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: After breakfast at the hotel, we’ll make our way back to the airport for our bush flight from Fairbanks to Bettles, the gateway community to Gates of the Arctic NP. We’ll transfer our gear to board a float-plane for the 1-hour flight to Circle Lake, a small oxbow lake near the banks of the Alatna River.  We will cache our rafting gear, and get ready for our Alaska backpacking adventure into the Arrigetch Peaks. If weather and time allow, we'll begin the trip with the arduous ascent into the Arrigetch. All meals included.

Days 3-7: We’ll spend the next 5-days backpacking and hiking in the high country among the Arrigetch Peaks.  We’ll encounter a steep climb of 3000' on the first day backpacking, but by the second morning, the country will open up and yield to spectacular alpine tundra speckled with beautiful lakes and laced with tumbling creeks.  By the end of day 7, we’ll be making our way back to Circle Lake where the trip will turn from a backpacking trip to a rafting adventure!  All meals included.

Days 8-11: We’ll spend the next 4-days rafting and exploring the Alatna River.  The Alatna River flows south from the Brooks Range through canyons and past huge mountain peaks.  Wildlife can be  seen along the river and it’s not uncommon to see wolves, grizzly bears, caribou, moose, dall sheep, and birds of prey.  The Alatna is a federally recognized Wild & Scenic River and has been called one of the most beautiful rivers in Alaska.  All meals included.

Day 12: Today we’ll break camp and await our pick-up. Once again, our bush pilot will use his skills to negotiate the terrain. If the weather conditions cooperate, we’ll return to Fairbanks by 7pm. If you are leaving Alaska on this day, please schedule flights home from Fairbanks for after 9pm.  Breakfast & Lunch included.