WOLVERINE
BASE CAMP
HIKING
Multi Day

- Hiking
- Moderate
- Advanced
Stunning hikes and sweeping views
Situated on a high plateau in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, the Wolverine backcountry airstrip offers breathtaking vistas and access to both beautiful backcountry meadows and local summits. With moderate to advanced hiking opportunities, this trip is perfect for those looking to experience Alaska’s untouched backcountry, elusive wildlife, and stunning seasonal wildflower displays.
We consider Wolverine one of the most dramatic airstrips to land, take off, and camp at in the Park! Surrounded by rolling hills of tundra, you can explore near camp while still getting the spectacular views of the Chitistone River Valley below and snow-capped peaks above. Rocky talus slopes leading to scraggly ridgelines are within reach for anyone looking for a fun scramble. And for those wanting cover ground, beautiful waterfalls and sheep sightings wait around every bend.
- Enjoy panoramic views right from camp
- Access remote trail-less hiking routes that range from moderate to advanced difficulty
- Spot sheep, marmots, and ground squirrels in their natural environment
- Experience vibrant wildflower meadows at their peak in late July – early August
Trip Details
Trip Length
3.5 days
Total Mileage
10-20mi
Total Elevation Gain/Loss
1,000-4,000′
Rates
Private Solo
$5,210
Private 2 Participant
$2,985/person
Private 3-6 Participants
$2,500/person
Private 7-8 Participants
$2,280/person
This trip is only offered on a Private Trip basis. Book now 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
Taking off for the backcountry, you feel a sense thrill. Leaving the Kennicott Valley behind, you fly high above the glistening braids of the Nizina River. Landing at the Wolverine Airstrip is an experience in and of itself! Your pilot quietly smiles as your eyes bulge out of your eyesockets, gaining even more respect for their extraordinary skills.
Immediately you’re greeted by rolling hills of soft, green tundra rising up to a rocky crag high above. On the other side, the plateau drops off and you can peer into the deep valley below.
Your guide helps you select an area for your camp within a short hike of the strip. Take your time getting comfortable in your new backcountry home!
Today you’ll do a little hiking and exploring and finish the night with a spectacular dinner prepared by your guide.
DAY 2
Waking up this morning, you hear your friends calling “Marco”……..”Pollo”……you unzip the tent and laugh out loud. White all around you, you’re caught in the heavy morning fog of the mountains. Over breakfast it starts to clear up and before you know it, the clouds are parting for views even bigger than you saw yesterday! Huge, snow-capped summits suddenly appear out of thin air across the valley.
Gear up for a long hike today, whatever that means for you! Perhaps a long, slow-paced stroll to a nearby creek with journal in hand is the vibe of your backcountry vacation, or maybe you’re inspired to do a mega-loop with steep slopes and high mountain pass included. The day is yours to explore this beautiful place and feel the magic of the wilderness.
As you return to camp, you’re already making plans for tomorrow. Today’s taste of the alpine has you ravenous for more adventure! Or maybe that’s just regular hunger…your guide has just the thing! A warm hearty meal and a hot drink have hit your cravings and your dreams are filled with the pointy summits and foggy mountaintops.
DAY 3
Sleeping in this morning, you wonder if you’ve ever felt more at peace. Unzipping your tent, the fresh mountain air hits your cheeks and the peep of a ground squirrel breaks your reverie. Coffee. Poop. Hike. Let’s go!
Today you’ll head in the opposite direction of yesterday’s route, exploring the vast landscape that changes around every bend. Extra points for whoever spots the most sheep and second place for whoever sees the most waterfalls!
The terrain is sometimes gentle and sometimes challenging. The tussocks on the tundra keep you on your toes and rocky slopes require a slower pace to get through. Your patient guide coaches you through any difficult sections and by Day 3, you’re confidently taking on a small creek crossing on your own and giddily scrambling up Class III on a rocky ridgeline behind them.
Tonight’s dinner is accompanied by laughter as you enjoy one final night together under the midnight sun.
DAY 4
It’s a short day today, so you want to make the most of it. After breakfast, you’ll pack up your camp and shuttle all your gear back to the airstrip. Due to the airy heights of this particular strip, we’ll need to get picked up in the morning, if we want to get picked up at all. Right on time you hear the buzz first before you spot the little black dot in the sky, slowly growing into a full-size bush plane before your eyes.
Taking off from here is even more exhilarating than landing! As you gain speed on the short runway you’re very aware of the quickly approaching drop-off ahead….and you’re off! Enjoy the views as you weave your way back through the mountains and rivers of the Wrangells to old McCarthy town.
Upon landing, your guide will take you back to our HQ to unpack and then can give you a ride wherever you need to go. If you’re staying in town for the day, your guide is happy to provide you with a walking tour of the area or show you their favorite local hike in the afternoon.
We highly recommend spending this night in town for your comfort and to build a little buffer into your plans, but we understand if your itinerary doesn’t allow it.
What’s included?
- Customized trip planning
- Logistics consultation*
- Your professional guide(s) – 4:1 ratio
- Orientation and a Gear Shakedown
- Roundtrip 25-minute 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 Transport + Lodging Page to learn how to get to and from McCarthy and local lodging recommendations.
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 organizing and managing the bookings included in your Trip Package.
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.
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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!