Noatak River Rafting Adventure

Longest of all rivers federally designated "Wild and Scenic," longest river in a national park, the Noatak drains the largest protected watershed within the United States, a huge basin virtually untrod by human feet. From its birth high in the Brooks Range, the Noatak River tumbles westward through its narrow upper valley, passing briefly through the northwesternmost boreal forest on the continent before broadening and slowing as it winds through a wide plain overgrown with mosses, lichens, and dwarf shrubs, bounded by distant snowcapped peaks. It runs more than 350 miles total — 330 wild and scenic miles — before emptying into Kotzebue Sound, a large inlet of the Bering Strait. In late May/early June the Far North's first bursts of summer. New wildflowers are popping up every day on the tundra, and baby caribou are still close at their mommas' sides. The land is fresh and new, the light constant. In August, fall colors, with brilliant red, yellow, and purple, paint the land. Caribou, regal in their dark coats, move southward in small bands. August also brings cooler temperatures and great displays of northern lights.

The itinerary is quite flexible, and will depend on weather, animal sightings, river conditions, and the desires of the group. If the water is low we will need to maneuver around or over shallow gravel bars, and if the water is high, we will have to contend with swift water around sharp oxbows in the river. At every bend, we'll be watching for caribou and possibly even bear, musk ox, moose, fox, or wolves. Temperatures may range from the 40's to the 60's during the day and cooler at night. Later in August we can expect frost at night and even a possible snowfall. Participants should come with a sense of adventure, ready to navigate a wilderness river in the far north.


Noatak River Rafting Tours - Itinerary:

Fairbanks to Noatak River
In the morning we head to the airport for a 1 1/2-hour flight to the small bush community of Bettles. Situated just above the Arctic Circle, on the Koyukuk River, Bettles is the jumping off point for our flight to the headwaters of the Noatak. By early-afternoon, we'll board a floatplane for another scenic flight, deep into Gates of the Arctic National Park, to an oxbow lake at the edge of the Noatak River. Upriver the 6,000-foot tall Mt. Igikpak, highest peak in the Central Brooks Range, is visible. After portaging gear to the put-in, we assemble our canoes and have a canoe "refresher" lesson, getting a chance to learn and practice strokes that we will need on this gentle but sometimes swift-moving river.

Rafting the Noatak River
We'll explore the broad river valley on a flexible itinerary. Canoeing on this often gentle, but sometimes swift-moving river will allow us to travel approximately 50 miles, and we'll explore more on foot. We leave the highest mountains and the river widens and increases in volume and the gradient becomes more apparent, as we paddle through a narrow canyon where the rocks create exciting Class II whitewater. We continue down through wilderness lands, as the valley opens up. Immense sweeps of tundra make this area ideal for hiking. Hikes to the ridges and up the tributary valleys provide us with incredible scenic vistas of the valley and surrounding peaks.

Noatak River to Fairbanks
After a reasonable portage to our pick-up lake, we spend the last few days in this Arctic wonderland hiking, fishing, picking berries, and watching the caribou. On our last day we board the plane back to Bettles and then south to Fairbanks.