Alaska's Best Hikes & Paddles
©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd
Alaska’s Best Hikes & Paddles
Includes Hiking & Paddling in Alaska Chilkoot Trail...... 58 Much of Alaska’s wilderness is hard to reach for visitors with Petersburg Lake Trail. . . 59 limited time or small budgets. The lack of specialized equip- Misty Fiords National ment, the complicated logistics of reaching remote areas Monument...... 60 and lack of backcountry knowledge keeps many out of the Tracy Arm-Fords state’s great wilderness tracts such as the Arctic National Terror Wilderness. . . .. 61 Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). To experience such a remote and Iditarod National pristine place you may need to turn to a guiding company Historic Trail...... 64 and pay a premium price. But that doesn’t mean you can’t sneak off on your own Russian Lakes Trail . . . . 65 for a trek into the mountains or a paddle down an icy fjord. Resurrection There are so many possible adventures in Alaska that even Pass Trail...... 66 the most budget-conscious traveler can take time to explore Cross Admiralty what lies beyond the pavement. Do it yourself and save. Island Canoe Route. . . . 68 The best way to enter the state’s wilderness is to begin Dixie Pass Route ...... 69 with a day hike the minute you step off the ferry or depart Swan Lake Canoe from the Alcan. After the initial taste of the woods, many Route...... 70 travelers forgo the cities and spend the rest of their trip on Chena Dome Trail. . . .. 70 multiday adventures into the backcountry to enjoy Alaska’s Kesugi Ridge immense surroundings. Troublesome There is also a range of paddling opportunities, from Creek Trail...... 72 calm rivers and chains of lakes for novice canoeists to re- Beaver Creek Canoe mote fjords and coastlines whose rugged shorelines and Route...... 74 tidal fluctuations are an attraction for more experienced Savonoski Loop . . . . . 75 open-water paddlers. Alaska is an icy paradise for kayakers. Double-bladed paddlers can easily escape into a watery wil- derness, away from motorboats and cruise ships, and enjoy the unusual experience of gazing at glaciers or watching seal pups snuggle on icebergs from sea level. Here you’ll find 14 popular wilderness excursions. They’re either maintained trails or natural paddling routes that back- packers can embark on as unguided journeys provided they have the proper equipment and sufficient outdoor experience. Hikes in Denali National Park are some of the best in Alaska, but as they are largely trail-less (with no multiday hikes on trails), you’ll need to refer to the Denali National Park section (p263) to learn more about hiking there. 57 Alaska’s Best Hikes & Paddles TouHikinrsg & Paddling in Alaska - - - - .
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Mountaineering, rafting, Mountaineering, trek (2001) From the legendary com) . jodyyoung . Useful Websites 8 888-831-7526; 888-933-5427; 907-554-4445, 907-772-4600; % % % com) Includes details onalmost 100 trails . Alaska Southcentral and Anchorage around 14 Alaska trips in all from this trusted oper 14 with camping tours and other activities. only trip. a women’s There’s 8 Search Hike Alaska Mt Sobek ( from cruises and paddles to ranging ation, wildlife adventures. Guides Alpine St Elias ( guides Elias Wrangell-St king and glacier-skiing at Park. National Adventures Kayak Tongass ( Bay aking LeConte Glacier and Tebenkof Wilderness in Southeast. life Refuge and Gates of the Arctic of the life Refuge and Gates National with other trips throughout the state. Park, Jody Young Travel Adventure (www . . . - - cling Cy Rafting alaskabike . r Tou venture r Tou venture r Tou venture Ad Ad Ad s com) www
d ea arctictreksadventures . alaskamountainguides . (2006) Former Denali National Park bear observer Tim Rubbert Tim observer bear Park National Denali Former (2006) . arcticwild . d R d www www www
e nd mme co Tours The Alaska River Guide (2008) Karen Jettmar provides the complete river guide for The Kenai Canoe (1995) Trails Daniel L Quick’s guide to Kenai National Wildlife Refuge’s Hiking with Grizzlies with Hiking Hiking Alaska’s Wrangell-St Elias National Park (2008) Greg Fensterman will keep you from (2001) Shane Shepherd and Owen Wozniak 50 Hikes Wozniak in Owen Alaska’s and Chugach Shepherd Shane State Park (2001) Klondike Trail: the Complete Hiking and Paddling Guide Paddling and Hiking Complete the Trail: Klondike 55 to Ways the Wilderness in Southcentral Alaska (2002) Check out this book by Helen Denali National Park Guide to Hiking, Photography & Camping (2010) Longtime Treks and rafting Arctic across Alaska Treks Fully supported cyclealong the tours Fully Weeklong kayaking trips in Glacier Bay, Bay, trips in Glacier kayaking Weeklong e ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ 888-577-8203; 907-455-6502; 907-245-2175, 866-683-2453; 907-245-2175, 800-766-3396; Alaska, covering 100 trips, from the Chilkat in the Southeast to Colville on the Arctic slope. Swan Lake and Swanson River canoe routes, with maps, fishing information and photos. getting lost on 50 hikes and backpacking treks in this book, which includes GPS waypoints. cover the state park’s best trails and routes near Anchorage. There’s a similar guide for Kenai and Anchorage from the same publisher (The Mountaineers Books). Nienhueser and John Wolfe for trails around the Kenai Peninsula, the Anchorage area and from Palmer to Valdez. Alaskan Ike Waits has produced the most comprehensive guide to Alaska’s best-known park. national Chilkoot to a paddle Trail down the Yukon this River, book by Jennifer Voss will lead you on an adventure of a lifetime. ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ R tells you how to travel into grizzly country to make sure you come back out. % % % % and backpacking the Arctic National Wild and backpacking the Arctic National in Brooks Range parks and refuges. parks and in Brooks Range George Parks, Richardson and Glenn Hwys. Richardson and Glenn George Parks, big mountain expeditions, mountaineering and heli-skiing. schools in Haines Wild Arctic ( Treks Arctic ( Alaskabike.com ( Guides Mountain Alaska ( er you want to climb Mt McKinley, kayak McKinley, want to climb Mt er you to or pedal from Anchorage Glacier Bay willing to put an outfitter there’s Fairbanks, supply the equipment an itinerary together, and lead the way. If you lack the expertiseIf you to head outdoors on logisticsthe own – or of visiting remote your wilderness, such as the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge, are too daunting – guiding getcompanies will help you there. Wheth T com) com) com)