kotzebue on the Chukchi Sea up the Kobuk River and then land right in the dunes.
Once we unload we may have to carry our gear a ways to access fresh drinking water but then we can go and explore the dunes, springs and sand flats.
July 20
A full day to enjoy the dunes. Moose, wolves and fox all frequent the dunes as do a great number of birds. The sand constantly shifts and swirls. There are springs coming right out of the sand and great expanses where nothing seems to live. The hiking is soft in places but great distances can be covered if you are so inclined. Swim in the ponds, look for wolf dens, slide down the tallest dunes, or just stretch out your beach towel and parasol.
July 21
After packing up our camp, we await the pilot’s return. We will fly north into Gates of the Arctic National Park. Landing on a gravel bar near a clear fast river we will unload and set up camp. We spend the afternoon and evening settling in, learning the birds and plants, and planning the next day’s adventure.
(Please note that landing areas in the wilderness are ephemeral. Some years our landing strip has been just barely outside the National Park Boundary. We strive to use a landing area within the Park but there is some chance you’ll camp near the Park Boundary and will hike to the Park. From the ground it is all spectacular wilderness!)
July 22 - 23
Full days to explore and enjoy Gates of the Arctic. Your desires help govern our activities. We can hike to deeper part of the river and try some fishing, ascend the nearest peak and watch Dall Sheep grazing, or plan a big loop hike, up one drainage and down the other. With 24 hours of daylight and more wilderness than we could explore in a lifetime, our energy and imagination are the only limits to what our day in the wilderness will hold.
July 24
Weather permitting, our bush plane will arrive to fly us even further north to the spectacular Feniak Lake on the Arctic Divide. Camp will go up quickly the third time and we will have time for a nice walk along the lake shore on into the foothills.
July 25 - 26
Hike, fish, eat, sleep, repeat. And keep your eyes peeled for wildlife.
July 27
Fly down the Noatak and across the Noatak Flats, then through the hills to the Chukchi Coast. We land on the beach to the sounds of crashing waves and complaining gulls. Welcome to the Arctic Coast and Cape Krusenstern National Monument.
July 28
The beach combing is fantastic but it is worth climbing into the hills to look for muskoxen and to see the coast curve away north and south. It is a little too far to see Russia, but it is fun to imagine the outline in the distance.
July 29
All good things must come to an end. If the weather cooperates the pilot will return once more and shuttle us to Kotzebue. Time for a shower!