Tatshenshini River: 10 days
Named the #1 River trip in the world in National Geographic’s “Journeys of a Lifetime”, the Tatshenshini will impress even the most seasoned explorer. Starting in the Yukon this journey takes you through Northern British Columbia all the way to Southern Alaska.
An UNESCO World Heritage Site, this area is home to the world’s largest non polar ice field, some of the largest and most spectacular glaciers in the world, and large populations of grizzly bears, caribou and Dall's sheep.
View wildlife, walk on glaciers and paddle up to icebergs. At the end of the day, relax on the side of the river with a glass of wine while camp and meals are prepared for you.
The Facts:
THE TRIP: 10 days / 9 nights; 1 night hotel before and 1 night after trip in Whitehorse (not included)
START / FINISH: Whitehorse, Yukon
TRIP DATES: July 15 – July 24 and July 28 - August 6
PRICE: $4800 CDN + GST
TOTAL RAFTING DISTANCE: 102 miles
ELEVATION AT PUT-IN: 1850 feet above sea level
ELEVATION AT TAKE-OUT: Sea level
Download the Detailed Itinerary
The Trip:
DAY ZERO
You will need to be in Whitehorse the evening before the rafting begins. Upon your arrival we will rendezvous at a hotel in Whitehorse where you will meet the guides and all the other travelers. Waivers will be signed and any lingering paperwork will be completed. You will receive your special dry bags for packing your personal belongings. We will also have a briefing on gear, clothing and the river itself.
DAY ONE – 12 MILES OF RAFTING
After breakfast in Whitehorse, we depart at 9:00am for the 3-hour drive to the river ‘put-in’ at Dalton Post. Before heading down to the put in, we have to make a short deviation down to the Haines Alaska border station to clear customs. At Dalton Post, we’ll load the rafts and leave civilization behind. Our time on the river is short with Rainbow camp just under an hour down stream where we’ll enjoy cocktails and hors d’oeuvres as we set camp and settle in. We will enjoy a sumptuous dinner, the first of many, before we collect around the campfire under a star-filled sky.
DAY TWO, THREE, & FOUR – 21 MILES OF RAFTING
We typically begin each day with coffee and tea, followed by a hot breakfast that may feature West Coast Eggs Benny. Breakfast Burritos or perhaps Texas French toast. Fresh fruit salad, granola and yoghurt are always available. In short, you will not go hungry! Once camp has been broken and the boats packed and prepared we’ll head downstream (usually between 9:30 and 10am). Today, Day Two, we will run a number of lively class III rapids through the gorge then emerge, a few hours later, into a wide open valley to see our first views of the mountains with their hanging glaciers. Camp is likely at a great gravel bar where animal tracks are constant evidence to the wilderness we’re in. During day three we meander through Quiet Canyon, the Oxbows, and past Bear Bite Creek, while enjoying the panoramic mountain vistas. Keep a keen eye out for moose, trumpeter swans and bald eagles, which are often spotted here. Tonight we camp at the mouth of Sediments Creek where we’ll spend two nights. This campsite is the start point for our first alpine hiking opportunity and on Day Four we split up into groups for hiking and exploring - or you can just relax at camp enjoying the majesty of the surroundings.
DAY FIVE & SIX – 45 MILES OF RAFTING
We’ll continue down the Tat stopping for lunch at O’Connor Creek. Every day the scenery becomes more spectacular as the mountains rise to 8,000 feet and glaciers hang from mountainsides. The river valley will continue to widen as we reach our camp just above the confluence with the Alsek River. Here there are great hiking opportunities along the river terraces where wildflowers carpet the ground. The mighty Alsek River joins us from the north as we travel through the braided channels. The river seems to narrow as the mountains reach for the sky. A 360º look reveals over 20 glaciers as we near our camp at Walker Glacier. You’ll marvel at the crevasses as we hike onto the massive moraines. Around the campfire tonight, we’ll enjoy some fine scotch with ten-thousand year-old ice collected from the glacier earlier in the day.
DAYS SEVEN, EIGHT, & NINE – 24 MILES OF RAFTING
Cutting through the Barbazon Range, we’ll pass the massive Novatak Glacier, which is the tip of the largest ice field on the planet outside of the polar regions. To the south, 15,600-foot Mount Fairweather, the 4th highest mountain on the continent, will dwarf our very existence. In the afternoon, we’ll paddle out amongst the ship-sized icebergs and watch as giant, 100-foot chunks of ice calve off the glacier with a thunderous roar. Our view from camp is one of the most spectacular anywhere on earth. Tonight, we’ll camp on the spit of land that separates the Alsek River from Alsek Lake, a 5km-long lake located at the bottom of the massive Alsek Glacier. Depending on weather and timing, we may have the opportunity for a layover day at Alsek Lake—with time to paddle amongst the icebergs, hike or just relax and enjoy the incredible vista from camp.
DAY TEN – BACK TO CIVILIZATION
After breaking camp for the last time, we’ll float the last few miles down to the airstrip at Dry Bay, Alaska on the shores of the Pacific Ocean. Here, we’ll collapse the rafts and board our plane for the spectacular flight over the mountains back to Whitehorse. Once back in civilization, it’s off to the hotel for a well-deserved hot shower. Tonight, we’ll get together for our farewell dinner, raise our glasses for a last toast to the Tatshenshini and start planning our next adventure together.
