We are excited to offer upper and lower Alsek River options for the summer of 2016. The Alsek is normally a 12-day trip and including travel takes a two-week commitment. We realize it is hard for people to fit a trip like this into busy life schedules.
We have decided to offer the trip with an eight-day upper option from Serpentine Creek to Turnback Canyon, which will be July 12th – 19th. Experience the all impressive Kluane National Park of Yukon Territory and sites including the giant sand dunes, Lowell Lake and Glacier, hike Goatherd Mountain and enjoy the most exciting whitewater of the full trip from Lowell Lake down to Turnback. After crossing into British Columbia and Tatshenshini Alsek Provincial Park, camp the final night just above Turnback Canyon. When the helicopter arrives for the portage, that’s your transportation out of the river canyon. After the portage is complete, you get a heli tour of the Tweedsmuir Glacier then fly back up the river to Haines Junction. If you float the upper section then come back for a Tatshenshini another year, you will see the whole watershed without doubling up on the lower section (there is just a 20-mile section between Turnback and the confluence you miss).
The lower option is a five day, July 19th – 23rd. On this trip, you start with an IMPRESSIVE helicopter ride from Haines Junction to the Turnback portage. You don’t get to float the upper section, but you do so see the river from the helicopter. You will meet the boats and the rest of the crew at Turnback Canyon. Once on the river, we will spend a day or two in British Columbia before crossing into the famous Glacier Bay National Park of Alaska. On this section you get to see “the center of the universe” (the confluence of the Alsek and Tatshenshini), potentially hike the Nose if the braided river channels allow us to get to the hike, visit Walker Glacier, camp at the scenic climax of Alsek Lake and depending on weather get a view of Mt Fairweather towering above at 15,300 feet.
If you have been wanting to run the #1 whitewater rafting trip in the world as ranked by National Geographic, but can’t swing the two weeks away. This is your opportunity! The helicopter is limited to five seats for people doing the upper or lower. First come first serve, and spaces may go quickly so give us a call or book online below to secure your space.
Upper Canyon Alsek Expedition Serpentine to Turnback July 12th – 19th ~ $3200 (includes all park fees)
Lower Alsek Expedition (Book this trip now) Turnback Canyon to Dry Bay July 19th – 23rd ~ $2075 (includes all park fees)
Words from scheduled Alsek guest John Kruger:
Share your experience:
WRO is a top-notch outfitter when it comes to whitewater river rafting. You simply will not find finer. They clearly give you a sense from your first contact with them that this is a hands-on family organization. Their attention to detail is tremendous and is why their trips come off so well. They go out of their way to make their trips so much more encompassing than simply floating down a river. From hiking and climbing mountains, to fishing alpine lakes, to rappelling down the face of a cliff…and then climbing back up the cliff, to in-depth discussions about the ecosystem that you’re experiencing….all of this contributes to a more fulfilling trip. I had such a great experience on the Middle Fork trip in 2006 that I planned a 3 month motorcycle trip in Alaska in 2012 around their 11 day trip on the Tatshenshini River and wasn’t disappointed. Their guides are first class. They’re experienced at every level with a ‘safety first’ approach and are incredibly down to earth. They’re very knowledgeable about the river and the surrounding area as well as the history of the area. The meals are great. You certainly won’t starve! All their equipment is first class. I’m now looking forward to going with them on a 12 day trip on the Alsek River in Alaska this summer and am sure that this won’t be my last trip with this great group.
Highlights:
The highlight of my trip on the Middle Fork of the Salmon was meeting Joe Tonsmeire and absorbing the philosophies that he and his wife, Fran, built WRO around. It put them in a class of their own and demonstrated their sincere respect for the beauty as well as the therapeutic value of the river and the surrounding wilderness.
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