Is there a guide on these hiking tours?

Yes. Every trip in this collection comes with an experienced, often medically-trained local guide, some AMGA-certified, others naturalist-trained, all deeply familiar with Alaska’s terrain, weather, and wildlife. On multi-day expeditions you’ll often have more than one guide once group size grows.

Are these trips all-inclusive?

Generally, yes for the essentials, guiding, permits, and most meals in the backcountry are included, but the exact inclusions vary by trip. Backpacking trips typically cover breakfasts and dinners, bush flights, tents, and group gear, while day hikes may only include the guide and trekking poles. Always check the specific trip page for exact details before booking.

How fit do I need to be for hiking in Alaska?

It really depends which trip you pick. Denali’s single-day walking tours are open to most fitness levels, some routes need little more than a few hours of comfortable walking. On the other end, multi-day expeditions like Gates of the Arctic or Wrangell-St. Elias involve carrying a loaded pack off-trail, sometimes over passes and scree, for 5 to 10 miles a day, and prior backpacking experience is genuinely useful there. If in doubt, check the difficulty rating on the specific trip.

When's the best time to hike in Alaska?

Summer is the season , most trips run between May and September, when trails (or tundra, since Alaska doesn’t have many trails) are clear of snow and daylight stretches close to 24 hours. June through August brings the mildest weather and the best odds of good flying conditions for the bush-plane trips, while wildlife, especially caribou and bears, are most active feeding through the warmer months.

Do these trips involve flying into the backcountry?

Several of them, yes. Denali backpacking, Gates of the Arctic, and Wrangell-St. Elias all use floatplanes or bush planes to reach remote basecamps that would otherwise take a full day (or more) to drive to. It’s part of the adventure, and also means schedules stay flexible: Alaska’s weather calls the shots on flight timing, so itineraries build in a buffer for that.

Will I actually see wildlife in Alaska?

Very likely, though nothing’s guaranteed in the wild. Grizzlies, moose, caribou, and Dall sheep are common sightings across the tundra and alpine terrain, and if your trip runs through Kenai Fjords, add humpback whales, sea otters, and Steller sea lions to the list. Guides know how to spot signs early and keep distances safe, so you get the encounter without the risk.

Hiking Tours in Alaska

Trade marked trails for open tundra, glacier valleys, and grizzly country on guided hiking tours across the last true wilderness in the US.

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Alaska's Top Sellers

Guest favorites spanning Denali's tundra, the Arctic Circle, and the far reaches of Wrangell-St. Elias.

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Denali | Alaska

Backpacking in Denali’s Remote Wilderness

From $4,995 | 8 days

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BROOKS RANGE | ALASKA

Gates of the Arctic Backpacking Tour: Brooks Range Backpacking

From $5,450 | 9 days

Top ChoiceBeginners

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Denali | Alaska

Hiking Tours in Denali National Park

From $180 | 1 day

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ANCHORAGE | ALASKA

Alaska Hiking Tour: 8-Day Wilderness Adventure

From $5,950 | 8 days

Wrangell-St. Elias Hiking Expedition: Alaska’s Deep Wilderness

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WRANGELL-ST. ELIAS NATIONAL PARK | ALASKA

Wrangell-St. Elias Hiking Expedition: Alaska’s Deep Wilderness

From $6,995 | 10 days

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The wildest hiking on Earth

Alaska doesn’t really do trails. There are no marked routes where these trips go, just open tundra, river crossings, scree slopes, and the occasional stretch of alder thicket to push through. That’s not a limitation, it’s the point: this is some of the last genuinely untouched wilderness in the country, six million acres in Denali alone, over 13 million in Wrangell-St. Elias. You’re not hiking to a viewpoint here. You’re walking into a landscape that barely knows people exist.

How you get there is half the adventure

Most of these trips don’t start with a trailhead, they start with a plane. Floatplanes and bush planes swap what would be an 8-hour drive for a couple of scenic hours over glaciers and mountain ranges, dropping you straight into the backcountry.

- Denali: float into the Alaska Range from Talkeetna, past the Ruth Glacier’s Great Gorge
- Gates of the Arctic: charter flight to Bettles or Coldfoot, then a float plane onto a remote alpine lake, above the Arctic Circle
- Wrangell-St. Elias: bush plane with tundra tires, hopping between two basecamps deep in the mountains

Wildlife on its own terms

You’re a guest in bear country, and Alaska doesn’t hide that. Expect grizzlies, caribou, moose, wolves, and Dall sheep across the tundra and alpine meadows, plus humpback whales, sea otters, and calving glaciers if your route runs through Kenai Fjords. Guides are trained to keep encounters safe (and often genuinely thrilling), so you get the sighting without the risk.

