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You are viewing: Home > Rivers > HulaHula
ALASKA: Hulahula River Rafting and Hiking
| Location: |
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), Alaska |
| Trip Length: |
11 days (11 days/10 nights camping)
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| Activities: |
Paddle rafting on Class II-III whitewater (Note: experienced canoeists may opt to paddle in our sturdy inflatable canoes); off-trail day hikes of any length. Wildlife and scenic photography.
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| Dates: |
Custom for 2010
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| Price: |
$4275 from Fairbanks (includes bush flights)
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| Rating: |
Moderately Strenuous |
THREATENED RIVER!
 The Hulahula River is one of Equinox Wilderness Expeditions' most popular arctic rafting adventure trips! High peaks, glaciers, expansive vistas, exciting whitewater, and the summer explosion of life in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge--the Hulahula River has them all! From origins in the Romanzof Mountains, the Hulahula flows between the highest peaks in Alaska's Brooks Range, crossing a vast wilderness of mountains and foothills, and across the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge's coastal plain to the Beaufort Sea. The river offers the best whitewater in the Arctic Refuge, as well as a good chance for seeing Dall sheep, musk oxen, snowy owls, golden eagles, wolves, grizzly bears, and bands of the Porcupine caribou herd on their summer migration. In fact, in recent years, we've encountered tens of thousands of caribou on the river!
Our trip begins with a 300-mile flight across the Brooks Range. This flight is a journey in itself, as we leave the "big city" of Fairbanks in a small commuter plane, arriving in the Gwich'in Native settlement of Arctic Village, and board a small bush plane for the Hulahula's headwaters. Alternately, we may fly by commuter plane to the Inupiat village of Kaktovik, and begin our journey there.
The Hulahula River offers great hiking, including a trek to a glacier, and 90 miles of premier Class II and III whitewater. The river is swift, wild, and exhilarating--it keeps us busy paddling for its entire length. Haunting in its beauty, the Hulahula traverses rugged mountains, rolling tundra, and coastal plain, with the full complement of arctic flora and fauna, including caribou, musk oxen, Dall sheep, wolves, red and arctic foxes, barren ground grizzly bears, moose, foxes, wolverines, marmots, and a host of migrating birds. Wildflowers are at their peak, birds are nesting, musk oxen are nursing their calves, and caribou are on the move. River days alternate with a few full layover days to explore side canyons, peaks, and glaciers under 24 hours of daylight. On this year's special 14-day trip, we extend our hiking days to hike into remote side valleys, and explore the interface between the mountains and foothills, where wildlife activity is high, and we an expect to have direct encounters with wildlife.
 The glaciated peaks of Mts. Michelson and Chamberlin add grandeur to a sweeping valley. Participants with energy will find endless hiking opportunities every day, with ridges to climb and valleys to explore. The Hulahula embraces huge country, with immersion in true wilderness.
On the lower river, loons, geese, and mergansers are our constant companions, as we near the coast. Amidst tundra wildflowers, we may spot snowy owls perching on nests or tundra hummocks. Our trip ends on the coastal plain, or takes us out to the coast, across the flats of the Hulahula River Delta to an island on the edge of the Beaufort Sea. Standing on the edge of North America, with the Brooks Range as a backdrop, is simply awe-inspiring. We fly to Barter Island at trip's end, and then back to Fairbanks to share a celebratory dinner.
 No prior paddling experience is required for joining this paddle rafting adventure; paddlers who choose our canoeing option must be advanced intermediate paddlers.
It was a great trip...and we didn't seen thousands of caribou, we saw tens of thousands! It was incredible! ... I know it's a trip that has had a deep impact on my daughter...she soaked it all up from the wildlife to the cultures of the Native people...
-D. McLaughlin (Hulahula)
| Itinerary |
| Day 0 |
Travel to Fairbanks, Alaska. Pre-trip dinner meeting with trip leader to get acquainted and to go over final trip details of our adventure to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Overnight accommodations are on your own, but we can help you with suggestions and bookings at our favorite bed and breakfasts and hotels in Fairban
ks.
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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 the 1.8 million-acre Venetie Indian Reserve, 118 miles northeast of the Arctic Circle on the southern border of the Arctic Refuge. Alternately, we may fly to Coldfoot, a station along the Trans-Alaska Pipeline road, the Dalton Highway. We meet our bush pilot here, and fly out in groups of 2 to 4 into the upper Hulahula and spend some time exploring headwater valleys and mountains on foot, before beginning our journey down the river. Everyone helps paddle our rafts, with the guidance of a raft captain.
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| Days 2-8 |
We spend a day or two in the river's headwaters, exploring the high alpine country inhabited by caribou, Dall sheep and grizzly bears. The hiking in this area is outstanding, and we take full advantage of the lon
g days. Then we pump up the rafts, go over paddling technique and safety and launch our boats. The Hulahula has the most technically challenging whitewater of the Refuge's North Slope rivers. The upper river is swift and challenging, with rocky rapids and walls of aufeis (shelves of river ice) to negotiate through. Braided channels add to the excitement. We enter a canyon with rock walls towering above us, as we negotiate Class II and III rapids and twisting turns. The river winds out of the foothills and across the arctic coastal plain, but the current never slackens on our way to the ocean. Each paddling day we stop to camp on gravel bars, and spend free time hiking up into mountains and valleys.
We are traveling in mountain tundra country entirely north of the treeline. The closest spruce forests are 40 miles to the south, over the Arctic Divide. Willow and birch, the only shrubs, reach about 8 feet in height this far north. A vast green carpet of tundra stretches across the land, and eye-popping wildflowers open to catch the sun. The river begins swiftly and is shallow and braided with a few lively riffles. There may be aufeis (overflow ice shelves that form as a river freezes in the winter; it remains long into the summer on arctic rivers). The most strenuous part of the trip may be maneuvering rafts through the shallows, as we hop in and out of rafts, pushing them off gravel bars.
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| Days 8-11 |
We hike and paddle through the mountains, foothills, and out onto the coastal plain. Views in every direction are unlimited, and, with luck, we'll see bands of caribou roaming across the tundra. Finding our pick-up point is challenging at times, as suitable gravel bars for landing a plane can be swept away by spring run-off on the river. It's all part of the adventure.
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| Days 12-14 |
Trip's end is either 6 miles inland from the Beaufort Sea, or, if river conditions allow, we'll paddle out to the mouth of the river, across its spreading delta, to an offshore barrier island, where shorebird species we may not have seen inland, await us. Weather permitting, we are picked up by our bush pilot and fly to Kaktovik on Barter Island, and continue south in the late afternoon via small commercial flight back to Fairbanks. In the event that there are delays, we may end up camping overnight in Kaktovik, or staying overnight at a hotel (the cost of lodging is not included in trip price). If we get back in time, we often get together for a no-host dinner in Fairbanks.
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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, dry bags for each participant, bear repellent spray, water filter and first aid kit)
- Services of Trip Leaders
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| Not included in trip costs |
- "Weather delay" lodging before or after trip
- Extra meals you might choose to purchase in a town or village while we are awaiting air transport
- Meals in Inuvik
- Sleeping bag and pad, tent, and personal equipment
- Excess baggage charges
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| Call or E-mail us for the complete packet on this expedition.
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