Northern Epics: Survivalist 4-hour Walking Tour-Easy to Moderate 

What comes to mind when you think of Alaska? Is it gift shops, boardwalks, and buses? Commercialized tours where you’re driven along like cattle? Or is it the rugged mountains, rugged people, and independent survivalists?

If you answered yes to the last question, you’re just like me. Sadly, most travelers settle for the first two options. I want to give you something better. Something more authentic. I want to take you off the beaten path of Denali. And I mean that literally. Our survival tours are entirely off-trail. That means you get the REAL Denali experience.

Now it’s time to transport yourself to Denali. Feel the peat moss squish down under your feet. You’re walking on a lush green cloud. In some places, you sink down nearly a foot with every step. As you stare in wonder at the unfamiliar forest around you, your guide hands you a wild berry. You taste it. It’s good! It tastes exactly like banana cream. Your guide tells you it’s a cloudberry, and teaches you how to identify it.

By the end of the tour, you know how to identify dozens of edible plants and berries. For the rest of your Alaska trip, you have a wilderness buffet everywhere you go. When you’re on hikes, people ask you how you know what’s edible. They’re impressed by your knowledge, and want you to teach them too. But it doesn’t end there! Your guide walks through the forest with you until they reach a suitable place to stop. This is where your tour gets really special. You sit down in the lush moss. It absorbs you. Your expert guide gives you a passionate lesson on authentic Alaskan survival skills. You learn how the indigenous Athabaskans refrigerated their food. You learn how to build a shelter that will keep you warm, even in the harsh climate of Denali.

Your guide tells you stories of the many survivalists who have come to Denali. You hear about Chris McCandless, who met his unfortunate end just miles away from where you sit.  This tour does not operate within National Park boundaries. It’s not a simple stroll down a trail. It’s an off-trail adventure. It’s designed to give you the most authentic Alaskan experience possible. The National Park Service won’t let us guide off-trail inside Denali National Park, so we don’t. We guide just outside. It’s the same beautiful mountain range. The same plants. The same animals. The same delicious berries. The only difference is what lengths we’re allowed to go to in order to give you the tour of your life.

By the time you’re done with your tour, you’re a different traveler. When you look at the forest, you see more than trees. You see where the permafrost is lower. You recognize moose signs. At a glance, you pick out the best places to build a shelter. You spot game trails, and think about what animal might have made them. You’re no longer observing Denali. You’re experiencing it!

Detail:  4-Hour Walk / Family Friendly / 5 years & up / Easy to Moderate