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 beginning of our sea kayak expedition. Surrounded by water and towering mountains, this town of 35,000+ hearty residents has no roads linking it with the rest of Alaska. Travel by air or by sea are the only ways to get here and away. Like so many Alaskan towns, people flocked to Juneau in the late 1800’s because of gold. Joe Juneau and Richard Harris discovered gold here in 1880, aided by the Tlingit and their Chief Kowee. In 1900, the town became the state capital and is the largest town in Southeast Alaska, acting as a hub for all the smaller communities also not connected to the road system.
We then head to the town of Haines, Alaska. Described as a town a little rough around the edges with quirky characters and a colorful history, it’s the home of 2000 brave northern souls. Here, you won’t find a stoplight but you will find a diamond in the rough, the quintessential Alaskan town. Haines is considered the “Adventure Capitol of Alaska” with a wide expanse of wilderness at its doorstep and almost zero crowds. Adventurers from all around the word come here for its world-class skiing, river running and kayaking to name just a few of the activities found in Haines’ backyard.
Over the next 7 days our adventures will see us travel from Juneau, then up to Haines Alaska. Kayaking, with options for bear viewing, exploring glaciers by plane, fishing, along with the opportunity to explore the unique communities of Juneau and Haines is what makes this trip a unique experience
July 28th
The schedule that follows is a rough idea of what is possible during your week in Southeast Alaska.
Arrive in Juneau and check into your hotel, the rest of the day you can spend getting settled in and on your own in the capitol city.
Day 1
July 29th
After a good nights sleep explore the city of Juneau on your own after your day of travel. You are staying down town and there is lots of history and culture to be explored on your own right outside your door.
July 30th
Todays adventure begins at the helicopter base, located next to the Juneau International Airport and will take you aboard a helicopter to the Mendenhall Glacier for your 3-3.5 hour tour. You will be outfitted in state-of-the-art trekking equipment and given a safety briefing before you board one of the A-Star helicopters.
Once loaded and ready, it’s time to take off on a Juneau helicopter tour! Experience Juneau’s impressive range of ecosystems while soaring over dramatic mountain ranges, the old-growth trees of the Tongass National Forest, and expansive flows of ice that change from white to vibrant shades of blue, before landing at our base camp on the Mendenhall Glacier. Flight routes depend on the day’s conditions and are up to the pilots.
After carefully unloading, you will meet your guide, who will outfit you with crampons to make it easier to walk on the icy terrain, and a trekking pole for enhanced stability. Once prepared, your guide will lead you on an interpretive Juneau glacier trek to explore the unique features and learn about the local environment.
There will be plenty of time to stop and take pictures of your great adventure before your helicopter returns for your flight back to our heliport.
July 31
Today will be spent partly in Juneau and later on we will depart and head north to Haines, Alaska. The first part of the day will be on your own but by late afternoon you will board the ferry that will take you to Haines, along the way we will get a tour of the Northern Lynn Canal aboard the Fjordland, a 55′ Catameran. Once you arrive in Haines around 7:30 pm you will be met my your SEAK Expeitions guide and taken over to your lodging after a brief meeting and a tour of the beautiful town of Haines, Alaska.
August 1
In the morning we will check the weather and if everything looks good we will get our gear for the day together and head to the west side of the of the Chilkat Peninsula and the put in for our kayak adventure of the day. We arrive at a private beach at the foot of a historic salmon cannery which still operates today, buying the catch from local fisherman in the waters around Haines. We will shove off the beach and padle past fishing boats hugging the shoreling as we round Letnikoff point where river otters are commonly seen. From here we head south along the shorline into Paradise Cove where we are likely to have porpoise swiming along side us, rising to the surface just feet from our kayaks. We will break for lunch miday and then round Kochu Island on our way back to our take out. Packed up for the day we will head back to our cozy accommodations and a well deserved cocktail and dinner
August 2
We have just gotten done kayaking for 3 days in a row so maybe today we want to give the paddling muscles a rest and head out for a 1/2 day of setting crab and shrimp pots. We will bait and drop pots in several locations and pull some other pots that have already been set hopefully allowing us to harvest Dungeness crab and Spot Prawns aboard the SEAK Expeditions skiff. After lunch we will head out to the Takshanuk Mountain Trail and take a guided ATV tour. This tour will take you through the temperate rainforest that makes up much of the coast of Southeast Alaska. We will start at sea level and then ascend through the forest and into the sub-alpine, finally wrapping up with a meal of of beer-battered fried halibut with homemade tartar sauce, roasted chicken, roasted potatoes, homemade coleslaw, tropical fruit salad and fresh baked cookies!
August 3
With our paddling muscles rested today sees us meeting up at the SEAK Expeditions head quarters in downtown Haines and gearing up for a day on the Chilkat river. Once we have everything ready to go we will hop in one of our vans and head out on a beautiful 30-45 minute drive up the Chilkat Valley, to our put in on the river. Today we paddle pack rafts, which are a cross between a normal inflatable raft and a kayak. We each paddle our own pack raft and will be given all the instruction needed to navigate the waters of the Chilkat river, which are great for beginners and intermediate paddlers alike. There are no rapids on this section of the river but the water has recently been inside of a nearby glacier and is very cold so we will be wearing drysuits and pogies to keep you hands warm. Your driver will be waiting at the take out with warm drinks if its chilly.
August 4
North of down town Haines about 11 miles we will turn off the main road and drive along a stunning stretch of the Chilkoot River which is famous for its beauty, fly fishing and a high concentration of brown bears. Todays kayaking adventures will take us along the shores of Chilkoot Lake as we circumnavigate its border looking for all sorts of wildlife that inhabit its shores. River otters, mink, beaver and of course salmon inhabit these waters and on its shores brown bears, moose, black bears, wolves and mountain goats may come across our path
August 5
Today is our last day in Haines before we head back south to Juneau. If we havent had our fill of kayaking we can slide our kayaks into the ocean just outside the Haines Harbor and head out along battery point, a narrow slice of land that juts out from the Chilkat Peninsula and is the perfect spot for a half day paddle with a beautiful lunch spot. If we arent feeling up to it we can head out to Klukwan, a native village that has been in this location and home to the Tlingit people for a millenium. Here there is a cultural center with extremely rare and valuable artifacts where we will be treated to a tour by one of the tribal members of the community of Klukwan. We will then be back in town with our bags packed and ready to head south to Juneau either on the Alaska State ferry or aboard an Alaska Sea Planes Flight.
Included
Lodging
Transportation While on Trip in Haines
Air and or boat charter between Juneau and Haines
Lunches & snacks
All group, or kayaking gear needed
Professional guide service
Fishing Licenses
Fish Packaging & Freezing
Flexible Itinerary with options for Crab and Shrimp fishing on multiple days, Glacier Flight Seeing or other activities TBD
Not Included
Travel to and from Juneau at the start and end of trip
Ground transportation while in Juneau
Personal equipment
Breakfast & Dinner (Options to have us arrange catering)
Alcoholic Beverages
Gratuity for guide(s)
