Our basecamp venue in Katmai National Park is arguably one of the most spectacular, remote and pristine areas in southwest Alaska to view these majestic creatures. The tundra hiking that surrounds our camp is second to none, and it's not uncommon to see wolves, moose, and caribou during our stay. Furthermore, the fishing on the adjacent creeks for rainbow trout and salmon has been called world class! But most importantly, it's about the coastal Alaska brown bears that visit this area each and every year to fatten up on spawning salmon - sockeye salmon from Bristol Bay, the world's richest salmon fishery.

This trip originates in Anchorage, Alaska. Getting to Anchorage is a snap. Alaska Airlines, your travel agent, or the carrier of your choice can easily arrange roundtrip airfare from the lower 48. Once you land in Anchorage, your adventure really begins. For this trip into Lake Clark National Park,  you'll find that the areas we visit won't be found on any road map; out here there aren't any roads!

Bush Flights: Access to Lake Clark and Katmai National Parks is limited to air travel in a small airplane flown by an experienced bush pilot. This adventure includes internal bush flights between Anchorage and Port Alsworth and any floatplane flights necessary for  your itinerary. Have your camera at the ready, your trip begins here.  For most, this will be your first experience in a small aircraft – a memorable one to be sure.  The flight to Lake Clark takes you through the southern portion of the Alaska Range with towering peaks and tumbling glaciers right off the wing tips.  The 180 mile flight to Port Alsworth, Lake Clark National Park’s gateway community, takes approximately an hour and a half.  Your guide will meet you at the airplane as soon as you land in Port Alsworth.  You will then be taken to the lodge and your lakeside cabin, at which time you’ll have the chance to enjoy lunch and ample time to settle in and unpack.  You’ll then join your guide for a 5-mile hike to the spectacular Tanalian Falls along the only developed trail in all of Lake Clark National Park & Preserve.

Accommodations: Lodging on night one in Port Alsworth is included in your package.  You’ll be staying in a lakeside cabin in the bush community of Port Alsworth.  The property is both comfortable and picturesque, and the community of Port Alsworth (Population 100) offers a great portrayal of how people thrive in rural Alaska.  Prices are double occupancy. If you prefer your own cabin on night one you will be asked to pay a single supplement of $75.00.  The remaining nights will be spent camping in the wilderness.

The Experience: Up early on day 2, we’ll have breakfast at the lodge. Our first day will allow us to collect our senses, gaze at the surrounding beauty, and get a feel for the terrain we will be covering. Most of our trips will involve a floatplane flight into the furthest reaches of this spectacular wilderness. You will quickly become acquainted with our style of wilderness travel and camp etiquette.  Meals are planned to be sumptuous, filling culinary adventures of their own.  Because weight and packaging is critical, careful consideration is taken in planning and packing the ingredients.  You can be assured every meal will be something you may never have experienced in the wilderness. We use organic and real food products when possible and the very best freeze-dried and dehydrated ingredients available.

What’s Included:

• All group gear (tents, stoves, fuel, kayaks, dry bags, etc.), satellite phone, and safety equipment.
• Trekking poles.
• Ground Transportation to Merrill Field on Day 1.
• Bush flight transportation from Anchorage to Port Alsworth.
• All internal bush flights necessary for the trip
• Lodging on night one at a lodge on Lake Clark.
• Professional guide service at a maximum 4:1 client to guide ratio.
• All meals from lunch on day one through lunch on the final day of the itinerary.
• Storage for your extra travel items while in the field.

What’s Not:

• Lodging in Anchorage prior to and after your adventure.
• Personal gear (sleeping bags, packs, rain gear, etc.). - See Equipment Lists
• Trip cancellation insurance.
• Alcoholic beverages.
• Guide gratuities.

Everyone asks:

What about the mosquitoes?
In case you've heard horror stories... the number of mosquitoes is greatly dependent on hatching season and annual weather conditions. While we are bound to encounter some mosquitoes during the course of our adventure, their numbers have not generally presented major problems on past trips in these specific areas. That said, please arrive prepared with insect repellent and a head net to fend off any mosquitoes that are present.

Will bears be a problem?
Alaska is bear country! There are both grizzly and black bears in most of the wilderness areas of Alaska we visit. We love seeing bears in the wild and it really is one of the most thrilling experiences common in Alaska backcountry travel. With that said, traveling safely and taking precautions to minimize a negative encounter are things we take very seriously. In addition to being subject to our thorough bear safety orientation, you’ll also see that we take many precautions when traveling in Alaska’s wilderness – 1 all of our food has been packaged to minimize odors – we vacuum seal most of our fresh ingredients and sauces, we pack our food in bear resistant food canisters, and we store our food well away from camp. 2 We make noise when we’re hiking in thick brush or when we’re hiking in windy conditions to minimize surprise encounters 3 we keep an exceptionally clean camp. and 4 as a last resort we travel armed. Our guides carry 44 mags or shotguns. Most of Alaska’s national parks, excluding Katmai and Denali, allow for the use of firearms and our guides are thoroughly trained in firearm use. Again, using a gun is a last resort and thankfully we’ve never had to call one into service on a trip!

