FAN GLACIER
BASECAMP HIKING
Multi Day
- Hiking
- Moderate
A colorful, lush, and living landscape!
The Fan Glacier airstrip is a living landscape of glacial retreat – several massive glaciers once converged here and now we get to explore the unique terrain they have left behind.
Old glacial silt creates a long sandy river shore for you to dig your toes into – not what you were expecting in the Alaska alpine, right? Greenery covers old moraine, dotted by clear and still pools while the drama of the glaciated Chugach Mountains rises above.
Hike high for epic views of this lush valley or round a rocky corner to get up close and personal with the face of a glacier.
- Unique terrain and picturesque landscapes
- Multiple hiking options of different intensity levels
- Sandy, beach-like atmosphere amidst mountainous vistas
- Rugged Alaskan terrain for engaging hiking
- A Chugach gem!
Trip Details
Trip Length
4 days
Total Mileage
20mi
Total Elevation Gain/Loss
3,000’
Rates
Private Solo
$5,450
Private 2 Participant
$3,475/person
Private 3-6 Participants
$2,720/person
Group
$2,520/person
Group Trip Dates
June 21 – 24, 2025
July 29 – August 1, 2025
Private Trips with custom dates are available. Schedule a call with our Expedition Coordinator to plan your Private Trip today!
The “Alaska Factor”
There is a reason Alaska has such a rugged allure for the lower 48 and beyond: it is still wild! This raw and untamed landscape offers our clients the opportunity to authentically pioneer new territory and have real adventures. Part of embracing the “Alaska Factor” is understanding that things may not always go as planned and expecting the unexpected. Water levels might rise, snow might fall, glaciers may shift and move – the landscape is dynamic and unpredictable is what makes Alaska, Alaska!
All of our trips are customized as they unfold and your guide will fluidly make decisions based on weather, logistics, and group dynamics to maximize each day’s experience. There can be quite a bit of variation, but on each trip we promise a big slice of the real Alaska and authentic adventure!
DAY 0
DAY 1
The long and scenic flight into the backcountry allows you to get a sense of scale for the vast landscapes of Wrangell – St. Elias. After landing on the sands, you’ll carry your gear a little way from the airstrip to set up your camp. Explore the clear, blue pools of the old moraine, bushwhacking to meander around the small hills, and walk down to the confluence of the turbulent glacial rivers. Getting the lay of the land, talks over dinner are inspired as you plan out tomorrow’s hikes.
DAY 2
Staged and ready, you can’t wait to get out of your tent in the morning! Every direction you look in, a spectacular view opens up, full of color and alpine drama. Today you have the full day to hike and explore this unspoiled wilderness. A climb up a nearby slope takes you closer to a family of smaller glaciers and along the high benches behind your camp you can get even more expansive views of this ethereal valley. It won’t be hard to find an epic lunch spot, and with the long sunlight hours, you’ll really have all day!
DAY 3
A hearty breakfast fuels you up for another full day of exploring this undeveloped wonderland. Perhaps you’ll travel up the rocky drainage to get up close and personal with the terminus of a nearby unnamed glacier! A creek crossing or two will allow you to round the corner for changing views of the larger Fan or Bremner Glaciers. Return to camp to enjoy a little walk around the sands while your guide prepares another outstanding wilderness recipe for dinner.
DAY 4
Today is all about soaking it in! Take your shoes off and walk barefoot along the river’s edge. Follow moose and bear tracks that tell the stories of their lives in the wilds. Set up on a grassy bank for lunch and channel beach vibes on the fine, white sands of glacial silt. The buzz of your bush plane pick-up will wake you up from your reverie and it’s time to return to the airstrip. Your long return flight to McCarthy will hold even more significance as your eye is now trained for Alaskan terrain – you’ll be looking for the next spot you want to visit on your return trip!
What’s included?
- Customized trip planning
- Logistics consultation*
- Your professional guide(s) – 4:1 ratio
- Orientation and a Gear Shakedown
- Roundtrip 40min bush flights in and out of the backcountry
- All the food on the trip
- Group gear (bear canisters, cookware, fuel, tents**)
*Upgrade to a Trip Package and have logistics included with your trip!
**We recommend that you bring your own tent if possible
What’s not included?
- Gratuities
- Personal camping and hiking gear
- Logistics
You’ll need to be in McCarthy the day before your trip begins for an Orientation and Gear Shakedown. You’ll meet your guide, grab group gear and make sure you are fully prepared to go into the backcountry.
