The upland valleys drain a rugged mountain area where peaks over 6,000 feet are common and with a gradient of 31 feet per mile and a rating of Class 3, the Charley has been called the best whitewater river in Alaska’s vast interior. Wildlife in the corridor is abundant and peregrine falcons, sheep, caribou, moose, and bears may be encountered along the narrower sections of the river. This ten-day river expedition will allow us the unique opportunity to completely immerse ourselves in one of the most spectacular watersheds in Alaska.

This trip originates in Fairbanks, Alaska. Getting to Fairbanks 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 Fairbanks, your adventure really begins. For this trip into Yukon Charley Rivers National Preserve, you'll find that the areas we visit won't be found on any road map; out here there aren't many roads!

Bush Flights: Access to the Yukon Charley Rivers National Preserve is limited to air travel in a small airplane flown by an experienced bush pilot. This adventure includes the bush flight from Circle City into the refuge 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 from Circle City to the put in on the Charley River takes approximately 40 minutes.

Accommodations: Lodging on night one in Fairbanks is included in your package.  You’ll be staying in at Pike's Waterfront Lodge in Fairbanks.  We use Pike's because of it's comfortable rooms and convenient location near the airport.  Prices are double occupancy. If you prefer your own room 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: Your trip originates in Fairbanks, and we'll meet as a group for the first time at Pike's Waterfront Lodge.  As you settle into your accommodations for the night, your guide(s) will be available to aid you with your gear and answer any questions you might have.

Up early on day 2, we’ll load the vans and begin the drive north and east to the community of Circle City, a settlement on the mighty Yukon River. Keep the camera at the ready as the 162 mile drive along the Steese Highway is spectacular. We’ll meet our bush pilot that afternoon in Circle City and prepare for our flight into the headwaters mountains. 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.  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, inflatable canoes, stoves, fuel, dry bags, etc.) and safety equipment.
• Trekking poles.
• Roundtrip ground transportation from Fairbanks to Circle City.
• Air transportation from Circle City into the wilderness.
• Lodging on night one in Fairbanks.
• Professional guide service at a maximum 4:1 client to guide ratio.
• All meals from dinner on day one through lunch on the final day of the itinerary.

What’s Not:

• Lodging in Fairbanks 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.

Yukon Charley Rivers National Preserve:

Why go to Yukon Charley National Rivers National Preserve?
Alaska Alpine Adventures has been exploring the Yukon Charley Rivers National Preserve since 2007, and it remains one of our favorite rivers in Alaska.  The 1.1 Million acre watershed of the Charley River is the only complete watershed managed by the federal government.  Located within the preserve, the Charley River is a cold, clear, intermediate stream that flows from its headwaters at approximately 4000 feet elevation to its confluence with the Yukon at about 700 feet. Designated as a National Wild and Scenic River, the Charley offers varied and spectacular scenery as well as unspoiled wilderness.  The upland valleys drain a rugged mountain area where peaks over 6000 feet are common and with a gradient of 31 feet per mile and a rating of Class 3, the Charley has been called the best whitewater river in Alaska’s vast interior.

Where is the Yukon Charley Rivers National Preserve?
Yukon Charley Rivers National Preserve lies 120 miles east of Fairbanks on the southern edge of the mighty Brooks Range, and over 300 miles north of Anchorage. 

How do you get to the Yukon Charley Rivers National Preserve?
Access to the Charley River is mainly by small aircraft or, in some instances, can be arduously accessed by foot.

Is transportation to the Yukon Charley Rivers National Preserve included in the price of the trip?
Absolutely, our Charley River trips are all inclusive from Fairbanks. All you need to do is get yourself to our lodge in Fairbanks on Day 1 of your itinerary.

Where will you meet us?
Your Alaska Alpine Adventures guide will meet you in the afternoon at the lodge on day 1 for an orientation dinner and gear check. 

Who will I be flying with and what time will we be departing on day two?
You will join your guides for breakfast at the lodge on the morning of day two.  The group will shuttle by van to Circle City along the Yukon River.  From there, we'll transfer to a small plane equipped for tundra landings for our plane flight into the wilderness with Wright Air. 

Is the Yukon Charley Rivers National Preserve a good place for viewing wildlife?
Absolutely. Wildlife in the corridor is abundant, and peregrine falcons, sheep, caribou, moose, and bears may be encountered along the narrower sections of the river.

Itinerary:

Day 1: Today you are free to arrive in Fairbanks on your own. We’ll be staying at Pikes Waterfront Lodge, which is located near the airport on the banks of the Chena River.  After checking into the hotel, you’ll meet our guides by early afternoon in the hotel lobby. Tonight we’ll do an orientation dinner at our favorite Thai restaurant in Fairbanks and upon returning to our hotel, we’ll pour over maps and discuss the route.  Dinner included.

Day 2: Our assistant guide will be taken to the airport with all of the gear.  You and our lead guide will then begin the drive to Circle City, Alaska along the 162 mile Steese Highway.  When we arrive in Circle, we’ll meet our bush pilot who will whisk us by airplane to Gelvin’s Airstrip, an undeveloped gravel airstrip at the headwaters of the Charley River and in the heart of Yukon Charley National Preserve.  We’ll set up camp along the river and go for an evening walk to get a lay of the land.  All meals included.

Day 3: After assembling our rafts and equipment, we’ll begin our float down the Charley.  The first day begins with some easy water, which gives you the opportunity to familiarize yourself with our SOAR inflatable canoes – really the perfect craft for this river.  Within an hour however, things begin to get exciting.  The river begins to loose elevation and rounded granite boulders start showing up with more frequency.  We’ll finish the last 5 hours of the day scouting and running fun class III rapids and negotiating tight chutes between rocks.  We’ll set up camp at the confluence of the Charley and Crescent Creek. All meals included.

Days 4-7: The Charley River is a cold, clear, intermediate stream that flows from its headwaters at approximately 4000 feet elevation to its confluence with the Yukon at about 700 feet. Designated as a National Wild and Scenic River, the Charley offers varied and spectacular scenery as well as unspoiled wilderness. The upland valleys drain a rugged mountain area where peaks over 6000 feet are common and with a gradient of 31 feet per mile and a rating of Class 3, the Charley has been called the best whitewater river in Alaska’s vast interior.  Wildlife in the corridor is abundant and peregrine falcons, sheep, caribou, moose, and bears may be encountered along the narrower sections of the river. Days 4 and 5 offer exciting whitewater and by the time we begin day 6, the river leaves the mountains and flows sometime silently through this spectacular wilderness.  By day 7, we reach the confluence of the mighty Yukon and will begin our float down the Yukon and back to Circle City. All meals included.

Days 8-9: By the evening of day 7, we’ll be camped at Slaven’s Roadhouse – an historic and renovated roadhouse along the Yukon.  This place was used extensively during the gold rush and the property is rich with historic artifacts from a bygone era.  You’ll feel the spirit of Jack London as you explore the area and contemplate the lives that these Alaskan pioneers carved from this amazing watershed.  The next two days rafting down the massive Yukon River are truly extraordinary!  Though the river is technically easy and feels almost languid, the current carries you downstream at an average of 6 miles/hour – remarkable considering that the elevation loss is insignificant.  In fact, we cover roughly 80 miles of river in just over two days! All meals included.

Day 10: We’ll meander down the Yukon River and should reach Circle by mid-morning on the 10th day of the expedition.  We’ll then break down the gear, load the van, and return to Fairbanks.  Please schedule homebound flights from Fairbanks for after 9pm.  Breakfast & Lunch included.