Backpacking in Denali’s Remote Wilderness
This is Alaska at its wildest. Trackless expanses, silent ridgelines, and long evenings spent camping wherever you find flat ground. Denali challenges you, humbles you, and then rewards you with some of the most awe-striking scenery on the continent. This isn’t a hike, it’s an expedition.
Our journey leads deep into Dena’ina Ełnena—ancestral, unceded homeland of the Dena’ina people—a place where the land moves with its own rhythms and invites you to follow.
Over 8 days, we’ll travel 20–30 miles into the quiet interior of Denali, traversing open tundra, ancient glacial corridors, and ridgelines that unveil vast, humbling views. Denali may show its towering face or hide in clouds, but out here, the wilderness is always the real show.
The crowning jewel of the North
At 20,310 feet, the solitary mountain Denali dominates the great Alaskan wilderness with an unmistakable presence. As soon as its massive profile rises into view, you feel the scale of it. Denali is impressive in a way that’s hard to ignore.
Denali National Park and Preserve encompasses more than 6 million acres of forests, glaciers, pristine lakes, taiga, and tundra—all rich in wildlife and biodiversity. To put it into perspective: the park is larger than the state of New Hampshire. However you choose to explore this unspoiled wilderness, one thing’s guaranteed: everything out here is big. Monumentally big.
- 63° 8′ N and 149° 7′ W
- UNESCO BIOSPHERE
- 6 MILLION ACRES
- MASSIVE GLACIERS
- UNIQUE WILDLIFE
Adventure in
the heart of Alaska
PARADISE IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE
Your journey begins in the historical town of Talkeetna, where you’ll board floatplanes for an hour-long flight through magical glacial gorges of Alaska. After the plane leaves you in the wilderness, prepare for an exciting sound you don’t often get to hear: complete silence only disturbed by an occasional gust of wind and animals roaming in the distance.
While most visitors never leave the road, we’ll venture deep into the park’s quiet backcountry where the crowds disappear. Heaven-piercing peaks, serene alpine meadows, and crystal-clear glacial lakes are just a snippet of the miracles adorning this hidden hiking gem.
Captivating glaciers and epic peaks
As you travel over Alaska’s boundless terrain, enjoy the view of the Teton-esque Tokosha mountain peaks, Mount Bradley, and thousands of years old glaciers.
The Ruth Glacier is a fearsome thing to behold as you fly over it, especially during the summer months, when the glacier’s crevassed “Great Gorge” starts resembling an icy river.
Above the surface, the glacier is surrounded by towering granite cliffs almost 5000 ft tall. Combined with the depth of the glacier, they create an abyss deeper even than the Grand Canyon.
Experience unlimited freedom to explore neverending landscapes and sights that will stay with you for the rest of your life. If you’re looking to find peace and solitude in a truly awe-inspiring setting, it doesn’t get better than this.
A surreal experience awaits
Legendary wildlife and big adventures
The park was established as Mt. McKinley National Park in 1917 and changed the name into Denali National Park and Preserve in 1980, preserving the true old Native American name meaning ”the Great One.” Three years earlier, in 1976, it was designated by UNESCO as a biosphere reserve. With its cerulean lakes, snowy white mountain tops, beige and copper hues of tundra, and green valleys soaked in the warm light of day’s end, the area is like a kaleidoscope of colors and shapes.
NATURE UNTOUCHED BY HUMAN HAND
Denali’s authentic wilderness can be intimidating—especially when there’s only one road that services the park’s six million acres.
Due to this, few visitors ever step off the beaten path to see what Denali is like up close and personal. But if you embark into Denali’s backcountry equipped with the right know-how, you’re in for one of the most inspiring backpacking adventures out there!
During this week-long journey, you’ll have a chance to experience a truly wild backpacking adventure free of campsites and designated routes.
EVERLASTING SUNSETS FROM YOUR TENT
While Denali is any hiker’s dream in terms of biodiversity and landscapes, the easily-accessible terrain near the road is often soft, mossy, and difficult to walk across. This is why a floatplane takes you to the less accessible part of the park where the ground is firm and views even more spectacular.
Each morning, you’ll set the plans and goals for the day, and every evening, you will re-energize with delicious camp food, enjoy the eternal alpenglow, and make memories with your new friends!
This adventure hosts 3 to 8 hiking enthusiasts ready to experience the uninhibited freedom of Denali’s vast landscapes.
Meet your guide
Your AMGA certified guide Jack can rarely be found sitting still—most of the time he’s out looking for adventure with his trusty backpack in tow. Jack brings a decade of backcountry guiding experience across the globe, having traveled more than 20,000 miles by bike, sea kayak, foot, raft, and skis.
He is the youngest person ever to solo Denali and has completed first ascents on 6,000-meter peaks in the Himalayas; his solo climb of Bhandar Lek was recognized among the year’s most significant ascents by the Piolet d’Or. Based in Seattle when he’s not in the field, Jack spends much of his time leading expeditions and pursuing his own mountain adventures.
