Backpacking
Backpacking
Talkeetna Mountains
4 days
6 hikers, 2 guides
$3,100
8-Day Backpacking
6 hikers, 2 guides
$4,600
14-Day Backpacking
6 hikers, 2 guides
$5,600
All Levels – Custom
Contact AMS for more details
Backpacking is an unforgettable way to experience Alaska’s vast and pristine tundra, whether you want to take photos, learn about plants and wildlife, or simply enjoy big skies and deep quiet. The Talkeetna Mountain Range is home to moose, caribou, Dall sheep, wolf, coyote, fox, wolverine, ermine, otter, porcupines, black and grizzly bear, ptarmigan, owl, ducks, loons, Canadian geese, swans and eagles. Backpackers will always keep a keen eye open to see these animals throughout the course. The AMS curriculum emphasizes essential wilderness skills to allow you to be safe and comfortable in a backcountry setting: tent setup, stove use, cooking, safe camping in bear country, basic knots, map and compass use, and first aid. Those with little to no backpacking or camping experience benefit from instruction on hiking techniques, camping skills, and map use. Natural history enthusiasts benefit from discussions on plant identification, animal sightings, and the human history of the region. Experienced backpackers will enjoy our flexible schedule, as well as options to add more mileage, challenging terrain, and peak ascents to the itinerary. There is something in this course for anyone who enjoys being outdoors and immersed in the untamed beauty of the true Alaskan wilderness.
All of our backpacking courses are customized to accommodate and build upon whatever backpacking and camping experience you already have. AMS instructors introduce you to the unique tundra ecosystem underfoot, teaching essential wilderness skills to achieve safety and comfort in the backcountry.
“I had no previous camping experience and now feel as though I’d be ready for a trip without a guide. I liked the true sense of adventure, of working for the experience, of testing myself.” — Peter Freer
Features
- Excellent scenic opportunities
- Learning basic backpacking and camping skills
- Traveling and camping safely in bear country
- Leave No Trace camping and traveling techniques
- Wildlife viewing
- Understanding the ecosystem, identifying flora and fauna
- Optional peak ascent
- Elevations to 3,000 to 5,000 feet (900-1,500m)
- 1 : 5 instructor/student ratio
- River crossing techniques
- Traveling and camping in bear country
- Expedition skills: leadership, expedition behavior, trip planning
Talkeetna Mountains
4 days
6 hikers, 2 guides
$3,100
8-Day Backpacking
6 hikers, 2 guides
$4,600
14-Day Backpacking
6 hikers, 2 guides
$5,600
All Levels – Custom
Contact AMS for more details
Schedule
Talkeetna Mountains Backpacking
4-Days
Maximum: 6 hikers, 2 guides
$3,100
July 5-8, 2026
8-Days
Maximum: 6 hikers, 2 guides
$4,600
July 12-19, 2026
14-Days
Maximum: 6 hikers, 2 guides
$5,600
July 10-23, 2026
Custom
4-21 Days, July-August
Talkeetna Mountains
Chugach Mountains
Gates of the Arctic NP
Max 8 students: 2 instructors
Contact us about custom options
What's Included
- Professional Mountain Guide(s) and instruction
- Round-trip van transportation to trailhead
- All meals and snack foods in the mountains
- All group camping and hiking equipment: tents, anchors, portable bear-resistant food containment, bear spray, and air horns
- Kitchen equipment: community kitchen tent, cooking stoves, utensils, and fuel
- Mountain communications: emergency-use satellite phone, FRS on-mountain radios, Delorme inReach
- Maps, GPS
- Medical protocols, first aid, medication, and repair kits
- Fully equipped staging area at AMS HQ and AMS Mountain Gear Shop in Talkeetna
- 24/7 support from staff at AMS in Talkeetna during your course
- Social media updates during your course
- Luggage storage during your course
- Welcome back table with fresh foods and drinks after your course
- Knowledgeable staff to assist with lodging and shuttle logistics, both before and after your course
Talkeetna Mountains
4 days
6 hikers, 2 guides
$3,100
8-Day Backpacking
6 hikers, 2 guides
$4,600
14-Day Backpacking
6 hikers, 2 guides
$5,600
All Levels – Custom
Contact AMS for more details
Sample Itinerary: Sheep Back Lake
Day 1
Gear checks in town, lunch, fly to Sheep Back Lake. Establish a campsite near the lake and go for a short hike and get familiarized with the area. Classes on wild animal and bear awareness, bear spray use, campsite selection, tent setup, sleeping warm and dry, and camp hygiene.
