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Additional
Grand Alaska Information |
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Why Choose Destination Wilderness For Your Alaska
Adventure Trip?
Destination Wilderness
offers an exceptionally selection of Alaska wilderness rafting and Alaska
adventure trips, one of the most diverse and spectacular available. These trips
are run by our Alaska affiliate outfitter, Copper Oar. Copper Oar is partially
owned by and trips led in part by guides who worked for Destination Wilderness
when it operated trips in Alaska directly.From one-day raft and flightsee tours
to week long rafting journeys to two-week multi-activity wilderness
expeditions, Copper Oar outfits trips that are suitable for anyone seeking the
best of the Last Frontier. Consider all that we provide on this great land:
Your Choice:
 It is Your Trip Not Ours.
We have been running Alaska adventure trips for years and years and believe
that the best trip is the trip you desire. We provide a foundation of safety
and seamless logistics, and have a wealth of knowledge about Alaska. From there
we create the trip you want, adjusting our style to your wants and needs rather
than asking you to fit into our agenda.
A Variety of Trip Options. With Destination
Wilderness you can choose between a variety of Alaska adventure trips including
camp or camp/lodge combination trips. We also offer a broad choice of trip
lengths and types. And, we are happy to offer custom charter trips to
groups.
 Your
Safety:
Guides That Live in Alaska. Destination Wilderness and Copper
Oar, one of the longest established outfitters operating in Alaska backcountry,
were once both owned by Ken Streater. Copper Oar is located in McCarthy,
Alaska, in the heart of the largest national park in the U.S, and serves as the
base for all Destination Wilderness' Alaska trips.
Guides
that work for Copper Oar and Destination Wilderness are primarily Alaska
residents who know the nuances of Alaska river running and long to share their
experience and passion for Alaska with you.
At Least Two Boats and Two Guides Per River Rafting
Trip. On all Alaska adventure trips with rafting we always have at least
two licensed guides on the water. We believe that the safest possible trip
starts with appropriate staffing and that just one guide on the water is not as
effective as two or more. Therefore, we always have at least two boats and two
guides on each trip.
Full Safety Orientation and Gear. Before the river rafting
trip we provide a thorough safety and instructional presentation. We also
provide wetsuit paddle jackets as part of the safety ensemble needed to raft
Alaska rivers.
Your Comfort:
Smaller Group
Size. Typically, our Alaska adventure travel trips are limited to 12 guests
plus guides. We have the ability to take more at select times during the
season, but we generally prefer to keep group sizes reasonable in order to
maximize your wilderness experience.
Personable Guest to Guide Ratio. We run trips with
one guide for every three to four guests, a ratio that we feel enhances each
guest's experience in terms of safety, comfort, and good company!
Your Satisfaction:
We are confident you will find
your experience with Destination Wilderness to be exceptionally rewarding!
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River Difficulty
The Grand Alaska Adventure
travels three rivers: the Kennicott, Nizina, and Chitina. The first day in on
the Kennicott, a class III-III+ river. It is a splashy, smaller volume
tributary to the Nizina. We run the Nizina through the Nizina Canyon, a remote
and tight abyss that features class III rapids. The Nizina then merges with the
Chitina, which is the largest tributary to the Copper river. The Chitina is a
large volume river with primarily class I and II stretches on its entire course
to the Copper.
 River Difficulty Scale: Class I
is flat water and Class VI is unrunnably difficult. Class II has current with
small waves and some obstacles.Class III rapids are fun and thrilling, ideal
for first-time and experienced rafters. Class IV whitewater is great for
experienced rafters and reasonable for fit first-timers who have had some
warm-up in class III. Class V is very difficult and for experienced river
rafters.
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Trip
Outline
Meeting Time: Our shuttle driver will meet you in Valdez at the
Valdez airport at 7:30 a.m. on the first day of your trip. We then drive to the
town of Chitina or, depending on group size, may fly from Valdez to McCarthy.
Please be sure to eat breakfast before the rendezvous. We may also be able to
pick you up your hotel in Valdez. Please contact our office for
details.
Our Grand Alaska Adventure trips are five days long and include
flightseeing, glacier hikes, historic tours, and river rafting. The first night
is spent in a rustic lodge near the town of McCarthy. We can help arrange
transportation for you between Anchorage and Valdez. Please note: depending on
group size we may drive from Valdez to Chitina, Alaska, and begin the
flightseeing trip there.
