Beginner Backpacking: Talkeetna Mountains Adventure in Denali State Park
🏔 2-days/1-night 🥾 The perfect introduction to Alaska backcountry travel 🏔
About
This community adventure is the perfect beginner backpacking trip. Participants will adventure with a local Wilderness First Responder-trained guide and head into the backcountry for a uniquely Alaska experience.
Things we'll review during our adventure: How to pack a backpack How to set up a tent Route planning Off-trail navigation in Alaska Backcountry etiquette and Leave No Trace Digging cat holes and proper waste disposal
We anticipate this backpacking trip will be about 6-10 miles of hiking on a combination of trails, tundra, and off-trail travel.
Our trip meets in downtown Palmer for a gear review. From there, we will travel 2-3 hours to a local trailhead. Our adventure starts from there.
Elevation gain for this trip varies depending on your desired activity level. You can expect at least 1,000 feet of elevation gain.
Guests can expect to hike for about 5 hours on both days. Plan to carry 25-35 lbs over uneven terrain.
Highlights
This overnight trip is your perfect introduction to backpacking in Alaska. Use the trip to test gear, perfect your packing skills and learn from local guides.
You’ll be involved in everything from route planning to wilderness medicine. We’ll share our risk mitigation plan with you to be able to use on future trips in Alaska and beyond.
What's included
- Local guides with Wilderness First Responder training
- All meals and snacks in the backcountry, let us know of any dietary allergies/restrictions
- Camp stove, cookware and utensils
- Water filtration system + backup purification method
- GPS and emergency communication device
- Basic first aid kit
- Bear resistant food containers or bags
- Trekking poles (as needed)
- Camp tarp (as needed)
- Backcountry toilet kit including:
- Shovel (cat holes should be 6”-8” deep)
- Toilet paper
- Pack out bags
- Hand sanitizer and biodegradable soap
What to bring
- Comfortable, worn in hiking boots
- Comfortable attire (long hiking pants and a breathable shirt). No cotton or denim if possible, as it gets very heavy and cold when wet.
- 45-60 liter backpack (we have gear available for rent if needed)
- Additional layers (hat, liner gloves, light jacket)
- Rain gear - If you have it, carrying both rain pants and a rain jacket is recommended
- Water (1-2 liters recommended)
- Light snacks
Cancellation
Operated by