Day 2
Wake up, cook breakfast and pack up camp with for a day of hiking for 5 miles on trail-less terrain. Camp on tundra among granite spires. Classes on natural history, glaciology, bird and plant identification.
Day 3
Wake up, cook breakfast and pack up camp with for a day of hiking for 5 miles on trail-less terrain along a glacier. Terrain is strenuous: loose rocky and trundra. Camp near alpine lake on tundra. Classes on navigation, map and GPS use, glacier hazard recognition, movement over multiple types of terrain,
stream and river crossing.
Day 4
Wake up, cook breakfast and pack up camp for a 4 mile hike to return to Backside Lake for a mid afternoon pick up. Hiking on trail – less tundra. Classes on efficient packing and movement technique, planning a backpacking expedition, gear care and maintenance.
Talkeetna Mountains
4 days
6 hikers, 2 guides
$3,100
8-Day Backpacking
6 hikers, 2 guides
$4,600
14-Day Backpacking
6 hikers, 2 guides
$5,600
All Levels – Custom
Contact AMS for more details
The Wilderness Hike and Trek are introductory wilderness courses with the following prerequisites for each participant:
- arrive in good physical condition
- be prepared to carry a backpack weighing 30 to 40 pounds
- possess a positive attitude and a desire to learn
- be willing to work hard, have an open mind,
- be a team member
Glacier Trek
Glacier Trek
Beginner/Intermediate
Glacier Trek via Ski Plane into Denali National Park
2–6 people
1-3 days
Call for pricing
Big mountains. Snow-covered glaciers. Wilderness. Blue ice crevasses.
Spending time in the heart of the huge glaciated mountains within Denali National Park and Preserve is an unforgettable experience. Glacier treks are a remarkable way for adventure travelers, families, or artists to live on the glacier and experience authentic mountain life in Alaska’s vast wilderness. We begin in Talkeetna with a stunning glacier flight, then land on a snow-covered glacier in the heart of Denali National Park. We unpack the plane and set up our new tent-home on the snow. AMS guides will teach you travel and safety protocols and basic mountaineering skills. Then, harnessed and roped together with your guide, you will make short forays on snowshoes or skis to experience some of the most spectacular vistas in the world. Some of our favorite Alaska Range areas for treks include: Ruth Glacier, Little Switzerland, Kahiltna Glacier, and Eldridge Glacier.
Beginner/Intermediate
Glacier Trek via Ski Plane into Denali National Park
2–6 people
1-3 days
Call for pricing
Schedule
Contact us about custom options for your Glacier Trek course.
What's Included
- Professional mountain guide(s)
- Personal warm outer-layer clothing: parka and insulated overpants
- Personal glacier travel gear: insulated mountaineering boots, harness, crampons, snowshoes, ice axe, ropes and carabiners
- Personal winter sleeping equipment: warm sleeping bags, insulated sleeping pads, tents
- Round-trip glacier flight
- All meals and snack foods during your trek
- All group camping and climbing equipment: ropes, tents, pickets, technical climbing gear, snow saws, wands
- Snow kitchen equipment: community kitchen tent, cooking stoves, utensils, and fuel
- Mountain communications: Emergency-use satellite phone, FRS on-mountain radios, Delorme in-Reach
- Maps, GPS
- Medical protocols, first aid, medication, and repair kits
- Fully equipped staging area at AMS HQ and AMS Mountain Shop in Talkeetna
- 24/7 support from staff at AMS in Talkeetna during your climb
- Pre-trek assistance with travel planning and training advice
- Luggage storage during your trek
- Welcome back table with fresh foods and drinks after your trek
- Staff assistance with lodging and shuttle logistics
Beginner/Intermediate
Glacier Trek via Ski Plane into Denali National Park
2–6 people
1-3 days
Call for pricing
This is a sample Denali National Park Glacier Trek itinerary. Actual day-to-day activities of any trek vary depending on trek location, weather, and snow conditions.
1-Day Trek
8:00 a.m.: Meet at AMS in Talkeetna with your instructors, muffins/tea/coffee provided, trek orientation, individual gear check, pack snacks from AMS food room, final pack-up and dress for the mountains and glacier flight.
9:30 a.m.: Drive to local air taxi for glacier flight.
