Last updated: November 20, 2025
Itinerary
What follows is a general flow of events. Expect the unexpected and prepare to be flexible.
August 9
Meet your guide for a pre-trip meeting at 4 pm in Fairbanks at Arctic Wild headquarters.
August 10
Fly north from Fairbanks across the Yukon River over the Brooks Range past Gates of the Arctic National Park to a gravel bar on the Colville River. After unloading the airplane we will make camp and relish the feeling of solitude. An evening hike on the tundra will wet our appetites for more exploration.
August 11
Assemble the canoes, carry them to the river, get a refresher on paddle strokes, and review river safety. Then we launch into the current under grey bluffs and (hopefully) blue sky.
August 12 - 17
The weather, the river, and the wildlife inform our decisions about when to paddle, when to hike, when to rest and when to climb the bluffs for a vista. Some days we will spend most of the day on the water. Some days will be shorter and more leisurely and there will be one or two days when we elect to explore the uplands on foot and fish for Arctic Grayling in the river leaving camp set up for two nights in a single location.
August 18
A final cast of the fishing rod; a final search of the gravel bar for fossilized coral; one last look in the willows for Bluethroats and then it is time to pack our gear and listen for the distant hum of an airplane, perhaps the first we have heard in a week. Once the plane arrives it is back south. Weather permitting we arrive in Fairbanks in time for a late dinner and can begin exaggerating about the trip.
