 |
|||
|
 |
Western Brooks Range/ Gates of the Arctic/NPR-A The Killik River originates high in the peaks of the western Brooks Range just north of the Arctic’s continental divide in the northwest corner of Gates of the Arctic National Park. This remote and wild river flows a varied course on its way north through valleys of jagged ridges, white sand dunes, deep blue lakes and age old glacial moraines before joining the mighty Colville River. The open treeless glacial valleys of the Killik serve as migration corridors for the nearly 500,000 strong Western Arctic caribou herd just as they did for the early hunters and traders, the Inuits and Athabaskans, of the Western Brooks Range over 1200 years ago. Evidence of these semi nomadic people can be seen in the form of pit houses and stone “inukshuks” scattered throughout the region. But it is the caribou that define this vast wilderness and signs of their sheer numbers are written in the crisscrossing trails that cover the open slopes and high passes and the antlers that dot the tundra. And though many Wolves, Barren Ground Grizzlies, other predators and a myriad of water fowl and birds of prey also reside here, this is clearly the land of the Caribou and a hauntingly primordial wilderness about as far from the hustle and bustle of civilization as you can get. We’ll fly from Fairbanks via small commercial plane to rendezvous with our bush plane that will take us to the upper reaches of the Killik River. We’ll paddle raft about 105 miles to the confluence of the Colville River, navigating gently meandering stretches as well as class II rapids and swift braided channels and taking plenty of lay over days for hiking and exploring along the way. This trip starts and ends in Faribanks, Alaska and includes several flights by both small commercial air service and bush plane. Back to Wilderness River Trips page. |
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Alaska River Rafting | Wilderness & Wildlife River Trips | Brochure | River Safety
Schedule | About Too-loo-uk Alaska River Guides | Contact Too-loo-uk River Guides
Kongakut River | Talkeetna River | Chitina River | Copper River |
Canning River | Killik | Tana/Chitina Rivers | Tana/Chitina/Copper Rivers| Chickaloon River