10:30 a.m.: Arrive on the glacier, guides provide: glaciology class, equipment orientation and safety review, rope up for glacier travel and snowshoe or ski on the glacier to a vista point and lunch. Explore the terrain and choose from activities such as: building snow shelters, crevasse exploration, building snow anchors, sledding, snowball fights, camping and cooking class, and more.
6:00 p.m.: Ski plane meets us on the glacier for pickup.
6:45 p.m.: Return to Talkeetna and AMS to return equipment, say farewell.
2-Day Trek
Day 1
Meet 8:00 a.m. at AMS with your instructors. Muffins/tea/coffee provided. Trek orientation, individual gear check, and pack snacks from AMS food room. Final pack-up and dress for the mountains and glacier flight.
9:30am: Drive to local NPS ranger station to register for our overnight and air taxi for glacier flight.
10:45 a.m.: Arrive on the glacier. Glaciology class, equipment orientation and safety review, tent camp and kitchen set-up on the snow. After lunch, we rope up for glacier travel and snowshoe or ski on the glacier to a vista point and have hot drinks and snacks. Explore the terrain and return to camp, where guides have prepared a tasty dinner. Classes: sleeping warm, camping in the snow, cold-weather living, hygiene, the environment and natural history. Enjoy the evening around the snow table with unforgettable alpenglow and the sounds of nature.
Day 2
Morning wake-up and hot breakfast. Full day of activity: travel further into the mountains adding more miles on the glacier, downhill skiing, building snow shelters, crevasse exploration, building snow anchors, sledding, snowball fights, camping and cooking class, crevasse rescue classes, rappelling, ice climbing, moderate peak ascent.
4:30 p.m.: Return to camp and pack up our camp and gear to meet our return flight back to Talkeetna.
5:30 p.m.: Ski plane meets us on the glacier for pickup.
6:15 p.m.: Return to Talkeetna and AMS to return equipment, say farewell.
3-Day Trek
Day 1
8:00 a.m.: Meet at AMS in Talkeetna with your instructors. Muffins/tea/coffee provided. Trek orientation, individual gear check, and pack snacks from AMS food room. Final pack-up and dress for the mountains and glacier flight.
9:30 a.m.: Drive to local NPS ranger station to register for our overnight and air taxi for glacier flight.
10:45 a.m.: Arrive on the glacier. Glaciology class, equipment orientation and safety review, set up our tent camp and kitchen on the snow. After lunch, we rope up for glacier travel and snowshoe or ski on the glacier to a vista point and have hot drinks and snacks. Explore the terrain and return to camp, guides prepare a tasty dinner. Classes: sleeping warm, camping in the snow, cold-weather living, hygiene, the environment and natural history. Enjoy the evening around the snow table with unforgettable alpenglow and the sounds of nature.
Day 2
Morning wake-up and hot breakfast. Full day of activity: moving camp, travel further into the mountains adding more miles on the glacier, picnic lunch, downhill skiing, building snow shelters, crevasse exploration, building snow anchors, sledding, snowball fights, camping and cooking class, crevasse rescue classes, rappelling, ice climbing, moderate peak ascent and more. Early evening travel back to camp, guides prepare a tasty dinner. Classes: Denali National Park and Preserve, climbing history, snow science. Enjoy another beautiful evening in nature around the snow table.
Day 3
Morning wake-up and hot breakfast. Full day of activity: moving camp, travel further into the mountains adding more miles on the glacier, downhill skiing, building snow shelters, crevasse exploration, building snow anchors, sledding, snowball fights, camping and cooking class, crevasse rescue classes, rappelling, ice climbing, moderate peak ascent.
4:30 p.m.: Return to camp and pack up camp and gear to meet our return flight back to Talkeetna.
5:30 p.m.: Ski plane meets us on the glacier for pickup.
6:15 p.m.: Return to Talkeetna and AMS to return equipment, say farewell.
Beginner/Intermediate
Glacier Trek via Ski Plane into Denali National Park
2–6 people
1-3 days
Call for pricing
No prior camping or climbing experience is necessary.
The difficulty of Glacier treks will be customized according to your individual and the group’s abilities and goals. All participants are expected to be healthy, with good physical fitness and comfort in remote wilderness areas.
Please note: This is wilderness camping, so there is no running water or public toilet. All specialty equipment is provided.
