Backcountry Multi-Day Trips « Backpacking
Root Glacier
One of our favorite locations is also our most affordable.
Trip Description
Basecamping:
Camp next to the glacier with access to amazing day adventures.
Hike a two mile trail with daypacks to your camp beside the Root Glacier. Spend the afternoon hiking the trail above the glacier, getting an amazing perspective of the glacial landscape and great views of Stairway Icefall. Back at camp your guide will make you a delicious meal and you can watch the light dance across the valley. In the morning enjoy breakfast with a view and head out for a full day of glacier hiking. Options for a third day include; more time on the glacier, hiking up to the alpine, or a relaxing morning and hike back to Kennicott.
This trip does not require a plane and instead requires porters to carry all necessary gear and food to and from camp on the first and last day. This service is $100/person. If you are interested in carrying all of your gear see the Backpacking Loops below.
- Duration: 2-3 days
- Difficulty: Easy – Hard
Backpacking Loops:
Our backyard is one of the best backpacking playgrounds in the park. From KWG’s Office in Kennicott you have hike-in access to a number of high quality loops. Glacier travel, epic campsites, and hidden pockets of alpine exemplify the area. Spend a night overlooking the Root Glacier, or spend a whole week and head for the elusive Pack Saddle Island. The iceberg filled Eire Lake is an amazing glacier-side destination, the alpine knolls above delivering jaw dropping views of the Stairway Icefall (7,000 vertical feet of ice!). Cross the glacier to Donoho Basin for great camping, bird watching and tranquil lakeside scenes. Options abound, and there isn’t a bad choice.
- Duration: 2-7 days
- Difficulty: Easy – Hard
Highlights:
- No flight needed, making this our most affordable backcountry trip
- Experience Alaskan glacier backpacking
- Camp in unforgettable locations
- Travel through a variety of off-trail terrain
- Potential for wildlife sightings
- Get up close to some of the world’s largest icefalls
Trip Details
Terrain Challenges:
Rocky/unstable ground, elevation gain and loss in short distances, steep vegetated hillsides, side-hilling, glacier travel.
Who:
Novice campers to experienced backpackers
When:
June-September
Where:
We will meet you at your lodging or at the footbridge ½ hour before your flight time and provide transportation to the airstrip.
Trip Includes
- Pre-trip planning.
- Experienced, friendly, knowledgeable guides!
- Small ratios: 1 guide for groups up to 5 people. 2 guides for groups of 6+ (additional porters may be requested for any group size at an additional cost)
- Customizable itinerary.
- Airfare into the backcountry.
- Medical equipment, training and protocols to Wilderness First Responder Standards.
- SAT phone & Delorme InReach.
- Healthy, nutritious food customized to your tastes.
- Cooking gear and fuel.
- Backpacking pack (if needed)
- Sleeping bag/pad combo (if needed)
- Technical gear and equipment.
- Personal tent(s) and group cook tent.
- Leave No Trace and Bear Safety education/ ethics.
Trip Does not Include
- Guide Gratuity (recommended 10-20% of tour cost)
- Day packs (for basecamping day hikes)
- Personal clothing & gear. For further suggestions on gear you will want to bring from home (this might help you pack for your whole Alaskan vacation!) visit our Trip Planning Page for a gear list.
- Alcohol in the backcountry.
- Pre & Post trip lodging.
- Transportation to and from Wrangell-St. Elias National Park.
Trip Prices
Root Glacier Backpacking (No airfare needed, add $100/ person for porter)
Client:Guide Ratio & Price
Pricing per Number of Clients – 3 Day Trip
1:1 / $2,640 per person
2:1 / $1,500 per person
3:1 / $1,245 per person
4:1 / $1,080 per person
5:1 / $990 per person
6+:2 / $990 per person
Pricing per Number of Clients – 4 Day Trip
1:1 / $3,520 per person
2:1 / $2,000 per person
3:1 / $1,660 per person
4:1 / $1,440 per person
5:1 / $1,320 per person
6+:2 / $1,320 per person
Pricing per Number of Clients – 5 Day Trip
1:1 / $4,400 per person
2:1 / $2,500 per person
3:1 / $2,075 per person
4:1 / $1,800 per person
5:1 / $1,650 per person
6+:2 / $1,650 per person
Pricing per Number of Clients – 6 Day Trip
1:1 / $5,280 per person
2:1 / $3,000 per person
3:1 / $2,490 per person
4:1 / $2,160 per person
5:1 / $1,980 per person
6+:2 / $1,980 per person
Pricing per Number of Clients – 7 Day Trip
1:1 / $6,160 per person
2:1 / $3,500 per person
3:1 / $2,905 per person
4:1 / $2,520 per person
5:1 / $2,310 per person
6+:2 / $2,310 per person
Photo Gallery
Click to enlarge
Trip Prices
Root Glacier Backpacking (No airfare needed, add $100/ person for porter)
Client:Guide Ratio & Price
Pricing per Number of Clients – 3 Day Trip
1:1 / $2,640 per person
2:1 / $1,500 per person
3:1 / $1,245 per person
4:1 / $1,080 per person
5:1 / $990 per person
6+:2 / $990 per person
Pricing per Number of Clients – 4 Day Trip
1:1 / $3,520 per person
2:1 / $2,000 per person
3:1 / $1,660 per person
4:1 / $1,440 per person
5:1 / $1,320 per person
6+:2 / $1,320 per person
Pricing per Number of Clients – 5 Day Trip
1:1 / $4,400 per person
2:1 / $2,500 per person
3:1 / $2,075 per person
4:1 / $1,800 per person
5:1 / $1,650 per person
6+:2 / $1,650 per person
Pricing per Number of Clients – 6 Day Trip
1:1 / $5,280 per person
2:1 / $3,000 per person
3:1 / $2,490 per person
4:1 / $2,160 per person
5:1 / $1,980 per person
6+:2 / $1,980 per person
Pricing per Number of Clients – 7 Day Trip
1:1 / $6,160 per person
2:1 / $3,500 per person
3:1 / $2,905 per person
4:1 / $2,520 per person
5:1 / $2,310 per person
6+:2 / $2,310 per person
Trip Description
Basecamping:
Camp next to the glacier with access to amazing day adventures.
