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  • Company
    • About Pangaea
    • About Valdez, Alaska
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Equipment
    • Why Choose Pangaea?
    • Web Specials
    • Alaska Partners & Helpful Links
    • Shop for Gear
    • Employment
    • Meet Our Guides
  • Our Trips
    • Sea Kayak Day Tours
    • Glacier Hikes
    • Whitewater Rafting Trips
    • Sea Kayak Camping Trips
    • Multi-Sport Trips
    • Backpacking Trips
    • Alaska Mothership Charters
    • Wilderness Lodge Adventures
    • Kayak Rentals and Instruction
    • Alaska Water Taxi Services
    • Open Trips
  • Reservations
    • Reserve a Trip
    • Reservation Policy
    • Multi-Day Questionnaire
  • Resources
    • Lodging
    • Getting to Valdez
    • Gear Lists
    • Recommended Reading
    • Trip Conditioning
  • Contact
    • Contact Pangaea
    • Download A Brochure
    • Press Kit
    • Reviews and Feedback

6 Day Shoup Glacier to Columbia Glacier and Glacier Island



TRIP DETAILS

Length:  6 Days
Difficulty:  Medium - adventurous people in good condition
Dates:  Custom Dates Only
Price:  $1650pp, Two Person Minimum


BOOK IT!


St. Elias Guides

Wrangell-Saint Elias National Park

TRIP LOGISTICS
TRIP ITINERARY
EQUIPMENT LIST

6 Day Shoup Glacier to Columbia Glacier and Glacier Island Sea Kayak Camping Tour

Paddle Shoup Glacier, Sawmill Bay, Heather Bay, Columbia Glacier, and Glacier Island. Enjoy paddling amongst the icebergs, seals, sea otters, sea lions, whales and other curious creatures. View bird rookeries and bald eagles. A great whale-sighting trip, combining two glacial areas and a steep, lush coastline!

Tour Activities

  • -Sea kayaking
  • -Camping
  • -Hikes
  • -Scenic motor boat ride

Price Includes

  • -Meals listed in itinerary
  • -Instruction
  • -Kayak equipment
  • -Tents & sleeping kit
  • -Guide services
  • -Motor boat transport
  • -Park fees

Trip Length

  • 6-Days, 5-Nights

Difficulty

  • Easy / Moderate

Itinerary

One of Pangaea Adventures' most revered trips, and for good reason! The scenery is amazing, the wildlife is diverse, and the campsites are outstanding. Not to mention, the price for such a 6-day wilderness kayak trip is unbeatable. This itinerary has been featured on the travel channel, in the LA Times, and Guardian of London. Please plan to arrive in Valdez the day before the departure date.  We also suggest spending the evening in Valdez the day we return from the paddle.  
    • Day 1 - During the morning, the guide will familiarize the group with the agenda for the coming days and an introductory instruction on sea kayaking and packing the kayaks. Following a scenic water taxi ride to the drop-off, 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 2 - 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 Sawmill Bay Marine State Park, a protected and pretty bay rimmed with rainforest and lofty peaks. En route, we'll paddle a dramatic coastline adorned with towering snow-capped peaks and magnificent waterfalls cascading down from the cliffs above. Set up a comfortable camp site, and in the evening we can paddle into "Bear's Kitchen" to look for black bear feeding on salmon. Should you bring any rods, there are also some decent salmon-fishing opportunities in this area. (Breakfast) (Lunch) (Dinner)
 
    • Day 3 - After a tranquil evening in Sawmill Bay, venture out into the Valdez Arm for a relaxing paddle along a brilliant coastline to one of our favorite camping beaches. This wondrous stretch of shore has a small waterfall at one end which offers a refreshing bathe. The beach also offers expansive views east across Valdez Arm and south into Prince William Sound. A great place to enjoy a camp 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.
  • (Breakfast) (Lunch)
  Note: The pace and itinerary of this tour can vary from trip to trip. It is common to camp on Glacier Island on night 5 instead of in Heather Bay, but sometimes we end up staying in Heather Bay or Columbia Bay until the last day as described above. It just comes down to weather, pace and preference. Any which way, you style!

Trip Gallery

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   What Our Clients Say


Jason and Kirk were outstanding guides. They were experienced adventurers and were patient leaders on our beautiful kayak trip. They were also very knowledgeable about the ecology of the area.


