Kongakut River Brooks Range, Alaska Too-loo-uk River Guides

Wilderness River Trips

ARCTIC NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
Eastern Brooks Range

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is one of the nation’s largest undeveloped natural areas. The rugged and spectacular Brooks Range dominates the heart of this scenic and pristine arctic and sub-arctic ecosystem, its treeless slopes and ridges offering superb hiking and unobscured wildlife viewing opportunities. To the north, the coastal plain, a rolling tundra covered plateau, extends from the mountains of the Brooks Range to the Beaufort Sea.

A rich diversity of wildlife is found on the refuge. The Porcupine Caribou herd migrates from wintering grounds south of the Brooks Range to calve on the coastal tundra from late May to mid June. Grizzly bears, wolves, dall sheep, wolverine, arctic fox and moose reside here, Musk oxen roam the coastal tundra and lower river bars while polar bear den on the coastal plain in the winter, returning to the ice pack with their young in the spring. Nearly 140 species of birds from 4 continents breed in The Refuge.

10 days/9 nights
June 12-21
$4200 per person

8 days/7 nights, fishing focused
Aug 7-14
$4000 per person

Kongakut River

The Kongakut River originates high in the peaks of the eastern Brooks Range and is entirely contaianed within the wilderness designated portion of The Refuge. It runs clear and pristine north through rugged mountains and sheep strewn bluffs before joining the waters of the Beaufort Sea. At the gates of the mountains lies Caribou Pass, a major migration route of the Porcupine Caribou Herd. Our early June trip hopes to cross paths with some of this herd and if we’re lucky we could see caribou stretched out in the thousands during their annual post caving aggregation. Fishing along the river’s course is excellent for arctic grayling and arctic char and the hiking opportunitiesare unsurpassed.

We’ll take several lay over days along the way for hiking and exploring as we travel down river in paddle rafts.

We’ll encounter a few small rapids and a short class II canyon along the way and ultimately take out within a short hikes breathtaking view of the coastal plain stretching out to the Arctic Ocean.

Our June 10 day trip is timed for optimal opportunities to view the migration of the Porcupine Caribou Herd.

Our fishing focused trip is timed to take advantage of the excellent Arctic Char fishing in August as these Ocean fish swim up river in late summer. The plentiful clear pools of the beautiful Kongakut River offer superb Char and grayling fishing in a remote and wild Arctic environment. We'll have plently of time for paddling and fishing on this 8 day late summer float trip.

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