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Charley River - Yukon Charley Rivers National Preserve

Canoeing in Alaska with Alaska Alpine Adventures

Highlights

  • Exciting whitewater rafting on fun class III rapids
  • Abundant wildlife: peregrine falcons, sheep, caribou, moose, and bears

Full Description

Rafting the Charley River in Alaska is one of the most amazing multi-day whitewater rafting trips anywhere! The Charley River is a cold, clear, intermediate stream that flows from its headwaters at approximately 4,000 feet elevation to its confluence with the Yukon at about 700 feet. Designated as a National Wild and Scenic River, the Charley offers varied and spectacular scenery as well as unspoiled wilderness.

The upland valleys drain a rugged mountain area where peaks over 6,000 feet are common and with a gradient of 31 feet per mile and a rating of Class 3, the Charley has been called the best whitewater river in Alaska’s vast interior. Wildlife in the corridor is abundant and peregrine falcons, sheep, caribou, moose, and bears may be encountered along the narrower sections of the river. This ten-day river expedition will allow us the unique opportunity to completely immerse ourselves in one of the most spectacular watersheds in Alaska.

Includes:

  • All group gear (tents, inflatable canoes, stoves, fuel, dry bags, etc.) and safety equipment
  • Trekking poles
  • Roundtrip ground transportation from Fairbanks to Circle City
  • Air transportation from Circle City into the wilderness
  • Lodging on night one in Fairbanks
  • Professional guide service at a maximum 4:1 client to guide ratio
  • All meals from dinner on day one through lunch on the final day of the itinerary

Excludes:

  • Lodging in Fairbanks prior to and after your adventure
  • Personal gear (sleeping bags, packs, rain gear, etc.)
  • Trip cancellation insurance
  • Alcoholic beverages
  • Guide gratuities

Day by Day Itinerary

Day 1

Today you are free to arrive in Fairbanks on your own. We’ll be staying at Pikes Waterfront Lodge, which is located near the airport on the banks of the Chena River. After checking into the hotel, you’ll meet our guides by early afternoon in the hotel lobby. Tonight we’ll do an orientation dinner at our favorite Thai restaurant in Fairbanks and upon returning to our hotel, we’ll pour over maps and discuss the route. Dinner included.

Day 2

Our assistant guide will be taken to the airport with all of the gear. You and our lead guide will then begin the drive to Circle City, Alaska along the 162 mile Steese Highway. When we arrive in Circle, we’ll meet our bush pilot who will whisk us by airplane to Gelvin’s Airstrip, an undeveloped gravel airstrip at the headwaters of the Charley River and in the heart of Yukon Charley National Preserve. We’ll set up camp along the river and go for an evening walk to get a lay of the land. All meals included.

Day 3

After assembling our rafts and equipment, we’ll begin our float down the Charley. The first day begins with some easy water, which gives you the opportunity to familiarize yourself with our SOAR inflatable canoes – really the perfect craft for this river. Within an hour however, things begin to get exciting. The river begins to loose elevation and rounded granite boulders start showing up with more frequency. We’ll finish the last 5 hours of the day scouting and running fun class III rapids and negotiating tight chutes between rocks. We’ll set up camp at the confluence of the Charley and Crescent Creek. All meals included.

Day 4-7

The Charley River is a cold, clear, intermediate stream that flows from its headwaters at approximately 4000 feet elevation to its confluence with the Yukon at about 700 feet. Designated as a National Wild and Scenic River, the Charley offers varied and spectacular scenery as well as unspoiled wilderness. The upland valleys drain a rugged mountain area where peaks over 6000 feet are common and with a gradient of 31 feet per mile and a rating of Class 3, the Charley has been called the best whitewater river in Alaska’s vast interior. Wildlife in the corridor is abundant and peregrine falcons, sheep, caribou, moose, and bears may be encountered along the narrower sections of the river. Days 4 and 5 offer exciting whitewater and by the time we begin day 6, the river leaves the mountains and flows sometime silently through this spectacular wilderness. By day 7, we reach the confluence of the mighty Yukon and will begin our float down the Yukon and back to Circle City. All meals included.

Day 8-9

By the evening of day 7, we’ll be camped at Slaven’s Roadhouse – an historic and renovated roadhouse along the Yukon. This place was used extensively during the gold rush and the property is rich with historic artifacts from a bygone era. You’ll feel the spirit of Jack London as you explore the area and contemplate the lives that these Alaskan pioneers carved from this amazing watershed. The next two days rafting down the massive Yukon River are truly extraordinary! Though the river is technically easy and feels almost languid, the current carries you downstream at an average of 6 miles/hour – remarkable considering that the elevation loss is insignificant. In fact, we cover roughly 80 miles of river in just over two days! All meals included.

Day 10

We’ll meander down the Yukon River and should reach Circle by mid-morning on the 10th day of the expedition. We’ll then break down the gear, load the van, and return to Fairbanks. Please schedule homebound flights from Fairbanks for after 9pm. Breakfast & Lunch included.

About The Operator:

Alaska Alpine Adventures

Headquarters:

Anchorage, Alaska

Established:

January 1998

Alaska Alpine Adventures was conceptualized during many seasons of exploration throughout Lake Clark National Park by founders Dan Oberlatz and Derek Nelson. During this time, we held odd jobs and lived a life focused on climbing, skiing, and hiking as much of Lake Clark as we could possibly afford. Work simply meant the means to pay for our next flight into the wilderness, and time spent in the wild was the currency we preferred to earn. From first ascents and descents of remote peaks of the Alaska and Aleutian mountain ranges, to extended backpacking trips and speed hikes, our lives were rich with Alaska experience and the lifestyle was wealthy. Our explorations fostered a profound appreciation and respect for the Alaska wilderness, a remarkable skill-set, and a passion for pure wilderness travel. Furthermore, our collection of experiences became the seed for Alaska Alpine Adventures, which became a reality in 1998.

Since our early days on Lake Clark, it is the blend of "what we do" and "who we are" that has made AAA. We are quite simply a group of explorers and naturalists sharing with our guests the incredible beauty of Alaska—The Great Land. Our goal and passion is to give participants the opportunity to experience, through pure adventure travel, the exhilaration, the wonder, the grandeur, and the solitude of Alaska's magnificent national parks and wildlife refuges.

As guides, however, we are more than simply leaders into the areas we venture. Throughout the Alaska Alpine Adventures' experience, we endeavor not only to share these amazing landscapes on foot, raft, skis, or kayak, but also to help our clients develop a sense of commitment to and appreciation for the vast public lands we visit. We strive to be good stewards of the truly wild and intact ecosystems we explore, and are committed to educating ourselves and others to respect and protect the wilderness areas that make these wonderful experiences possible.

Because we promote the educational component of our expeditions, we tend to attract visitors bent on exploring and experiencing "real" Alaska - rather than simply "peak bagging" or "thrill seeking." We believe that this is also due in large part to the fact that we project conservation ethics, cultural awarness, and environmental commitment throughout all aspects of our enterprise.

Our impressive collection of experiences represents not only our history, but also the blueprint for the future of Alaska Alpine Adventures. When you choose to travel with us, you can rest assured that your trip has been meticulously planned and executed by real Alaskans with authentic Alaska know-how, skill, and ability.