Tammy M.
Kennicott Glacier Kayaking
2014

Tammy MKennicott Glacier Kayaking 2014

Having never spent a full night in a tent before, you’d imagine it a big task for me to flawlessly enjoy my first experience, particularly in such a remote place. Such was the level of service and comprehensive provision of equipment that I traveled with only hand luggage. Our trip was tailored before and during the trip as we wanted to encompass all in the trip description, as well as mushrooming, hiking a rockslide, an extended period of time on the glacier, time to do our own walking, and dressing up as pirates. It really was a lifetime experience, and if I never find myself returning to the area, I can rest content having seen as much as I could in a week and in the best possible way.


Kyle S.
Grand Alaska Adventure
2010

Kyle S.Grand Alaska Adventure, 2010

We’ve been in Alaska for 1 week and have had a phenomenal trip. Today was my favorite day: outstanding weather, fun & knowledgeable guide, amazing glacier features, both kids did a polar bear plunge in a gorgeous heart-shaped blue pool. Incredible!


Andrea E.
Root Glacier Hike
2014

Andrea ERoot Glacier Hike 2014

Your guides are competent and interesting individuals who work amazingly well as a team.


Ronald I.
Copper River
2012

Ronald ICopper River 2012

[The guides] worked themselves to death for us. They were pleasant, professional, and personable. I loved each one of them.


Christina Y
Copper River
2012

Christina YCopper River 2012

What an amazing experience, life changing too. Let’s start with our guides – where do you find these Supermen/women? We’ll never forget our first meeting with Lucas, beaming enthusiastically from the airstrip. He’s just such a great guy and a great guide and we heard the same compliment from a lot of other people too. He looked after us and worked so hard to ensure that we had a good time. We always felt safe with him, enabling us challenge ourselves and really get the most out of our trip.


Lisa & Eamonn F.
Multi-Sport Package
2012

Lisa and Eamonn FMulti-sport 2012

The trip was perfect. Everyone was super, raft-mates and guides, the spectacular views and the experience. Couldn’t have asked for better.


Cheryl & Mike
Copper River
2012

Cheryl & MikeCopper River 2012
I cannot think of grand enough words to describe the vacation you arranged for us. Alaska was absolutely beautiful and the plans you made allowed us to enjoy its full splendor. I hated to leave at the end of the journey. I felt as though I was leaving good friends behind. What a glorious trip!


B. Smith
Grand Alaska Adventure
2000

B. SmithGrand Alaska Adventure, 2000

Our family of 4 (kids aged 8 and 11) did a 3day/2night wilderness rafting trip with Copper Oar that was fantastic. Top notch all the way. We’ve done multiday rafting trips in Utah and Idaho before and the trip we took in Alaska compared very well to those trips and had a completely diffferent feel to it.

Well worth the money. We started by flying in a bush plane from Chitina to McCarthy and an overnight in McCarthy (which was a great experience in itself! Loved the amazing tasting menu restaurant there!) We put in in McCarthy just down river from the Kennicott glacier and ended up in Chitina after 3 days on the river. We didn’t see a single person the whole time, just a bear, a couple of moose and lots of bald eagles. Great bouncy water the first day then smooth floats the second and third day and the water volume increased and the river bed spread out.

We camped at two different spots on the river and were fed great meals by our guides Jules and Dale. Oddly enough, the camping was one of the highlights. It was so serene to be out in the middle of nowhere watching the sun set (sort of) and the rise (again, sort of) with craggy mountains and huge vistas all around us. We had fun spotting bear tracks (black and brown) and moose tracks. The gear provided to us was great and handled the cold nights well — I never felt cold.

Our kids LOVED the whole experience and we’d all go back in a heartbeat and do another trip with Copper Oar. The rafting was a wonderful way to get away from everybody else and experience Alaska in a very intimate and awe inspiring way.


Nicola W.
Alaska River Journey
2010

Nicola W.Alaska River Journey, 2010

The Food Was GREAT! It was well prepared, plenty of variety, very filling. I’d say we were well taken care of! Day time snacks and lunches were well timed and filling. Breakfast was a treat and dinners were always a surprise and a great affair.


Bill G.
Copper River
2012

Bill GCopper River 2012

Our Clients Tell the Story

  • We took the one day Columbia kayaking tour. It was my first time on a kayak. Our guide is very nice!! So much fun!!!

    Shirley, Columbia Kayaking Tour, 2015

Contact Pangaea

  • 107 N. Harbor Dr. Valdez, AK 99686
  • 907-835-8442
  • info@alaskasummer.com

Toll Free

  • 1-800-660-9637

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