SANFORD PLATEAU
mini-BACKPACKING
Multi Day
- Backpacking
- Advanced
An adventure among the giants!
Start your trip on the West side of the Park, keeping logistics easy. With close-up views of the spectacular Mt. Sanford, Mt. Drum, and Mt. Wrangell, you’ll fly into a hidden valley between these major summits to begin your trek.
Crossing glacial moraines and creeks, you’ll make your way up to the tundra-covered plateau with a private viewing of some of the tallest peaks in the States!
Hike the perimeter of the plateau to get views into the various drainages and valleys that surround it and enjoy one of our favorite campsites, basking under the towering Mt. Sanford!
- Moderate and varied terrain
- A great option for beginner backpackers
- Phenomenal day hiking on the Plateau with an option to hit a local high point
- Some of the most epic camping in the Park
- Up close views of Mt. Drum, Mt. Zanetti, and Mt. Sanford
Trip Details
Trip Length
7 days
Total Mileage
20mi
Total Elevation Gain/Loss
5,600’
Rates
Private Solo
$6,060
Private 2 Participant
$3725/person
Private 3-6 Participants
$3,100/person
Private 7-8 Participants
$2,700/person
Trip Dates
This trip is only offered in a Private format.
Find the dates you want by clicking the “Book Now” button below or 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
After breakfast, you’ll drive less than a mile to the Gulkana Airport and leave your vehicles here. Load into your small bush planes and enjoy the views on your scenic 25-minute flight through the mountains. And not just any mountains! You’ll fly right past the impressive Mt. Drum and its corniced and fluted ridges as you weave your way into the Sanford Glacier Valley. Upon landing, you’ll take the afternoon to move along the river, setting up camp at the glacier’s edge. You’ll have to rehinge your jaw for dinner after all the incredible big-mountain views you got today!
DAY 2
Waking up, you’ll be pinching yourself to make sure you’re not still dreaming. This landscape is unreal! After an equally unreal backcountry breakfast, you’ll pack up your camp and begin the most challenging 2 days of the trip. The terminus of the Sanford Glacier is covered completely by rocky moraine, so you’ll move slowly through the hills of shifting rock, watching every step. Glossy ice will peak through dramatically through this weird landscape, and just when you think it couldn’t get more barren, a brightly colored bush will appear, tackling the rocky slopes just like you. Your reward for a hard day is a comfortable campsite with epic views of Mt. Sanford and extra helpings of dessert!
DAY 3
The smell of coffee awakens you from a deep – the white noise of running water had you dreaming. Excited for what your guide has in store for breakfast this morning, you see the looming hights of the plateau above. Once you get moving though, you notice how your steady pace of picking your way through bush and rock and tundra has you moving up more quickly than you thought. You’re completely distracted from the woes of moving uphill by the beautiful greenery and wildflowers, gurgling creeks, and opening views. By midday, you’ve reached the top of the plateau and take a moment to take your backpack off and rejoice! Make camp, take a stroll around, and enjoy (arguably) the best views in the Park!
DAY 4
What can’t you see from your tent this morning?! 360 views of incredible mountain majesties have you salivating over today’s day hike plans. Keep breakfast quick so you can get the most out of the day. Cover ground easily on the plateau and plan for 8-15mi of exploration, from alpine lakes to scenic overlooks, or hike to the top of a local summit for an elevated view! Return to camp at the end of the day and enjoy a hearty meal as you bask in the glory of the towering mountain giants all around you.
DAY 5
A breakfast befitting its locale is served up by your guide as you capture your final photographs of this high, alpine dreamscape. After packing up your camp, you’ll reverse your route, slowly descending to the valley below. If you don’t mind a longer day, you can sneak in one final day hike this morning before heading down. The epic views continue all the way down to the comfortable moraine camp, where you’ll watch the alpinglow hit Mt. Sanford as you eat dinner.
DAY 6
Today you’ll reverse your route across the Sanford Glacier and make your way closer to the airstrip. You’ll notice right away how much easier the terrain feels underfoot and you’ll have time to explore more of what you missed on your way in! When you’re not focused on how terrible it feels underfoot, you start to appreciate the geologic nuances and the rock-and-ice aesthetic of surface moraine. You can camp at the glacier’s edge, or push further toward the airstrip to set up camp, knowing you’ll need to cover any remaining distance in the morning. Let your guide spoil you one last time with another outstanding wilderness dinner as you share your “rose, bud, and thorn” from the trip.
DAY 7
Getting up early on your final day, you’ll want to make the most of your last day in the backcountry! If you still have a ways to go to get to the airstrip, you’ll keep breakfast efficient and cover the remaining distance to catch your flight. If you’re already camping nearby, take the morning to enjoy an easy stroll, soak in the views and fresh mountain air. Your flight is scheduled for the late morning – be sure to have your camera ready for another flight past the Wrangell giants! Back at your car by early afternoon, you can make your way onward to the next Alaska destination.
- Customized trip planning
- Logistics consultation*
- Your professional guide(s) – 4:1 ratio
- Orientation and a Gear Shakedown
- Roundtrip 25min 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 meet your guide at the Dry Creek State Recreation Site* the day before your trip for Orientation and Gear Shakedown. Your guide will arrive there by the afternoon and you can plan to meet up anytime after 2pm. Your guide will camp here tonight and you are encouraged to join them – dinner is included.
*If you’re not driving your own vehicle, you can meet your guide in Glennallen or Gulkana Airport instead. Contact us to discuss these options in more detail.
On Day 1 of your trip, your guide will prepare breakfast and drive to the Gulkana Airport and can give you a ride if you don’t have a vehicle. If you are driving, drive with them and leave your vehicle here for the duration of your trip. Your bush flights are scheduled for this morning and will likely take several “rounds” depending on group size.
At the end of your trip, on Day 7, you’ll fly back to the Gulkana Airport in the late morning/early afternoon. If you have a vehicle here, you should have time to comfortably drive to McCarthy, Valdez, Anchorage, or Fairbanks from here today.
If you aren’t driving, you can find transportation to other areas from Gulkana or Glennallen (your guide can give you a ride here).
Check out our Transportation + Lodging Page for ideas on how to get to and from Glennallen or Gulkana via van shuttle or air taxi. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you need some help planning these logistics!
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 Backpacking 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
GET IN TOUCH
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.
Wrangell – St. Elias National Park is home to both black bears and grizzly bears and we are honored to share our home with such majestic animals. We treat the bears with respect and do our best to maintain their wild environment and nature. The bears out here are truly very wild and have very little contact with humans – this means that they are naturally afraid of us! Yes, even grizzlies! Bears do not hunt humans and our most common bear sighting is of a bear’s butt as they run away.
Although bear sightings may be exciting, we do our best to avoid close encounters with preventative measures at camp and while hiking that our guides will share with you. Just in case of unusually close encounters, our guides carry flare guns (to scare a bear away) and pepper spray (in case of an uncomfortably close meeting). It is very uncommon to have to use either.
If you want to, you can bring your own bear spray too, however, know that your guide has one and has been trained on how to use it. With 40 years of guiding in the Park, we have found that being bear aware, taking preventative measures and the flare gun and pepper spray to be sufficient mitigations.
Please refrain from bringing firearms with you on our trips. Not only does this make our other guests and guides uncomfortable, but they are also completely unnecessary for bear safety. We know that other areas of Alaska may recommend firearms for bear safety, but we specifically recommend against them.