Please account for a full day for travel both to and from McCarthy and the next Alaskan destination. We don’t recommend leaving McCarthy the last day of your trip as this cuts significantly into your last backcountry day and usually makes for a very hectic drive.
Check out our Transportation Page to learn how to get to and from McCarthy. Check out our Lodging Page for lodging recommendations in the area.
Trip Package
If you are planning your trip +2 months before your trip start date, upgrade to a Trip Package! A Trip Package will include transportation to/from McCarthy, local lodging, and any other local activities you’re interested in. We charge a non-refundable $50 Trip Package fee per person for this service.
This is a Moderate Basecamp Hiking Trip. 
Please keep in mind that there is no truly “easy” hiking terrain in the Wrangells and often the coolest places require a little extra effort to get to. On our Moderate Trips, you will be off-trail trail for the majority of the trip, traversing some combination of rocky slopes, squishy and spongey tundra, and/or slick glacial ice in crampons – all of it uneven, most of it hilly and some of it brushy. On these trips, you will cover 5-8mi/day with up to 1500’ of elevation gain/loss while carrying your own gear along with a portion of the group gear. You will be camping in the rugged wilderness with no manmade shelters, toilets, or really any type of development. We recommend physical training in preparation for Moderate trips These trips are great options for experienced car campers and beginner backpackers, although we always recommend as much prior experience as possible.
GALLERY
FAQ
All the pictures and descriptions sound amazing! How do I know what’s right for me? Here are some things to think about when selecting a trip:
What is my #1 goal for this adventure? Do I want to relax and get away from a hectic schedule? Do I want to push myself on an epic and athletically challenging journey? Create life-long memories with my family or partner? Learn skills from the experts and grow my scope as a mountain athlete? See new landscapes and experience Alaska’s unique glaciated terrain?
What are my interests? Birding, animals, photography, geology, wildflowers, journaling, athleticism, spirituality, art, technical climbing, etc.
Will this trip be part of a bigger Alaska trip? Where else am I going and what else will I see? Our glaciated terrain, history, high-altitude peaks, and vast backcountry wilderness are what set us apart from other areas in Alaska.
What am I comfortable with at my current level of knowledge, experience, and physical and mental ability? Alaska is bigger and tougher than anything in the lower 48 and it’s a great place to push yourself, but you want to be realistic and make sure you have a good foundation to build upon if reaching for higher heights.
We pride ourselves on cooking healthy and delicious meals even under the most adverse conditions! Your exact menu will depend on the trip, your guide, and the dietary preferences/restrictions you list in your Trip Application. No matter what kind of cook your guide is at home, all our guides are well-trained backcountry chefs and use time-tested recipes from our proprietary cookbook for their trips. We carry a plentiful and varied stock of ingredients and most meals are prepared from scratch (allowing for easy substitutions, additions or subtractions of ingredients). We onlyt use pre-packed freeze-dried meals on summit pushes on our mountaineering expeditions.
On our backpacking and basecamp trips, you can expect 3 meals a day, plus snacks of your choice. Breakfasts and dinners are usually hot meals and lunches are served cold. On mountaineering trips lunches consist of a variety of snacks as it can be hard to organize group meals while on a rope team.
We use a combination of fresh, dehydrated, and freeze-dried ingredients to make our delicious meals, however on longer backpacking and mountaineering trips your guides will use more freeze-dried foods than fresh foods to keep pack weights as low as possible. On our rafting trips, we cook full multi-course meals with fresh ingredients and enjoy hot and cold breakfasts, cold lunches and hot dinners.
Meals for most trips start with Lunch on the first day and end with Lunch on the last day. *
*If you are signed up for a Custom Trip Package with us, it may include more meals. Check with us if you’re not sure. Mountaineering trips also include meals in McCarthy before and after the backcountry expedition.
This is one of the most commonly asked questions!
We practice Leave No Trace principles and make sure to minimize our impact on the natural landscape as much as possible.
In Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, the recommended practice for backpackers is to either individually dig small holes (your guide will carry a small trowel) to use as a personal latrine per-use or choose a place near camp but with some privacy and dig a trench for use as a group latrine, depending on the location. You will carry out all your used toilet paper and all other sanitary products and trash.
On rafting trips, we carry a plastic toilet box with a seat that is set up near camp and your guides will carry out all waste on the boats.
On mountaineering trips, the latrine is commonly a crevasse or snow-pit protected from camp by a wall of snow.
Your guides will instruct you on the particulars of the situation per camp to set you up for success and all possible comfort. Please don’t be shy to ask them questions on this matter. It’s a necessity that has been given lots of thought your guides are experts in ALL things outdoors!