A trip for every kind of hiker

This is the one thing worth being upfront about: Alaska hiking spans a real range. A short interpretive walk near Denali Park Road takes a few hours and almost no elevation gain. A 9 or 10-day expedition into the Arctic or Wrangell-St. Elias means carrying a loaded pack off-trail for 5 to 10+ miles a day. Neither is “the real Alaska”, they’re just different doors into it.

- Beginner-friendly: half-day and full-day walking or interpretive hikes in Denali
- Moderate: multi-day trips with mostly gentle terrain, like Gates of the Arctic’s kindest-in-Alaska tundra
- Challenging: backcountry expeditions carrying 25-30+ lb packs over passes and scree, best tackled with prior backpacking experience

Guides who live this place

These aren’t seasonal hires. Guides here are AMGA-certified, medically trained, and often have decades of Alaska backcountry experience between them, some have soloed Denali, others have spent years reading tides, bears, and weather windows across the state. They handle the bear safety, the route-finding, and the “when do we actually fly out” calls, so you can focus on being somewhere this wild.

What do people think of Hiking Tours in Alaska?

Arthur Baines

about Backpacking in Denali’s Remote Wilderness

Adventure was great. Classis Alaska experience. Exciting flights on small planes to get in and out of backcountry. And a wide variety of massive terrain features every day; tundra, river beds, and glacier travel. Jack is fantastic! We booked a 7 day backpacking trip in Alaska with Jack, and it was a great experience. All the logistics were seamless, and Jack\’s professionalism was outstanding guiding us through the Alaska backcountry. He greatly assisted us with pre-trip planning: gear selection, etc. And he customized the route and food to our preferences. Extremely well done from start to finish.

Patricia Guzikowski

about Alaska Hiking Tour: 8-Day Wilderness Adventure

Hailey was an amazing tour guide. We had a fantastic time and learned so much. Highly recommend.

Genevieve T.

about Wrangell-St. Elias Hiking Expedition: Alaska’s Deep Wilderness

Being in a place like that without having to cary heavy packs was an incredible treat. I was so impressed by how seamless the logistics were! Jack truly went above and beyond at every turn to make this trip special.

sophiaaC407FZ

about Hiking Tours in Denali National Park

My boyfriend and I booked this tour on our last day and Alaska and it did not disappoint! Our guide was very fun to talk to and SO knowledgeable about the national park, the history of the mountains, the animals and their behaviors, the plants, bugs etc… We learned so much interesting information while going on an amazingly scenic hike. The information as well as the hike itself were things we wouldn’t have been able to experience by ourselves without a lot of precious park knowledge. This was the highlight of our trip and we are so happy we could fit this in. I would absolutely recommend this tour to anyone who is interested in seeing and experiencing Denali in a more in depth way

Frequently Asked Questions About Hiking in Alaska

Yes. Every trip in this collection comes with an experienced, often medically-trained local guide, some AMGA-certified, others naturalist-trained, all deeply familiar with Alaska’s terrain, weather, and wildlife. On multi-day expeditions you’ll often have more than one guide once group size grows.
Generally, yes for the essentials, guiding, permits, and most meals in the backcountry are included, but the exact inclusions vary by trip. Backpacking trips typically cover breakfasts and dinners, bush flights, tents, and group gear, while day hikes may only include the guide and trekking poles. Always check the specific trip page for exact details before booking.
It really depends which trip you pick. Denali’s single-day walking tours are open to most fitness levels, some routes need little more than a few hours of comfortable walking. On the other end, multi-day expeditions like Gates of the Arctic or Wrangell-St. Elias involve carrying a loaded pack off-trail, sometimes over passes and scree, for 5 to 10 miles a day, and prior backpacking experience is genuinely useful there. If in doubt, check the difficulty rating on the specific trip.
Summer is the season, most trips run between May and September, when trails (or tundra, since Alaska doesn’t have many trails) are clear of snow and daylight stretches close to 24 hours. June through August brings the mildest weather and the best odds of good flying conditions for the bush-plane trips, while wildlife, especially caribou and bears, are most active feeding through the warmer months.
Several of them, yes. Denali backpacking, Gates of the Arctic, and Wrangell-St. Elias all use floatplanes or bush planes to reach remote basecamps that would otherwise take a full day (or more) to drive to. It’s part of the adventure, and also means schedules stay flexible: Alaska’s weather calls the shots on flight timing, so itineraries build in a buffer for that.
Very likely, though nothing’s guaranteed in the wild. Grizzlies, moose, caribou, and Dall sheep are common sightings across the tundra and alpine terrain, and if your trip runs through Kenai Fjords, add humpback whales, sea otters, and Steller sea lions to the list. Guides know how to spot signs early and keep distances safe, so you get the encounter without the risk.