Beginner/Intermediate
Glacier Trek via Ski Plane into Denali National Park
2–6 people
1-3 days
Call for pricing
My life goal is not to climb the Seven Summits, but rather to set foot within all 397 units of America’s National Park System. One of them Denali National Preserve, is particularly remote and difficult to access, but AMS got me there! A spectacular landing on the seldom visited Dall Glacier and two magnificent nights spent on the ice, encircled by grandeur. Thank you AMS!
— Chris Calvert, 3-Day Glacier Trek
Glacier trekking at Ruth Glacier was amazing. It’s tied as number one with scuba diving with sharks at Sharks Hole, Tahiti in my most amazing experiences list. The views were magnificent, the weather was crystal clear and warm, only the sound of melting snow. I encourage everyone to experience such natural beauty.
—Mary Erginsoy, 2-day Trek
I can’t believe how lucky I was to find Colby and AMS while sitting at my desk in Chicago. We’ve been on three backcountry ski trips with Colby and each one is better than the previous one. We’ll be back!
—Tom Prusinski, 3-Day Trek(s)
AMS customized a trip for us to enjoy the AK Range. The office staff took specific care to answer our endless questions and provided us with the perfect guide: Leighan. I highly recommend AMS.
—Katie Rice, 3-Day Trek
Denali Prep Course
Denali Prep Course
The course goal is to prepare each participant to be a responsible, organized, and competent climber and team member for a future West Buttress expedition. In many ways, this course mirrors a Denali climb: It is outfitted the same, flies to the same landing strip, and shares the lower portion of the West Buttress route. This snow ridge is relatively straightforward, but there are many route-finding objectives to take into consideration. Slopes need constant avalanche hazard evaluation, crevasses break into the ridge, and moderately steep slopes must be navigated to get onto the ridge. We will ferry loads throughout the trip in true expedition style, all the while becoming better mountaineers. If you’re looking for a longer course with a more thorough avalanche and technical climbing curriculum, check out our 12-Day Mountaineering Course.
Features
- Mountaineering skills progression specific for the West Buttress climber
- Crevasse rescue, roped glacier travel, and moving camp
- Snow camping: walls, igloos
- Glacier camping, winter survival skills
- Leadership and Expedition Behavior skills: fundamental tools for a successful expedition
- Team skills: leadership, expedition planning, and group dynamics
- First aid classes: frostbite, hypothermia, altitude-related illnesses
- Travel on the glacier with snowshoes
Schedule
May 20 – 29, 2026
What's Included
- Professional instructors
- Round Trip Glacier Flight
- All food during your course and team lunch at AMS HQ on day 1
- All group camping and climbing equipment: ropes, tents, pickets, technical climbing gear, snow saws, wands
- Sled for each student, pre-rigged for roped glacier travel
- Snow Kitchen Equipment: community kitchen tent, cooking stoves, utensils, and fuel
- Mountain communications: emergency use satellite phone, FRS on-mountain radios, Delorme In-Reach
- Maps, GPS
- Medical Protocols, first aid, medication and repair kits
- Fully equipped staging area at AMS HQ and AMS Mountain Gear shop in Talkeetna.
- 24/7 support staff at AMS in Talkeetna during your course
- Regular social media updates during your climb
- Pre-course assistance with travel planning and training advice
- Post-course lodging and shuttle logistics
- Luggage Storage and free parking during your expedition
- Post-climb welcome back table with fresh fruit and drinks
- Knowledgeable staff to assist with lodging and shuttle logistics
This expedition starts at Denali’s West Buttress Base Camp (7200′) on the Kahiltna Glacier. The expedition follows the West Buttress route until approximately 10,000′ and then veers west for the summit of the Kahiltna Dome. Weather and snow conditions will ultimately determine our progression, so our style on the mountain is flexible and will fluctuate on a 24 hour basis. Additionally, the abilities, condition, and desires of the expedition members play an important role in realizing any itinerary.
The Denali Prep course day-to-day itinerary is designed to get the most out of an introduction to Alaska mountaineering. Your instructors teach wilderness, leadership, and technical climbing skills in a progression that develops competent and self-reliant climbers. By course end, you will have learned to identify and manage hazards and have increased your technical knowledge in all aspects of glacier and alpine climbing.
Instructor Briefing and Packing Days
Your instructors dedicate two days before the start date to prepare by briefing, checking equipment, and packing food. Stoves are fired up, tents are set up, radios are checked, and ropes are inspected. We adhere to the motto, “Prior planning prevents p*** poor performance.”
