Itinerary
The journey begins in Juneau, Alaska. Although part of the mainland, Juneau is not connected by any road system, making it a de facto island and the perfect place to start a sea kayaking expedition.
Endicott Arm is a fjord. which are glacially carved valleys that have filled with sea water after the glaciers have receded, leaving typically a U-shaped and extremely deep body of water. About 45 miles south of Juneau, and adjacent to Stephens Passage, this fjord is deep inside the Tongass National Forest and is designated a wilderness area, protected to ensure generations have access to it as it is for years to come. This fjord is more than 30 miles long and have approximately twenty percent of its area covered by glaciers creating a field of floating icebergs in its waters during the spring, fall and summer seasons.
The end of Endicott Arm is the home of a massive glacier, the Dawes Glacier. Wildlife in this fjord is rich and diverse. Cruising these waters are harbor seals, sea lions, and humpback whales to name just a few species. On shore, bears, both black and brown, and wolves stroll along the shoreline and in the mountains. Looking down on us from the cliffs above, mountain goats and wolverine can often be seen.
This deep body of water has complex interactions between offshore waters flowing in from Stephens Passage and the inner waters of the fjord. Cold water temperatures full of tons of nutrient-rich food and strong currents provide habitat for an incredible amount of sea life beneath the waters surface and are home to rare corals. The presence of these corals and other species has designated these waters as habitats of concern and afforded levels of protection to ensure it is available for research.
For 5 days we will have the honor of paddling, and camping in this unique wilderness area. When we are ready to climb aboard our boat for our return ride to Juneau, we will miss its beauty, but with a shower and the possibility of a pizza tonight, we wave goodbye and know we can return some day.
Day 0
Meet your guide in Juneau for a pre-trip meeting. The itinerary that follows is a rough idea of what is possible on this 5 day sea kayak trip.
Day 1
The first morning of our Endicott Arm sea kayak trip we will meet up at the harbor in Juneau, pack our boats, load them onto our water taxi and head out to the south toward Endicott Arm. We will arrive at Holcomb Bay near Harbor Island. We will take a look at our weather and the tide and then with the groups input decide if we will begin our adventure at the back of Endicott Arm near the glacier and work our way back to Holcomb bay or start near Harbour Island and work our way toward the back of the fjord. Either way we will depart our water taxi via a deep water launch. This means we won’t go ashore but rather will go directly into the water from our boat. Once we are all underway, we can spend the rest of the day exploring and make camp at one of the campsites nearby.
Day 1 to 4
With our plan in place and now in the water we will spend the next 5 days exploring the inside of Endicott Arm. Our plan will remain flexible allowing us to explore the ice bergs and shore lines of this wild and incredible sea-scape. Beach camps, wildlife, evening fires world class paddling and stunning scenery are just few of the things we can look forward to.
Day 5
This morning we can sleep in, have one more camp breakfast and then pack up our kayaks before our last day exploring Endicott Arm and its surrounding islands and coves. If the weather and wind cooperate, we will meet our water taxi in the afternoon and make our way back to Juneau.
Included
Boat transport to/from Juneau to/from Endicott Arm
Food while in the field
Group camping gear
Tents, sleeping bags, sleeping pads
Kayak, paddle, PFD, safety gear
Professional guide service
Not Included
Lodging while not in the field
Food while not in the field
Personal equipment
Gratuity for guide(s)
