Alaska Backpacking Routes

Alaska

Kodiak Island Wildlife Refuge

In early June I walked across Kodiak Wildlife Refuge from Frazer Lake to Karluk (5 days, 60 miles)

Looking back at Frazer Lake in the morning after spending the night in the north cabin

Mount Myrtle camp on Kodiak Island in Alaska

I ended the day with a high camp near Mount Myrtle

Backpacking across Kodiak Island near Mount Myrtle in Alaska

Sunset from Mount Myrtle

Pacific ocean beach on Kodiak Island hiking in Alaska

Refreshing break to walk on a long beach and get out of the marsh

Gurney Bay campsite on hike across Kodiak Island in Alaska

Nice evening at Gurney Bay

Gurney Bay sunset on Kodiak Island Refuge in Alaska

Looking north from the hillside above Gurney Bay

Young Kodiak Bear on Kodiak Island in Alaska

A curious young bear came up behind me as I was sitting down watching sunset. We had a staring contest for about ten seconds then the bear took off. Bear behavior is sometimes hard to understand as this one acted differently than all the others on the island. But regardless of the reason for approaching me, it gave me a good scare as even the young bears here are quite large.

Daily notes for Kodiak Island backpacking hike

Staying high was often quicker, although the vegetation was low in early June

Dinghy used for river crossings on Kodiak Island hiking trip

The dinghy was needed to cross the Ayakulik River, the Halibut Bay inlet, and the Sturgeon River. I used my arms to paddle, a method I am still perfecting as the current can take you for a ride on wider crossings

The kodiak bear is the largest brown bear and some have grown taller than polar bears. Their footprint seems especially wide in comparison

A final evening of sunshine before the weather set in for the remainder of the trip

Sturgeon river bank on Kodiak Island hiking trip

The vegetation east of the Sturgeon was higher than I had seen in the first few days so I stayed alongside the river and followed it to the coast

Kodiak bear eating roots in the grass before the salmon run

The salmon had not begun to run so the bears were busy digging up roots in the grass for food. I could walk around bears without them noticing, but would often push my luck going back to take photographs

20 bears at the Sturgeon River inlet on Kodiak Island Alaska

The Sturgeon River had around 20 bears where it meets the ocean. I watched them with the daylight remaining then set up camp on the beach

This mama bear was the most reactive to my presence, swimming across the river with the cubs to get more distance between us

Walking along the Sturgeon River

Lost Coast

Flight over Mount Fairweather in southern Alaska

I hired a pilot in Juneau to hike a section of the Lost Coast from Dry Bay to Yakutat. The walk took five days at a leisurely pace with 40 miles of beach walking and 20 miles of paddling. The flight went around the glaciers of Mount Fairweather, the tallest mountain in the coastal region at 15,300ft

Packraft on the Alsek river near Dry Bay

The pilot landed on a dirt strip near the Alsek, which allowed me to run the river for about ten miles down to the beach

Dry Bay evening camp on the Lost Coast of Alaska

The river slows and paddles more like a lake at Dry Bay. I camped at the beach between the bay and the ocean

Wolf prints in the sand on the Lost Coast hike from Dry Bay to Yakutat in Alaska

Wolf tracks on the beach. The tracks were close to the length of my hand. Wolves tend to walk in straight lines as seen here

Hazy Mount Fairweather from beach camp at Dry Bay

Mount Fairweather visible through the haze from the Dry Bay campsite

Lost Coast beach near the Awke River mouth in Alaska

There are some long water carries on the walk. From Dry Bay the next water source was the Awke River about 12 miles up the beach. The Awke was the final river with good tasting water. With the lack of rain the remaining rivers all had some ocean taste to them as there wasnt enough flow to keep the tides out. The airport bar in Yakutat got some good business out of me at the end of the hike.

Packraft on the Awke River along the Lost Coast in Alaska

A packraft is necessary for the river crossings. The Awke River runs parallel to the coast and can be paddled to save about ten miles of beach walking

Awke River campsite in late June on the Alaska lost coast

Bald eagles and sea otters were active in the Awke river valley. The coast is nicknamed the "brown bear highway" as strawberry fields line the beaches. I did the walk in late June before they had bloomed and only saw footprints

Lost Coast hike, waiting for the Dangerous River to go down in size

Mouth of the Dangerous River

The Dangerous River is glacier-fed and needed to be crossed early in the morning with temperatures above 80F. The third evening was spent resting at the southern shore

Lupin near the Ahrnklin River on the Lost Coast of Alaska

Lupin near the Ahrnklin River. Weather/wind permitting it would also be possible to run the Ahrnklin River

Driftwood in a tidal flat

Final river crossing near Situk on the Lost coast of Alaska

I did not see the current on the final crossing near Situk. In hindsight, best to cross here with an incoming tide. The other rivers were more narrow and therefore non-tide dependent. Despite paddling as hard as I could, the current pulled the raft towards the ocean and my landing spot ended up being the beach on the far left.

Mount Fairweather range from above on the flight to Juneau

The walk ends at the Yakutat airport which has regular daily flights with Alaska airlines. Another great flight back to Juneau

Harding Icefield

The approach hike climbs along Exit Glacier, a popular day hike in Kenai Fjords National Park (8 miles, 3000ft). We set out in the late afternoon, looking to spend the night at the icefield, then walk back in the morning.

Harding Icefield trail, hiking along the Exit Glacier in Kenai Fjords Park

When we neared the top, fog had set in

Ben checked out the emergency shelter, we had not found a place to camp yet

Over the hill from the shelter we found a decent campsite

Conditions looked promising when I woke at 4am, the fog from the night before had lifted and I saw the icefield for the first time.

Harding Icefield hike in Kenai Fjords National park Alaska

Those far mountains in the center are about 20 miles away, the icefield continues another 30 miles beyond that.

Williwaw Lakes

The Williwaw Lakes hike can be done several ways. We took a spur trail called The Ballpark from the Glen Alps Trailhead to Williwaw and returned creekside along the traditional path.

Campsite on the Williwaw Lakes hike in alaska

We set up camp in a gully next to the lakes, the day with the most sunshine was also the day with the most wind.

Pioneer Ridge Trail

The Pioneer Ridge trail climbs above the Knik Glacier Valley with over 5000ft elevation gain (9 miles return).

Portage Pass

There is a short walk to Portage Lake from the town of Whittier (4 miles return, 1300ft gain)

Archangel Valley

We drove past the trailhead for Reed Lakes and mistakenly took the trail at the end of the road to a place called Archangel. Ben called it an abandoned planet, a valley filled with boulders and leftover mining equipment.

Crow Pass

There is an old dogsled path to Crow Pass and the Raven Glacier (8 miles return, 2000ft).

Crystal Lake

Aurora Borealis

I spent a week in Fairbanks with Ronn Murray shooting the Northern Lights. March is typically the best month in Alaska to see the Aurora, the winter storms have passed and it is still dark at night.

Photo by Ronn Murray

World Ice Sculpture Championship

Occurs every year in March. Worth visiting after dark in Fairbanks before going out to see the Northern Lights.

Resources
http://juneaubearruns.blogspot.com/2013/06/traversing-alaskas-lost-coast.html (Lost Coast Hike)
Bear Attacks (book)
Packraft Handbook