Tour Activities

• Backpacking
• Sea kayaking
• Hiking
• Camping
• Wildlife viewing
• Glacier Traverse with Crampons
• Scenic Flight
• Scenic Drive
• Wilderness water taxi

Trip Length

• 11-Days, 10-Nights

Price Includes

• Meals Listed in Itinerary
• Instruction
• Kayak & Camp Gear
• Tents & Sleeping Kit
• 1 Night Lodging
• Guide Services
• 1 Round Trip Bush Flight
• Park Fees
• Van Transportation
• Water Taxi Transport
• Backpacks Available for Rent (if needed)

Difficulty

• Moderate

Itinerary

Two Choices

1- Budget Sea and Sky with a Donoho Wilderness backpack. More strenuous with a beautiful glacier crossing and some "alder exploration". Great scenery and a variety of hiking options.

2- Sea and Sky with fly-in backpack from Wolverine Plateau to Skolai Pass. This is the guides choice! Hike along the upper Goat Trail, through classic Alaskan-style open tundra and scenic passes, high above the Chitistone Gorge, topping out at the breathtaking Skolai Pass. Email or call for pricing on this option.

We suggest arriving in Valdez the evening before the tour begins to account for any travel delays, to meet your guide, do a gear shakedown, and/or go over any last-second concerns.

• Day 1 - Meet at Pangaea Adventures in the morning for introductory instruction on sea kayaking and packing the kayaks. The first stop on the tour will be at Gold Creek. At this beach we'll eat lunch and then explore the waterfalls and the enchanted forest of this area. Our destination for the evening will be Shoup Bay. A marvelous paddle along the lush coastline. (Lunch) (Dinner)
• Day 2 - The day will be spent exploring the upper bay of Shoup Glacier Marine State Park. We will find sea otters, seals, and a spectacular rookery of black-legged kittiwakes. This will be our first intimate experience with a glacier. There are also decent hiking opportunities in this area, and the campsite is one of the best in the Sound! (Breakfast) (Lunch) (Dinner)
• Day 3 - Paddling out of Shoup Bay, the group will head south, through the Valdez Narrows and into Valdez Arm. Our destination for the evening will be one of our favorite campsites: 17 Mile Beach, a wondrous stretch of shore with a small waterfall at one end. En route, we'll paddle along a dramatic coastline adorned with towering snow-capped peaks and magnificent waterfalls cascading down from the cliffs above. This beach also offers expansive views east across Valdez Arm and south into Prince William Sound. A great place to set up a comfy camp, and settle in for a fire and evening stories. A walk in the rainforest is always a great option here, too. (Breakfast) (Lunch) (Dinner)
• Day 4 - A good push into the Sound and around Point Freemantle to the Columbia Glacier area. A full day of paddling brings us to Heather Bay, a well-protected slice of emerald water and home to a wide variety of waterfowl and marine mammals. It is not uncommon to see rafts of thirty or more sea otters here. Born in the heart of the Chugach Mountains, the Columbia Glacier is the largest tidewater glacier in Prince William Sound. Views of snow capped peaks and towering icebergs abound! (Breakfast) (Lunch) (Dinner)
• Day 5 - Our day will be spent in Heather and Columbia Bays exploring the ice of Columbia Glacier. This day offers relaxing paddling and easy hiking. The diverse wildlife is a treat on all of our visits. We will possibly stay at the same camp site to give a more relaxed pace to the day, or sometimes we'll make the push north toward the face, or perhaps instead we'll cross south to Glacier Island in the evening. The weather and group's pace and desire will determine the destination. (Breakfast) (Lunch) (Dinner)
• Day 6 - Our final day starts early with a paddle out of Heather Bay and crossing to Glacier Island (unless we are already camped there). Weather permitting, by midday we'll be turning Bull Head for the experience of a lifetime. Here we get to paddle with a colony of Stellar Sea Lions and possibly even humpback whales. Keep an eye out for puffin and cormorants inhabiting the caves lining the cliff-ridden shoreline. Pull out onto a secluded beach for a bite, hike and unpack. The motor boat will pick us up after lunch for the victorious shuttle back to Valdez. Lodging is provided in town for a proper group and much-appreciated shower. (Breakfast) (Lunch) (Dinner on your own in Valdez)
• Day 7 - We'll meet in the am to take a van shuttle into the interior to the forgotten town of Chitina on the western edge of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. From there, you’ll catch a scenic flight-see into McCarthy/Kennicott in the heart of the park. We then hike to the base of the Root Glacier for the first night of camping. Throughout the day, the group will be treated to panoramic views of both the Chugach and Wrangell-St. Elias Mountains. (Breakfast) (Lunch) (Dinner)
• Day 8- Clad with crampons on our feet, we set out to explore and traverse the Root Glacier. This glacier crossing is always a good challenge and exposes the group to crevasses, blue ice, glacial streams, moulins, and all of the wonders of glacier ice. We will set camp in the Donoho Wilderness Area. The views are out of this world! (Breakfast) (Lunch) (Dinner)
• Day 9- A hike over the tundra below Donoho Peak will bring us out to a wonderful lake where we will enjoy lunch with a view. We commonly see fox, bear, and other wildlife in this area. We will spend the night at another camp in the Donoho Wilderness. A lightweight backpackers meal always hits the spot on a day like this. (Breakfast) (Lunch) (Dinner)
• Day 10- A stomp down the Kennicott Glacier will bring us to a classic camping perch not far from where we stayed night 8 at the convergence of the Root and Kennicott Glaciers. We will take it easy in the afternoon so that we have the energy to make the glacier crossing on the last day. (Breakfast) (Lunch) (Dinner)
• Day 11 - After a hot breakfast we again put the crampons on our feet and hike across the Root Glacier and then back to McCarthy, possibly in time to inspect some of the local history before flying out. Our flight will get us back to Chitina by 5:30pm, from where we'll van back to Valdez, arriving around 8pm to end the tour. (Breakfast) (Lunch)

• *We suggest planning to stay the last night in Valdez. Weather in Alaska often delays flights and can hold us in McCarthy and/or Valdez beyond our planned time. We can also plan to have you end up in a different location on your final day, too, if desired.