The Far North & Arctic Alaska Float Trips

The Sheen­jek Riv­er flows 290 miles from Alaska’s Brooks Range to Fort Yukon, earn­ing a Nation­al Wild and Scenic Riv­er des­ig­na­tion. It offers canoe and kayak trips through vast wilder­ness, with routes from 120 to 268 miles. Most of its length lies with­in wildlife refuges and serves as win­ter range for the Por­cu­pine Cari­bou Herd. Olaus and Mardy Murie chron­i­cled its his­to­ry in Two In The Far North.

The Por­cu­pine Riv­er flows 500 miles from Cana­da to Alas­ka, join­ing the Yukon Riv­er near Fort Yukon. A Class I wilder­ness trip, it pass­es through bore­al forests and is home to the Por­cu­pine Cari­bou herd. Used for cen­turies by Gwich’in Atha­paskan traders, it fea­tures smooth-walled canyons and scenic flats. Pop­u­lar routes start in Old Crow, with trips rang­ing from 10 to 14 days, depend­ing on the put-in location.

The Noatak Riv­er, a Wild and Scenic Riv­er, flows 400 miles through the Brooks Range and tun­dra, offer­ing stun­ning scenery, fish­ing, and wildlife. It begins in Gates of the Arc­tic Nation­al Park, mean­der­ing through val­leys, canyons, and rolling hills before reach­ing Kotze­bue Sound. Pri­mar­i­ly a Class I‑II riv­er, it’s ide­al for canoes and kayaks. Trips range from a week to 28 days, with mos­qui­toes being a sea­son­al challenge.

Overview The Marsh Fork is a trib­u­tary of the Can­ning Riv­er, an arc­tic riv­er that forms the west­ern bound­ary of the Arc­tic Nation­al Wildlife Refuge and flows through the dra­mat­ic Phillip Smith Moun­tains and past the Franklin Moun­tains. The trip we describe is a 35-mile sec­tion of the Marsh Fork and a 5‑mile stretch of the Can­ning Riv­er to the first take­out option that is a grav­el strip at Plunge Creek. The Marsh Fork requires some Class…  ...more

The Kon­gakut Riv­er in Alaska’s Arc­tic Refuge offers raft­ing, hik­ing, and wildlife view­ing in a remote tun­dra land­scape. Flow­ing from the Brooks Range to the Beau­fort Sea, it fea­tures Class II – III rapids, cari­bou, moose, and Arc­tic char. August brings autumn col­ors, while summer’s mid­night sun extends adven­tures in this fly-in-only Arc­tic wilderness.

The Ivishak Riv­er, 95 miles long, orig­i­nates in glacial lakes, flow­ing north through Alaska’s Arc­tic Nation­al Wildlife Refuge. It tran­si­tions from rocky rif­fles to a wide, braid­ed flood­plain, fed by glac­i­ers and springs. Rich birdlife, over 100 species, thrives here. The upper sec­tion is a des­ig­nat­ed Wild and Scenic Riv­er. It joins the Saga­vanirk­tok Riv­er near Prud­hoe Bay. A 90-mile Class I/II float, tak­ing 5 – 10 days, is pos­si­ble. Extend­ed trips  ...more

The Hula Hula Riv­er is a clas­sic Arc­tic adven­ture, fea­tur­ing 80+ miles of white­wa­ter, moun­tain scenery, and vast coastal plains. It flows through the 10 02 Land, home to the Por­cu­pine Cari­bou Herd, at the heart of oil drilling debates. Pad­dlers may see cari­bou, polar bears, and eider ducks while nav­i­gat­ing Class III+ rapids. Sol­id plan­ning is essen­tial for this 10-day jour­ney to the Beau­fort Sea.

The Firth Riv­er, Canada’s old­est, flows through Yukon’s Ivvavik Nation­al Park, home to cari­bou migra­tions and rich his­to­ry. This remote, 150-mile riv­er fea­tures rugged land­scapes, Class III-IV rapids, and excel­lent Arc­tic Char fish­ing. Flow­ing through four unique regions, it offers an unpar­al­leled wilder­ness raft­ing expe­ri­ence. Per­mits are required, and trips take 6 – 10 days in this pris­tine Arc­tic setting.

The Colville Riv­er flows from the DeLong Moun­tains through Arc­tic tun­dra, drain­ing into the Arc­tic Ocean. Frozen for much of the year, it floods each spring. Its cut banks hold dinosaur fos­sils and sup­port one of North America’s largest Pere­grine Fal­con pop­u­la­tions. A 375-mile sec­tion, most­ly Class I‑II, can be float­ed in up to 20 days, pass­ing through one of the continent’s most remote regions.

The Can­ning Riv­er flows from the Phillip Smith Moun­tains, form­ing the Arc­tic Refuge’s west­ern bound­ary. Ide­al for small boats, it fea­tures a wide, glac­i­er-carved val­ley with mean­der­ing chan­nels. Though not a white­wa­ter chal­lenge, low water lev­els can make nav­i­ga­tion tricky. A 14-foot raft or inflat­able kayak works best. Expe­di­tions Alas­ka offers 7 – 12 day guid­ed trips through this remote Arc­tic wilderness.

Just north of Fair­banks, Alas­ka, flow­ing out of the low moun­tains and rolling hills west of Chena Dome and south of Mastodon Dome, is the Birch Creek Nation­al Wild and Scenic Riv­er, one of only a few rivers of this sta­tus that is acces­si­ble by road and requires no fly­ing in or out to do the 126-mile sec­tion of Class I to III+ riv­er. A swift, shal­low stream, Birch Creek begins above its con­flu­ence with Twelvemile Creek and for the first 10…  ...more