Daily
Itinerary
Day One:
After meeting your pilot and flightseeing guide
in Valdez or Chitina, you will be flown over and around the mountains and
glaciers of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. Upon landing in McCarthy, your
Destination Wilderness guide will meet you and take you and your gear to the
lodge where you will spend the first night. After getting settled in we will
set off for a variety of activities. The activities of the first day and-a-half
in and around McCarthy include a hiking tour on Root Glacier, visiting historic
Kennecott Mine, and exploring the quiet and charming town of McCarthy.
Day
Two
Depending on the weather of day one, this morning we will hike on
the glacier, visit Kennecott Mine, and/or explore McCarthy. In the afternoon we
pack the waterproof 'dry' bags and rig the rafts. We carry all of the camp gear
with us on the rafts, including lots of great food! After a thorough
instructional and safety presentation we head down the Kennicott River, a fast
and bouncy class III glacial river. As evening approaches we set up camp along
the Kennicott or Nizina river on a river side beach or meadow land. Dinner,
prepared with classic Alaska flair, will be prepared by the guides under the
extended evening of a twenty-hour Alaska summer day.
Days Three and Four:
Both
of these days follow similar routines but provide different experiences. As
each day unfolds we eat a filling and tasty breakfast, served with the
requisite cowboy coffee. After breaking camp and rigging the rafts we float
down the Nizina and then Chitina rivers, as they wander towards the sea. The
whitewater of these days is relatively mild. The grandeur and feeling of being
in the middle of nowhere is unsurpassed. We stop for lunch mid-day, and lay out
the expansive deli-style meal on the banks of the river. We may also take time
during the day to hike some of the dramatic canyon lands along the river. In
the late afternoon we pull ashore and set up camp. Depending on the time of
year and conditions in the sky it may be possible to see northern lights during
each night's few hours of darkness.
 Day Five:
After
breakfast and breaking camp we float the last few miles of the Chitina river as
it heads to its confluence with the Copper river. In the early afternoon we
reach the confluence and town of Chitina, where the river trip ends. At that
point you will transfer your personal gear out of the dry bags and into your
personal duffel bag or backpack that we have taken with us down the river.
After a post-trip toast and salute to Wrangell-St. Elias National Park you will
be driven back to Valdez. Commercial flights to Anchorage are available this
evening or you have the option of taking the ferry across Prince William Sound
the following morning. Those continuing downriver as part of the Copper River
Expedition will spend the night at a cabin near Chitina.
The Grand Alaska/Copper River
Combination Trip
For those looking for an even deeper immersion into
the classic Alaska wilderness of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, we offer the
Copper River Expedition in conjunction with the Grand Alaska Adventure. The
Copper River trip is six days long, and features rafting through pure
wilderness canyons lined with glaciers, crystal clear side streams, vibrant
green riverside vegetation, wildlife, and more. Please note that the combo trip
stops for the night in Chitina before continuing on down the Copper. As such,
it is not a continuous on river experience. Rather, there is one night and a
morning between the two trips off the river. Many Grand Alaska Adventure trips
are timed to dovetail with the Copper River Expedition. Those who opt to
continue on the Copper will spend the night of the fifth day near the town of
Chitina. This stopover allows for a hot shower and time to explore "downtown"
Chitina. In the morning of day six guests who are participating only in the
Copper River Expedition arrive in Chitina. We then head off down the Copper. At
the end of the Copper adventure you are flown back to Anchorage, or can take a
ferry to Whittier or Valdez, depending on your next Alaska destination. This
flight or ferry trip is included in the combo trip price.
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Getting to Valdez
By Air:
Several
regularly scheduled commercial flights fly from Anchorage each day. Please
contact us for details or assistance with your flight from
Anchorage.
By
Ferry: From Anchorage take the train and/or bus to Whittier. There, you can
board the Alaska Marine Highway Ferry and travel across Prince William Sound to
Valdez. The ferry makes this run several times a week.
By Car:
You can access
Valdez from the lower 48 and points in Alaska. Simply travel to the
southernmost portion of the Richardson Highway (Alaska Highway 4), and you will
find Valdez! You can ferry to Valdez at the end of your trip and drive away!
Pre and Post-Trip
Transportation
Destination Wilderness provides all transportation from
Valdez to McCarthy at the beginning of the trip as well as transportation from
Chitina to Valdez after the trip. We can also help arrange any transportation
you need between Anchorage or Valdez.
Where To
Stay
We recommend lodging in Valdez the night before your trip.
