Too-loó-uk - River Guides.
Copyright © 2000-2007. All rights reserved.

P.O. Box 106,
Denali National Park, Alaska 99755,
Phone/Fax 1.907.683.1542

E-mail tooloouk@hotmail.com

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.

  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 opportunities are 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.

Marsh Fork Canning River

The Canning River and its western tributary the Marsh Fork flow north to the Arctic Ocean from the high peaks of the central Brooks Range along the western boundary of The Refuge. The clear emerald waters of the Marsh Fork cut through beautiful limestone canyons and traverse rugged mountain peaks, sheep covered ridges and numerous ice shelves (aufeis). Rock strewn stretches of river offer fun white water paddling while the treeless valleys and ridges offer fairy tale like hiking opportunities. Caribou, arctic fox, moose, wolves, Bear and Musk oxen reside here as well as over 80 species of birds, including numerous nesting birds of prey.

The Marsh Fork of the Canning has been described by some as the most beautiful of The Refuge rivers with sweet wildflower strewn hikes and craggy peaks. We’ll paddle raft about 50 miles and run numerous class II rapids and shallow braided channels on both the Marsh and Main Forks and lay over several days along the way for extensive hiking and exploring. Fishing for arctic grayling and arctic char is excellent in the clear waters of both forks.

All Refuge trips start and end in Fairbanks Alaska and include several flights by small commercial air service and bush planes.

Back to Wilderness River Trips page.