STEAMBOAT HILLS
BASECAMP HIKING
Multi Day
- Hiking
- Backpacking
- Moderate
A hiker's Alaskan tundra paradise!
Steamboat Hills might be one of the best-kept secrets of this National Park. This is what the locals consider to be one of the gems of Wrangell – St. Elias – easy and open tundra hiking, endless crystal clear lakes, and views to take your breath away.
High up over the Chitina River Valley, this hard-to-get-to airstrip is situated in the foothills of the Chugach Mountains and is only accessible by a Super Cub – this means you’ll fly in individually in the smallest bush plane in the fleet! Across the valley, Mt. Blackburn towers over the skyline, and on a clear evening, Mt. Logan and St. Elias can be spotted in the distance.
You’ll want to bring binoculars anyway as grazing sheep will be plentiful, just at a distance. Strolling through gentle rolling hills of wildflowers and enjoying fairytale landscapes, you can keep this trip as relaxing as you’d like, posting up by an emerald pool for the day. For those in the mood to move, your guide can lead the way up a scramble to a local summit where you can get a thrilling bird’s eye view of the area.
This area can also be explored on a Moderate point-to-point Backpacking trip, as there is another air strip nearby. Great for beginner backpackers, families with younger kids, or those looking for a mix of hiking and backpacking.
- Less-traveled area, off the beaten path
- Multiple hiking options of different intensity levels
- Magnificent views from lush tundra spotted with alpine lakes
- Great place for younger children to freely explore
- Also available as a Moderate Backpacking trip
Trip Details
Trip Length
4 days
Total Mileage
10-30mi
Total Elevation Gain/Loss
500-3,000’
Rates
Private Solo
$5,360
Private 2 Participant
$3,375/person
Private 3-4 Participants
$2,830/person
This trip is only offered on a Private Trip basis. Book the dates that look best to you or call our Expedition Coordinator to plan your 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
Arriving at the strip early, you get excited about your flight accross the Chitina River Valley and into the Chugach Mountains. Squeezing in behind the pilot, you realize what you’re flying in today is a not unakin to a tin can…and soon those big bush wheels are off the ground and you’re airborne!
Landing gently on the tundra, your spirit is enthralled by the sights of this enormous landscape. Shuttle your gear to your nearby camp as you wait for the rest of the group to arrive. The rest of the day is yours to explore the nearby area and get settled in with your new surroundings. Explore the area on a short hike before a delicious dinner prepared by your guide.
DAYS 2-3
How you spend the next two days is entirely up to you! With endless hiking opportunities, there’s something for everyone here – cover miles to look into every valley, or climb all the summits in sight, or take it easy and bring the sketchbook to a particularly inspiring vista for some sun soaking and wilderness meditation. No matter which direction you go in, there’s bound to be a stunning, clear-as-glass lake to splash around in nearby!
Your guide will work with you to customize these days to your pace, interests, and goals for the trip.
If you opt for the backpacking variation, you’ll likely move camp daily, covering about 1-3 miles of gently rolling terrain each day. Your pace is customized to you, so you may choose to layover in a particularly magical spot and push a little harder the next day instead.
DAY 4
Your final day in this incredible wilderness is dedicated to flying out. Because you’ll be flying one by one, it may take several hours for the whole group to get back to McCarthy. Make the most of your last day at Steamboat Hills and squeeze in a morning hike after breakfast! Bring a book to the airstrip and enjoy the solace as you listen for the buzz of your bush plane to come in.
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-Advanced Basecamp Hiking Trip with a flexible route plan that can be customized to a Moderate or Advanced Level.
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 this trip, you will be off-trail trail the whole time, traversing some combination of rocky slopes and mostly squishy and spongy tundra – all of it uneven and most of it hilly. On this trip, you will cover 3-10mi/day with 500-3,000’ of elevation gain/loss while carrying your own gear. The day hikes are customized to your interests and abilities and range from casual strolls to peak bagging and scrambling. You will be camping in the rugged wilderness with no man-made shelters, toilets, or really any type of development. We recommend physical training in preparation for all of our trips.
This trip is 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!