The following establishments are located in downtown Valdez, approximately 10
minutes from the airport:
Aspen Hotel: 866-483-7848
Keystone Inn:
907-835-3851
Totem Inn: 907-835-4443
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Natural
History
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park is difficult to
describe. It is so big and home to so many different natural features and
historic occurrences that an entire book could be written about it. In fact,
many have been written. The following paragraphs only touch on the highlights
of the park and its past and present inhabitants.
At 13.2 million acres
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park is the largest park in the U.S. Yet, in spite
of being six times the size of Yellowstone National Park, this unknown
wilderness jewel gets less than 30,000 visitors a year. When compared to
Yellowstone’s 50,000 weekly visitors it is easy to see how wide-open and
untrammeled Wrangell-St. Elias is. Part of this is due to its
isolation–McCarthy is the one truly accessible “town” in the
park–and its lack of notoriety. However it is these same characteristics
that enable Wrangell-St. Elias to maintain its natural state and ranking as the
largest protected wilderness area in the world.
A great variety of
wildlife call this region home. From raft, plane and trail it is entirely
possible to see brown bear, Dall sheep, moose, and for the lucky and
sharp-eyed, wolf. The diversity and number of birds is equally great. Bald
eagle, ptarmigan, trumpeter swans, and a variety of shorebirds share the air.
And, salmon regularly spawn in the many side creeks and smaller rivers
throughout the park. Geologically, the mountains, glaciers, and valleys of
Wrangell-St. Elias are unique as well. Six of the ten tallest peaks in North
America are found in the park. Four major mountain ranges reach into and
through this area: the Wrangell, Alaska, Chugach, and St. Elias mountains,
which includes 18,008-foot Mount St. Elias. There is evidence of ongoing and
cataclysmic volcanic and glacial activity throughout the park, such as the
volcanic steam that rises from Mt. Wrangell and the Mile High Cliffs along the
Nizina river. In addition, the largest subpolar icefield in the world, and its
countless glaciers, lie in the park. One of those glaciers, Malaspina, measures
1,500 square miles–an area larger than Rhode Island.
There is
evidence that humans have inhabited this part of Alaska for over 8,000 years,
with the Athabascan natives being the most prevalent group for most of that
time. Interestingly, the first Alaskan landmark ever spotted by a white man was
Mount St. Elias. It was spied by Danish sailor Vitus Bering from the Gulf of
Alaska as he explored the new world for Russia. Russia later claimed Alaska as
a territory. Eventually their interest in the great land waned to the point
they sold it to the U.S. in the mid-1800’s. The sales price, $7,000,000,
worked out to two cents an acre! America’s purchase of Alaska, initially
regarded by most U.S. citizens as foolish, was greatly validated when valuable
copper deposits were uncovered near what is now known as Kennecott Mine. These
deposits, discovered at the turn of 20th century, led to the development of the
largest copper mine of its day.
Financed by J.P. Morgan and other
wealthy industrialists, the Kennecott Mine opened and eventually delivered over
4.5 million tons of copper ore to a needy United States during the first three
decades of the 1900’s. A series of misspellings led to the Kennecott being
known as Kennicott. The mining town of Kennicott that sprung up at the base of
Kennicott and Root glaciers, and nearby McCarthy, eventually hosted over 700
year-round residents who fought the bitter cold and isolation of winter to
produce ore that was shipped by railroad from Kennicott to the coastal town of
Cordova. It is along this now defunct railroad corridor that the present day
road to McCarthy was built. After the mine closed in 1938 the town became
deserted, and only a handful of residents continued to call McCarthy home. The
town of McCarthy has changed little in the last 60 years. This hamlet, with a
year-round population of less than fifty hardy souls, now serves as the primary
jumping off point for adventures in the world’s greatest preserved
wilderness. In addition, much of Kennecott Mine still stands and is an
excellent testimonial to those who worked there.
We invite you to join
us in Wrangell-St. Elias and come see for yourself the magnificence of this
place. With the combination of flightseeing, hiking, rafting, and just hanging
around in the heart of pure Alaska wilderness, we are confident that the
treasures of this great land will leave you awestruck.
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 Additional Information
Experience
Required
The Grand Alaska Adventure is an excellent trip that
blends a variety of adventures and comforts. This is an ideal trip for those
seeking both wilderness and historic small-town Alaska experiences. First time
adventurers are welcome and thrive on this trip. While not strenuous or filled
with difficult whitewater, the river portion of this journey is in pure
wilderness. Our minimum age is eight. Your guides will gladly help with any
aspect of our trip that is new for you, whether that means setting up a tent or
strapping on crampons.
