I am looking for partners for an adventure trip in Alaska. I am open to where we’d go, but I have been focusing my research on the Anaktuvuk Pass / Bettles area of the Gates of the Arctic Nat’l Park. A trip starting in Anaktuvuk and ending in Bettles, or perhaps Allakaket is pretty easy to put together and is reasonably economical since no bush flights are needed. Commercial flights go to each of these villages from Fairbanks.
The John or Tinayguk Rivers seem to be pretty good options. The John requires 5+ miles of hiking/boat lining at the start, and a difficult 5-mile muskeg hike along the Koyukuk at the end – getting a boat pickup is an option. The Tinayguk can be reached after something like a 20-mile hike from Anaktuvuk, it then flows to the Koyukuk and right to Bettles. There are other options that include hiking from one of these rivers over to the next drainage such as the Wild River, then down that. All these options are described else where on this site.
Mid-July to Aug is likely the best time to go, although water levels have been erratic the last several years leading to difficult or cancelled trips.
I am a very experienced wilderness adventurer and have been to Alaska hiking several times, but not on a float trip. I have had my raft for 1½ years, had whitewater, wilderness first-aid , & water safety and rescue training, I am male and in my early-50s.
I am already talking with a couple of other packrafters from this site, but have no commitments yet. Please contact me if you’d to like to discuss a trip.
Dana