View Full Version : Hiking in Alaska
double d
05-11-2016, 17:20
Very broad question, but has anyone hiked in Alaska and if so, what recommendations do you have (besides hiking safely in grizz country!!!). Thanks
nsherry61
05-11-2016, 19:23
Hiked lots in AK. Love it lots. Different places have different characteristics, pretty much like hiking anyplace else. Tundra can be swampy. I suppose the most notable difference is that everything is 10x bigger and 10x further away than the lower 48. You can hike for weeks and never see a road or another person in places. Thus, you are much more remote and much further from assistance than in most places in the lower 48. Bears in remote places are pretty much not a problem if you mange yourself wisely, cuz they don't give a rip about you unless to spook them. Occasionally, there bears near civilization that are garbage acclimated and can be a problem, but again, probably don't give a rip about you unless you're camping near by with food available. In some places, like Denali or Kenai or the inland coast of the Alaskan Peninsula you are likely to have some grizzly encounters. Traveling with a friend can be very helpful, so you don't have to wash out your underwear by yourself after an encounter.
AK is some of the most awesome places on earth. Go there. Explore it. Have fun!
P.S. Moose are probably more dangerous than griz.
nsherry61
05-11-2016, 19:37
I suppose one useful note on AK is that most of the great places to hike aren't necessarily going to have trails, so, you want to be comfortable navigating and living off trail. I actually find it strange that so many backpackers follow trails. Until moving to New England, I always thought of trails as access pathways to get into interesting areas faster than going cross-country. But, in my past lives, I've never hiked trails. I just used them frequently when hiking.
imscotty
05-11-2016, 21:19
I cannot recommend reading the following Alaska wilderness journal enough....
http://bucktrack.com/Alaska_Survival_Journal.html
This trip was done by Whiteblaze's own Colter. Gave me something to dream about and aspire to.
Spirit Walker
05-12-2016, 15:48
We've done some hiking in Alaska, both off-trail (in Denali and Wrangell St. Elias) and on some good trails. See http://spiriteaglehome.com/AK08_Journal_Contents.html and http://spiriteaglehome.com/ak04.html for two very different trips.
As stated above, in many places you can just head cross-country and have an interesting trip. You will need a backcountry permit in the national parks though. At Denali, with the shuttle bus system you have a lot of territory to explore, either as dayhikes or backpacking trips. Doing a fly-in to the backcountry is an incredible and unique experience, but there are many places you don't have to fly to that you can explore that are worth visiting. Alternately, in the more populated areas like the Kenai and around Anchorage, there are a lot of trails that get a lot of use. There are some decent guidebooks to give you ideas. The national parks will rent you a bear canister, otherwise you should bring your own if you plan to backpack. If you do cross-country backpacking, don't count on doing the kind of mileage you do on a trail. Between the brush, the tussocks and the river crossings, walking can be slow. Besides, we spent a lot of time with binoculars, looking for wildlife and just enjoying the beauty.
In the Kenai, the Resurrection Pass Trail and Johnson Pass Trail were great backpacking trails, Primrose to Lost Lake was a good dayhike, as was the hike to Crows Pass. We also did part of the Pinell Mountain Trail near Fairbanks as an overnight hike and Angel Rocks as a dayhike.
greensleep
05-12-2016, 16:18
One of my hiking heroes was Richard Proenneke, who lived alone in the mid Alaska area (Twin Lakes/Clark Lake), built his cabin with available natural materials, made most of his own tools, and stayed the year round. He hiked over 1800 miles per year. He was born and raised in Iowa like myself. His books and a movie about him, with mostly his narration, are Alone in the Wilderness and One Man's Alaska.
My wife and I used the shuttle bus system to explore Denali. I remember gorgeous views, silty water (we prefiltered), ground that felt spongy in many places, and short nights. Seemed like daylight never stopped. One of the days, we followed a river that looked so shallow until we needed to ford it. Alaska is impressive and most of the pictures I see do not do it justice.
34806
Feral Bill
05-12-2016, 16:53
I worked at Denali one summer, hiking mostly on weekends. I highly recommend it. Bring good rain gear and DEET. At that time (long ago) the quality of information at the back country office varied wildly. When asking questions, also ask about the ranger's personal experience in any particular place. If bears truly frighten you, it's not the place to be. You'll see some, possibly quite close. Have fun.
Greenlight
05-12-2016, 16:56
Both accounts confirmed by my son who was stationed at Fort Wainwright as a combat medic.
AK is some of the most awesome places on earth. Go there. Explore it. Have fun!
P.S. Moose are probably more dangerous than griz.
buckeye49
05-12-2016, 17:08
I've hiked Denali, Gates of the Artic and Wrangell-St Elias. As others have said you will be hiking cross country so navigating skills are important. A bear proof canister will be essential.
On my last trip I had just finished dinner when I saw about a quarter mile away a grizzly walking straight towards us ( we were eating well away from our tent site). When he got closer he stopped and sniffed the air and made a course correction well away from us. He had obviously gotten a whiff of three smelly backpackers.
Alaska is the most awesome place on Earth in my opinion.
Nat Geo had a show about Gates of the Arctic last night. I must admit it got the gears turning, wouldn't mind hiking there for a week or two probably in a few years. I've been reading about it on the innerweb, but would be interested to hear more about it from anyone who has hiked there.
FreeGoldRush
08-24-2016, 18:25
One year we drove from Atlanta to Alaksa and did a little hiking while there. If you have the time I highly recommend the drive. We carried bear spray on hikes and saw several bears. None of them were a problem.
Hike in a glacier. :) there are guided tours.
Very broad question, but has anyone hiked in Alaska and if so, what recommendations do you have (besides hiking safely in grizz country!!!). Thanks
saltysack
08-25-2016, 08:54
I cannot recommend reading the following Alaska wilderness journal enough....
http://bucktrack.com/Alaska_Survival_Journal.html
This trip was done by Whiteblaze's own Colter. Gave me something to dream about and aspire to.
+1
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colorado_rob
08-25-2016, 09:01
The only hiking I've done in Alaska, alas, the same thing a couple times, cold (these pics are in June...) but wonderful! And zero bears to worry about.
We sure want to go back and explore much more, but lower and warmer places.
saltysack
08-26-2016, 09:15
The only hiking I've done in Alaska, alas, the same thing a couple times, cold (these pics are in June...) but wonderful! And zero bears to worry about.
We sure want to go back and explore much more, but lower and warmer places.
Holy ship!!! Amazing!!! I'm not afraid of black bears but grizz are different story. My sister in law works on a small cruise ship more like a yacht in Ak..just a few weeks ago someone got mauled while doing a coastal hike...I don't know the details and assume it was a grizz....I think I'd defiantly pack a firearm in true grizz country especially after watching the Revenant.
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Tundracamper
08-28-2016, 21:39
Spent a week in AK earlier this summer. I hiked a little bit, though not overnight. I did sleep in a small bunk shed in the woods. One of my bunk mates ran into a bear while he was hiking. He went out the next day and purchased a 12 gauge tactical gun. I was glad he was in my shed:) I wouldn't sleep in the woods away from others without one.
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