Participant Fitness And
Activity Levels
Destination Wilderness trips are created with
active, curious, go-with-the-flow, and nature-loving adventurers in mind. Our
Grand Alaska Adventure is designed for those with a zest for wilderness,
moderate adventures and active participation. While you should be fit and in
good health for this trip, you need not be a honed athlete. Participants on
this trip should be fit, able to swim, and may need to play a part in
self-rescue should you fall out of the raft.
Weather
Wrangell St. Elias National Park is located in southcentral Alaska. It is
subject to both coastal and interior weather patterns. Typically, July and
August are the warmest and among the driest months. Often, days are filled with
sun and temperatures range from the low 50's to the mid 80's. Nights are
cooler, with lows typically in the high 40's and 50's. Rain and wind are always
possible and you should prepare accordingly.
Equipment
Destination Wilderness provides life jackets, waterproof river suits,
rubber boots, waterproof bags, camp chairs and eating utensils, all the
specialized adventure gear you need. A complete list of what you should bring
will be included in your confirmation packet. Sleeping pads and tents can be
rented from us. Be sure to let us know in advance if you need any rental gear.
Each person will have one waterproof 'dry' bag about the size of a large Hefty
trash bag in which clothing, toiletries, sleeping bag, camp chair and other
personal items will be kept. We have available additional dry bags for tents
and sleeping pads and special day bags and boxes for cameras, binoculars, etc.
Do keep in mind that there is always a chance, although slight, that any of
your gear could get wet.
Camps
We
camp along the river in pristine wilderness, usually on a sandy beach. In the
case of rain, tarps are set up over communal eating and sitting areas. We
proudly practice minimum-impact camping and carry out all trash. We carry a
portable metal box chemical toilet (similar to motorhome toilets) that is set
up each evening in a private and scenic spot away from the heart of the camping
area. A system that will be explained by your guides allows for all campers to
know when the toilet is in use.
Wildlife and Wild
Plants
Wildlife is abundant in the Alaskan wilderness and, among
other animals, we may encounter bear, sheep, and moose. It is important to
follow your guides instruction to prevent or reduce the likelihood of unwelcome
wild animal encounters and to understand what to do in the case of an
encounter. Also, while they are generally not a major problem on this trip,
those sensitive to mosquitoes may want to bring along a mosquito net hat. There
are also, in places, thorny bushes (known as Devil's Club) or others that can
cause skin rashes. Please listen closely to your guides' instructions on how to
recognize these plants and what to do if you touch them.
Fishing
Alaska requires you to have a fishing license if you intend to fish during
your visit. Your guide can help you obtain a license at the rendezvous. The
fishing can be quite good, with large Alaska salmon often caught (and then
eaten!).
 Meals and Beverages
We serve gourmet meals prepared
with fresh ingredients. We also provide a variety of beverages with every meal
and each afternoon we set up happy hour snacks and beverages. Please let us
know if you have special dietary needs or wants!
Charter Trips
We are able and happy to offer special private charter trips for groups.
For groups of six or more we may be able to run trips on dates other than those
listed in this packet. Please contact our office for details.
Gratuities
It is common to tip wilderness guides on adventure trips. It is not
expected, but always appreciated. If you are happy with your trip please let us
and your guide(s) know. Thanks!
Itinerary Changes
While we do everything possible to follow the itineraries in this
packet we may be forced to adjust trips due to reasons beyond our control.
Therefore, these itineraries are subject to change.
References
Many of our past trip members have offered to speak with folks who are
considering our trips. We know we could blow our own horn until we are blue in
the face about the great time we feel you would have on our trips. So, we
invite you to contact us for a list of clients who have participated on
Destination Wilderness trips and we'll let them do the talking!
Destination
Wilderness/Copper Oar Guides
The pride of our outfit, our guides
bring a wealth of talent and experience to each trip we run. Destination
Wilderness/Copper Oar guides (and they are our guides not subcontracted
outfitters) have years and years of experience leading trips in the U.S. and
abroad. Each is licensed in first-aid and CPR. Furthermore, they create an
environment that fosters camaraderie and positive experiences. Simply put, they
care about what it is that YOU want from YOUR TRIP and do everything possible
to make that happen! We are confident that you will find your guides to be one
of the highlights of the adventure.
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Grand Alaska
Adventure Trip Additional Information
