Watch a slideshow for this trip.
Wrangell St. Elias National Park: Skolai Pass
The largest National Park in Alaska, even all of North America, and part of the largest internationally protected heritage land in the world, Wrangell St. Elias National Park is an adventure unto itself. Our guides take you backpacking beside wild and majestic mountains, soaring peaks clawing their way skyward. Hiking through the deep jagged valleys carved by rushing rivers and prehistoric glaciers, this trip guides you through the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park wilderness, second to no other in Alaska.
Our guides take you on an Alaskan bush plane flight deep into the wilderness and spend the next 5 days camping, backpacking and hiking under the open Alaska sky. The University Ranges provide a stunning backdrop, with peaks over 16 000' high, as we explore the high alpine passes, visit ancient glaciers, even hiking over to the adjacent Chitistone Valley, an early miners route into the Yukon territories.
You and your guides will explore the nearby "Hole in the Wall", Russell Glacier, Chitistone Valley and most of Skolai Pass. This region offers some of the finest landscape photography anywhere and is also home to a rich diversity of wildlife. Bring your binoculars or telephoto lenses and scan the open tundra for grizzly bear, caribou, wolf and Dall sheep, migratory shore birds, ptarmigan, ground squirrels and red fox. Golden eagles are frequently seen here too. Enjoy the afternoon quietly soaking up the peaceful solitude of these mountains, or play a game of alpine frisbee with your guides on the open tundra.
Our guides take you on an Alaskan bush plane flight deep into the wilderness and spend the next 5 days camping, backpacking and hiking under the open Alaska sky. The University Ranges provide a stunning backdrop, with peaks over 16 000' high, as we explore the high alpine passes, visit ancient glaciers, even hiking over to the adjacent Chitistone Valley, an early miners route into the Yukon territories.
You and your guide will explore the nearby "Hole in the Wall", Russell Glacier, Chitistone Valley and most of Skolai Pass. This region offers some of the finest landscape photography anywhere and is also home to a rich diversity of wildlife. Bring your binoculars or telephoto lenses and scan the open tundra for grizzly bear, caribou, wolf and Dall sheep, migratory shore birds, ptarmigan, ground squirrels and red fox. Golden eagles are frequently seen here too. Enjoy the afternoon quietly soaking up the peaceful solitude of these mountains, or play a game of alpine frisbee with your guides on the open tundra.
Sunset at Hole in the Wall.
Last light of the day at Hole in the Wall, above Skolai Pass, glows on the snow and ice-capped peaks. For a larger version and to see more photos, click on the image.