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You are viewing: Home > Backpacking > Caribou Migration
Arctic Alaska: Trekking with the Caribou
| Location: |
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska |
| Trip Length: |
9 days
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| Activities: |
Moderately strenuous backpacking through Brooks Range mountain valleys or ridge hiking in the National Petroleum Reserve; optional day hikes
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| Dates: |
June 10-18 (9 days), 2010 Romanzof Mountains
Custom for (9 days), 2010 Western Arctic
Trips to Romanzof Mountains originate in Fairbanks; trips to the Western Arctic originate in Kotzebue.
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| Rating: |
M+ to S |
 For thousands of years, the Porcupine caribou herd has moved across the land like the tides - north to the Arctic coast in the summer, and south to the boreal forests in fall and winter. Flying into a remote mountain valley at the edge of the Brooks Range, we backpack along ancient trails of the herd, encountering small bands of bulls and young females as they migrate across the coastal plain. We may also see wolves, grizzly bears, foxes, Dall sheep, moose, rough-legged hawks, golden eagles and other migratory birds, as we hike entirely north of the tree line.
 Length of trip, exact destination and itinerary vary throughout the season, and may include treks in the mountains, foothills and/or across the arctic coastal plain. Trips may focus on the unique habitats of the Arctic foothills and coastal plain, or follow the caribou's journey through mountain passes between the south and north slope of the Brooks Range. This year's early June trip takes us to a wonderful valley that links a northern Yukon migratory route of the caribou herd with the Kongakut River. Other trips may take us from the foothills out across the arctic coastal plain to the Arctic Ocean, with time to mingle with the great herds, and to explore coastal lagoons at the edge of the continent.
 There are few places left on earth as wild as the Western Arctic. It is a de-facto wilderness of over 35 million acres--largest chunk of public land in America-- vast on a scale that is hard to imagine. Not surprisingly, it is Alaska's biggest battleground between environmentalists and resource developers. The Utukok Uplands supports the Western Arctic caribou herd (Alaska's largest at about 400,000 animals, as well as the highest concentration of grizzly bears and wolverines in the Arctic. We want to share this area with you, so we're offering a traverse across a series of ridges that runs across the Utukok Uplands. We'll be walking along the migration route for the caribou herd. We think the hiking here is fantastic, and the wildlife is simply amazing. We hope that by visiting this incredible region you will be better informed, and willing to help protect it.
My trip was the best ever. S. Cologne, California
Just a quick note to let you know the trip came off flawlessly. Others in the group were a pleasure to travel with, so the entire experience was a pleasure from start to finish. M. Monahan
I had a wonderful time on the trip. The beauty and tranquility of the Arctic Refuge continues to impact me every day, even more so now as I have time to reflect upon what we did and saw. C. Jacobs
| Itinerary |
| Day 0 |
Travel to Fairbanks, Alaska. The group generally plans to meet for dinner the night before the trip to go over final trip details, and to get acquainted. Overnight accommodations are on your own, but we can help you with suggestions and bookings at our
favorite bed and breakfasts and hotels in Fairbanks.
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| Day 1 |
Trip participants meet in the early morning at the small airport in Fairbanks, where we pack all our gear onto a small commercial plane and fly 150 miles north, over the Steese and White Mountains and the Yukon River, to Arctic Village, a small Gwich'in settlement (100 people) situated on the banks of the Chandalar River on Venetie Indian Tribal lands, surrounded by the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The village offers an educational cultural experience.
We meet our bush pilot here, and fly out in groups of 2 to 5 over miles and miles of seemingly endless mountain peaks and valleys; we land in the heart of the Arctic Refuge, after crossing the entire Brooks Range from south to north. Mountain valleys serve as natural corridors for small groups of migrating caribou, birds, and other wildlife, and in early June we hope to catch the early migration of caribou bulls moving from Canada into Alaska. Later in June, we may see cows, calves and bulls all moving together. June is spring in the Arctic, and the period of most intense wildlife activity. We can count on seeing many nesting songbirds, shorebirds, and raptors.
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| Days 2-7 or 2-9/10 |
Trekking in the mountains, foothills or coastal plain. Our trek may take us over a mountain pass and across the foothills of the coastal plain. We follow small creeks and streams, working our way north to reach the Beaufort Seacoast. We have a day or two for layover days to hike unhindered by backpacks. We explore the unique arctic phenomenon, aufeis. These shelves of ice form in the fall and winter as the river freezes. In the spring and summer, the rivers break up, leaving walls of ice, sometimes up to 10 feet thick, which shatter into crystals. We observe signs of life everywhere, from moths and butterflies to spiders and woolly bear caterpillars undulating across the tundra.
Hiking is the perfect way to see the land up close, as we encounter nesting birds, signs of muskox and caribou passage, and occasionally come upon grizzly bears and muskoxen.We cross part of the Porcupine caribou calving grounds. Upon reaching the ocean, we explore the margins between land and sea, where arctic foxes prey on seabirds, and loons nest on ponds, the sea ice just offshore. We gaze back at the mountains in awe.
Our last day we head back to Arctic Village, or to Kaktovik, and from there, by commercial flight back to Fairbanks. If all goes well, we a
re back by 6 p.m.
TRIP DIFFICULTY
The backpacking is fairly strenuous. It is essential that you are in good shape, and that you have prior experience backpacking. We hike cross-country on river bars and tundra, following ancient wildlife migration routes. We wade streams. The terrain is uneven, and we cross over mountain passes. Permafrost underlies surface vegetation, and so moisture either runs off the land quickly or sits on the surface forming bogs. Tussocks, which are clumps of arctic sedge or cottongrass, rise mushroom-like across the land, making for challenging hiking at times. In other places, we find well-drained slopes, which are drier underfoot for walking, but may have scree on them. All in all, hiking in the arctic is challenging.
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| Included in trip costs |
- All transportation beyond Fairbanks
- All meals in the field
- Group cooking, camping, medical and safety equipment (We bring such items as a kitchen shelter, emergency radio, bear repellent spray, water filter and first aid kit)
- Expert leadership
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| Not included in trip costs |
- Lodging before or after trip
- Extra meals you might choose to purchase in a town or village while we are awaiting air transport
- Sleeping bag and pad, and personal equipment
- Excess baggage charges
- Please plan to bring your own personal medications, toiletries, etc.
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| Call or E-mail us for the complete packet on this expedition.
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