This itinerary should be considered a rough guide:
Day 1
8:00 am: Meet at AMS for course orientation and overview of the day. Check equipment and issue gear. Pack lunches. Calculate weights. This is a busy day, so please be on time. 12:00 pm: Lunch provided at AMS. Lasagna and salad. 1:00 pm: Learn intro to fixed line ascension at AMS’ crevasse rescue facility. Classes: Knots, use of waist and chest harness and helmet, ascending techniques, and releasing the backpack. 4:00 pm: Load van. 3-minute drive to ranger station and airport. Organize loads for fixed-wing flights. 4:30 pm: Fly onto the glacier. Reorganize loads for glacier travel. After a snowshoe-use orientation, rope up and travel a short distance and establish camp: probe and wand the perimeter, build walls, make sleeping platforms, set up group kitchen, establish the bathroom. 6:00 pm: Make dinner; students learn camp cooking. Practice: Site selection, tent spacing, shovel and snow saw use, wall building, tent pitching, hygiene and sanitation, group kitchen basics, stove use and care, cooking basics, bomb proofing the camp, staying warm at night. Evening discussion: Course Goals.
Day 2
9:00 am–12:00 pm: Practice: more knots, rope identification and care, rope handling and coiling, snow protection and anchor systems, and belaying. Incorporate load-cell to accurately measure forces when testing anchors. 1:00 pm–6:00 pm: Discuss: roping up for glacier travel, rope travel techniques, simple crevasse fall scenarios, transferring a load, snow climbing techniques, use of ice axe, self-arrest. Head out of camp for glacier travel. Evening discussion: Leadership.
Day 3
9:00 am–5:00 pm: Meet with daypacks ready for a full day away from camp. Students organize themselves into rope teams. Group heads to crevasse for self-rescue practice: the site is secured, and anchors are built for lowering and raising systems. Practice: Lowering systems, raising systems, crevasse fall scenarios. Evening discussion: Expedition Behavior (EB).
Day 4
Pack up camp and move to 7,800 ft, Camp 2, at the base of Ski Hill; distance: 5 miles, elevation gain: 600 ft. Practice: Breaking down camp, caches, sled rigging, navigation techniques, choosing a safe camp, building a latrine. Evening discussion: Altitude-related Illnesses and Cold Injuries.
Day 5
Carry to 10,500’, probe out area, and cache supplies. Return to camp; student led rope teams. Evening discussion: Meteorology, Forecasting, Geology and Glaciology of Denali National Park and Preserve.
Day 6
Move to 10,500 ft and build Camp 3. Student led rope teams. Discuss: Quarries and Building Walls.
Day 7
Classes all day from camp. Practice snow climbing, crampon use, self-arrest, running protection, fixed lines.
Day 8
Summit day, 12,525 ft.
Day 9
Move back to Camp 2, 7800’. Student led rope teams. Evening discussion: Expedition planning.
Day 10
Alpine start, pack up and move back to airstrip. Student led rope teams. Fly back to Talkeetna, enjoy green grass and welcome back fruit platter, de-issue equipment, graduation ceremony.
This course requires excellent mental and physical condition. You must be able to carry a 40-50lb pack while pulling a 30-40 pound sled for 5 hours with breaks, and be comfortable living and tent camping in a remote mountain environment without road access. This course requires having a basic understanding of the material covered in the Illustrated Guide to Crevasse Rescue which will be sent to you upon enrollment.
Well organized, great guides, wonderful scenery. This is a course everyone should take before attempting a Denali summit trip. —Tom Egan
I was the oldest member of the team at age 61. The guides were super and spent a little extra time ensuring that I was learning and having fun at the same time. Highly recommend AMS.—Jerry Chabino
Whether responding to questions, selling gear or training me for increasing mountaineering skills, they are friendly organized and very professional. I am very satisfied with AMS and highly recommend them for Alaska Mountain Guides.—Taka Watanabe
It is rare when you’re finding lessons fun and with people you’d enjoy taking out for a beer. I never thought I’d wish for a storm day to stretch out the trip a few more days to hang out and climb more. Thanks.—Tery Wong
I can’t imagine a better guide service. The skills taught will last a lifetime. The trip planning, logistics, food, equipment, guides were first rate.—Richard Silber
If your climbing schedule takes you to Alaska, AMS offer the best in class experience. The Alaska Experts!—Pat Loftus