What kind of food might we expect?
Our food is excellent – in fact it is something that clearly differentiates us from our competitors. We have spent the past decade fine tuning our backcountry menu. Breakfasts include pancakes, scrambles, various homemade granolas and cereals, French pressed coffee, assorted teas and hot drinks. For lunch we enjoy foccacia sandwiches, bagels and Alaska lox, hummus and toasted pita chips, and assorted wraps. We also     have homemade snack mixes both salty and sweet and energy and candy bars available throughout the day. Dinners could include lasagna, pad thai, beef mole’ tacos, penne pasta with a roasted red pepper pesto, wild mushroom risotto, etc. And we ALWAYS enjoy one of Derek’s home baked desserts after dinner.

When would you require a deposit? and how much? Trip cancellation insurance? Can we get it through you?
We require a deposit of $1000 per person to officially reserve a trip. Really the deposit is due as soon as you’d like to book. That way, we have the trip inked in on the schedule and can begin the effort to coax others into joining the adventure. When you decide to book, we then generate an invoice that we send by email. You’ll then have the option to pay the deposit by mailing us a check, calling us with a credit card number or by using a Visa, Master Card, or American Experss on our secure online payment system. As for trip cancellation insurance, Alaska Alpine Adventures is licensed to sell Travel Guard - an industry leading insurance product designed specifically for adventure travelers. Please contact us for details, or click here to obtain a quote.

Katmai National Park and Preserve:

Where is Katmai National Park?
The 3.5 Million Acre Katmai National Park it's contained within lies the end of the Alaska Peninsula at the crest of the Pacific Rim of fire.  This remote park is over 200 air miles south-west of Anchorage. 

How do you get to Katmai National Park?
Access to Katmai National Park is soley by small aircraft or, in some instances, by boat.

Is transportation to Katmai National Park included in the price of the trip?
Absolutely, our Katmai trips are all inclusive from Anchorage.

Where will you meet us?
Alaska Alpine Adventures will provide a shuttle to Merrill Field on the morning of day 1.  Your guide will meet you at the airplane when you arrive in Port Alsworth - home of our summer base of operations, and the launching point for our Katmai Bear viewing adventure.

Who will I be flying with and what time will we be departing on day one?
You'll be flying with Lake and Peninsula Air. On occasion we also use Lake Clark Air. Both air taxis are located at Merrill Field. We usually schedule our departures for 11am on day one. You need to arrive at Merrill Field one-half hour before your scheduled departure.

Where is Merrill Field?
Merrill Field is located just east of downtown Anchorage.  “Bush” flying is an adventure in and of itself and variable weather conditions may cause delays. We will try to keep you informed of any changes or delays as they occur. Remember to please be ready at least 45 minutes before your expected departure.

Is Katmai National Park a good place for viewing wildlife?
Absolutely. Katmai National Park is home to grizzly, coastal brown, and black bears, dall sheep, caribou, moose, wolves, and tremedous seasonal populations of migratory birds.

Itinerary:

Day 1: Your adventure begins this morning in Anchorage. From Merrill Field, located in the heart of Anchorage, you’ll fly west through the glacially carved splendor of Lake Clark Pass, one of the most spectacular bush flights in Alaska, arriving 1.5 hours later in the small community of Port Alsworth. After meeting your guide, you’ll check into our lakeside lodge on Lake Clark, spend the afternoon hiking to Tanalian Falls, and finish the evening with an orientation/welcome dinner at the lodge.  Lunch & Dinner included.

Day 2: After a sumptuous breakfast at the lodge, we’ll fly by float plane from Port Alsworth to  Katmai. We’ll establish our camp near the lake and will already be looking for bruins in the surrounding landscape. With camp set up and our bodies nourished for the adventure ahead, we will head out in search of the amazing creatures that we came to witness – Alaska’s coastal brown bear.  All meals included.

Days 3 – 6: We spend our days admiring the size and fishing ability of these immense and majestic creatures.  The surrounding countryside allows for unobstructed view of the bears and the landscape.  With copious amounts of daylight, we’ll also head out on exploratory hikes, spend hours behind our cameras, or simply enjoy the silence and solitude of our remote camp in the wilderness of Alaska.  All meals included.

Day 7: With the memories of this amazing journey fresh in our minds, the sound of the float plane will remind us of the civilized world we left behind. We will return to Port Alsworth by noon. After showers and a celebratory lunch, we’ll tally up our wildlife sightings, and revel in the adventure that we will never forget.  We’ll then pay an afternoon visit to the Lake Clark National Park visitor’s center where you’ll have a chance to purchase maps and postcards. You’ll then board an afternoon charter flight to Anchorage.  If you are departing Alaska on this day, please schedule all homebound flights for after 9PM.  Breakfast & Lunch included.