Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
Backpacking and hiking expeditions into Alaska’s remote Brooks Range.
Since 1998, Alaska Alpine Adventures has guided backpacking expeditions into the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge – the most remote and least-visited corner of America’s national wilderness system. The 19-million-acre refuge, often called America’s Serengeti, supports more species and habitat diversity than any other conservation area in the northern hemisphere. Our ANWR trips run on the smallest group size in our schedule, capped at five guests under the terms of our US Fish and Wildlife Service Special Use Permit. There are no trails, no roads, and no human infrastructure inside the refuge.
About the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge covers 19 million acres in northeast Alaska – an area roughly the size of South Carolina – and is managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The agency calls it the only conservation unit that protects, in an undisturbed condition, a complete spectrum of the arctic ecosystems in North America. ANWR receives approximately 1,500 recreational visitors per year. For comparison, Denali sees more than half a million. What that solitude protects is the ecosystem itself: the porcupine caribou herd migrates across the coastal plain in numbers that exceed 200,000 animals; grizzlies and polar bears share the north slope of the Brooks Range; muskoxen graze the river drainages; and the Kongakut River corridor holds the highest concentration of nesting golden eagles in Alaska. The Gwich’in people of northeast Alaska and northwest Canada have depended on this land and the porcupine caribou herd for thousands of years. Our expeditions travel through their traditional homelands with a clear sense of the privilege that represents.
Our Guided ANWR Trip
Alaska Alpine Adventures offers one scheduled ANWR backpacking expedition each summer: Our ANWR High Route, a 10-day Level 3 traverse covering 60+ miles through the central Brooks Range north of the Continental Divide. The trip is fully outfitted, capped at five guests, and includes round-trip air transport from Fairbanks, all ground transport, professional guiding, gear, and food. Our ANWR High Route is designed for experienced backpackers. Days range 6-10 miles over rugged off-trail terrain – alpine ridges, river crossings, glacial moraines, and open tundra. Navigation is by map, GPS, and guide expertise. Pack weights typically run 35-45 pounds. Wildlife encounters along the line include Dall sheep on the ridges, grizzlies in the valleys, caribou (often in herds), muskoxen, and a heavy presence of golden eagles overhead. The trip ends at Roche Moutonee Creek, where the group transfers by van back to Coldfoot for the return flight to Fairbanks.
How to Get to ANWR & When to Visit
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge has no roads inside the refuge itself, and most of it sits more than 100 miles from the nearest paved highway. Our ANWR trips begin in Fairbanks with a night at Pike’s Waterfront Lodge, including an orientation dinner that evening and breakfast the following morning. From there, the group flies to Coldfoot – a small Dalton Highway settlement just north of the Arctic Circle – on a Wright Air Service flight. Wright Air operates this route as either a scheduled flight or a charter, depending on the date and group size. From Coldfoot, a van transfer takes the group north to Atigun Pass, where the trip begins. On the final day, a van picks the group up at Roche Moutonee Creek for the drive back to Coldfoot and the return flight to Fairbanks. The ANWR season is short: late June through early August. June and early July offer the most consistent weather, 24-hour daylight north of the Arctic Circle, and the highest probability of seeing wildlife. Late July brings warmer days and slightly less daylight.
Frequently Asked Questions
Our ANWR trips begin in Fairbanks with a night at Pike’s Waterfront Lodge, including an orientation dinner and breakfast the next morning. From Fairbanks, the group flies to Coldfoot – a small Dalton Highway settlement just north of the Arctic Circle – on a Wright Air Service flight, either scheduled or charter depending on the date and group size. From Coldfoot, a van transfer takes the group to Atigun Pass, where the trip begins. At the end of the trip, a van picks the group up at Roche Moutonee Creek for the drive back to Coldfoot and the return flight to Fairbanks. All transport is included in the trip cost.
Our ANWR backpacking trips are capped at five guests. The cap is set by our US Fish and Wildlife Service Special Use Permit – the regulatory framework that authorizes commercial guiding in the refuge – not a voluntary choice. Most of our other Alaska destinations cap at eight guests.
The ANWR season runs from late June through early August. June and early July offer the most consistent weather, 24-hour daylight north of the Arctic Circle, and the highest probability of seeing wildlife. Late July brings warmer days but slightly less daylight. Our trips are scheduled within this window.
Our ANWR High Route is an Intensity Level 3 trip – the most demanding category in our catalog. Days cover 6-10 miles over off-trail terrain (alpine ridges, river crossings, glacial moraines, tundra) with pack weights of 35-45 pounds. Strong aerobic fitness and comfort with off-trail navigation are required. Prior multi-day backpacking experience is recommended.
Our ANWR High Route is currently $5,495 per person. All pricing is per-person and fully inclusive of a night at Pike’s Waterfront Lodge in Fairbanks (with orientation dinner and breakfast), round-trip air transport from Fairbanks, all ground transport, professional guiding, all camping and group gear (tents and trekking poles included – many competing outfitters do not provide these), and meals during the trip.
Ready to book a guided ANWR trip? Browse our ANWR High Route below. Want help deciding whether ANWR is the right trip for you? Call us at 907-351-4193 or use our Alaska Trip Consulting service – our team has guided the Brooks Range for nearly 30 years and can talk through the realities of an ANWR expedition before you book.
Key Highlights
- Activity:
- Hiking Backpacking Rafting
- Wildlife:
- Grizzly Bears Caribou Muskox Moose Dall Sheep
- Terrain:
- Mountains Rivers Waterfalls Rapids Lakes Tundra
- Transportation:
- Aircraft