Hike a two mile trail with daypacks to your camp beside the Root Glacier. Spend the afternoon hiking the trail above the glacier, getting an amazing perspective of the glacial landscape and great views of Stairway Icefall. Back at camp your guide will make you a delicious meal and you can watch the light dance across the valley. In the morning enjoy breakfast with a view and head out for a full day of glacier hiking. Options for a third day include; more time on the glacier, hiking up to the alpine, or a relaxing morning and hike back to Kennicott.
This trip does not require a plane and instead requires porters to carry all necessary gear and food to and from camp on the first and last day. This service is $100/person. If you are interested in carrying all of your gear see the Backpacking Loops below.
- Duration: 2-3 days
- Difficulty: Easy – Hard
Backpacking Loops:
Our backyard is one of the best backpacking playgrounds in the park. From KWG’s Office in Kennicott you have hike-in access to a number of high quality loops. Glacier travel, epic campsites, and hidden pockets of alpine exemplify the area. Spend a night overlooking the Root Glacier, or spend a whole week and head for the elusive Pack Saddle Island. The iceberg filled Eire Lake is an amazing glacier-side destination, the alpine knolls above delivering jaw dropping views of the Stairway Icefall (7,000 vertical feet of ice!). Cross the glacier to Donoho Basin for great camping, bird watching and tranquil lakeside scenes. Options abound, and there isn’t a bad choice.
- Duration: 2-7 days
- Difficulty: Easy – Hard
Highlights:
- No flight needed, making this our most affordable backcountry trip
- Experience Alaskan glacier backpacking
- Camp in unforgettable locations
- Travel through a variety of off-trail terrain
- Potential for wildlife sightings
- Get up close to some of the world’s largest icefalls
Trip Details
Terrain Challenges:
Rocky/unstable ground, elevation gain and loss in short distances, steep vegetated hillsides, side-hilling, glacier travel.
Who:
Novice campers to experienced backpackers
When:
June-September
Where:
We will meet you at your lodging or at the footbridge ½ hour before your flight time and provide transportation to the airstrip.
Trip Includes
- Pre-trip planning.
- Experienced, friendly, knowledgeable guides!
- Small ratios: 1 guide for groups up to 5 people. 2 guides for groups of 6+ (additional porters may be requested for any group size at an additional cost)
- Customizable itinerary.
- Airfare into the backcountry.
- Medical equipment, training and protocols to Wilderness First Responder Standards.
- SAT phone & Delorme InReach.
- Healthy, nutritious food customized to your tastes.
- Cooking gear and fuel.
- Backpacking pack (if needed)
- Sleeping bag/pad combo (if needed)
- Technical gear and equipment.
- Personal tent(s) and group cook tent.
- Leave No Trace and Bear Safety education/ ethics.
Trip Does not Include
- Guide Gratuity (recommended 10-20% of tour cost)
- Day packs (for basecamping day hikes)
- Personal clothing & gear. For further suggestions on gear you will want to bring from home (this might help you pack for your whole Alaskan vacation!) visit our Trip Planning Page for a gear list.
- Alcohol in the backcountry.
- Pre & Post trip lodging.
- Transportation to and from Wrangell-St. Elias National Park.
Root Glacier
Photo Gallery
Click to enlarge, or use arrows to scroll.
We are so grateful to the company and our guide, they really made this a dream day for me!
When planning our trip to Alaska, the one thing I wanted was to walk on a Glacier! Dear hubby contacted Kennicott Wilderness Guides and got it all set up. On 9/9/18 we were picked up by Payton, she was awesome and our guide for the day. After all paperwork signed she got us outfitted with crampons. We had a hike to the Root Glacier and along the way she was able and willing to point out lots of small and interesting details. Once we got to the glacier she made sure we had crampons on correcting and showed us how to walk in them. The the day just got better the glacier it was awesome and with her knowledge we learned so much, she had been there the whole season and hiked so much of the area, she gladly shared that info with us. Payton made sure along the way to make sure we were safe. Absolutely if you want to walk and experience the beauty of the glacier get in touch with this company.
