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LOWER KONGAKUT/ARCTIC COAST PADDLEWilderness Wildlife & Birding
July 16-23
8 days - $3,350

Join us on an Alaskan canoeing trip along the Arctic Coast in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. We camp among the tracks of polar bear on the Barrier Islands which separate Siku lagoon and the Arctic Ocean. The lagoon is alive with interesting birds. This canoe adventure can be easily added to the end of our Kongakut River Raft Trip or you can fly in to join us just for this trip. We saw 25-30 snowy owls on this trip last year! Only moderate canoe paddling experience is necessary for this trip.

We assemble our canoes and then paddle from Caribou Pass through the Kongakut River delta and out to the Arctic Coast. The Barrier Islands, which parallel the coast, form lagoons protected from the broken pack ice that often beaches against the islands’ seaward side. Camping among the remains of structures still visible from the commercial bowhead whaling era, one can scan the Arctic Ocean’s Beaufort Sea for new bird species and marine mammals.

We’ll also explore the mainland lagoons, habitat quite different from that of the barrier islands. We’ll paddle either west to Beaufort Lagoon or east to Demarcation Bay, depending on conditions. Both routes offer ample opportunity to explore the fascinating natural and human history of this remote coast. The weather and wind conditions can be unpredictable along the exposed Arctic Ocean and make this one of our more adventurous trips. Do bring that adventurous spirit of yours on this canoeing trip!

For those continuing from the raft trip, this extension completes our journey from high in the mountains of the Brooks Range, across the coastal plain, all the way to the Arctic Ocean. The full 18 day journey from mountains to ocean is an unforgettable exploration of a wild corner of arctic Alaska.

Along with the usual mammals in the Arctic Refuge, we encounter birds along the coast which are rarely seen inland. Possibilities include: Yellow-billed Loon, King, Common and Spectacled Eider, Sabine’s Gull, Thick-billed Murre, Snowy Owl, Buff-Breasted Sandpiper, Stilt Sandpiper, Long-tailed Duck and other northern species.