Backpacking
Backpacking
All Levels – Custom
Talkeetna Mountains
Chugach Mountains
Gates of the Arctic NP
Max 8 students: 2 instructors
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
All Levels – Custom
Talkeetna Mountains
Chugach Mountains
Gates of the Arctic NP
Max 8 students: 2 instructors
Contact AMS for more details
Schedule
Talkeetna Mountains – Northern Alpine Traverse
Maximum: 6 hikers, 2 guides
$4,600, 8 days
July 13-20, 2025
Talkeetna Mountains – Bomber Traverse
Maximum: 6 hikers, 2 guides
$3,200, 4 days
July 5-8, 2025
Custom
4-21 Days, July-August
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
All Levels – Custom
Talkeetna Mountains
Chugach Mountains
Gates of the Arctic NP
Max 8 students: 2 instructors
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.
All Levels – Custom
Talkeetna Mountains
Chugach Mountains
Gates of the Arctic NP
Max 8 students: 2 instructors
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
- possess a positive attitude and a desire to learn
- be willing to work hard, have an open mind,
- be a team member
