We like to keep all of our trips flexible so we can customize each one to the interests of the group. Activities may vary due to group desires or weather.

Day before the trip: Arrive in Haines, Alaska. Please make reservations at the Halsingland Hotel in Haines. That evening we will get together to distribute gear and answer any last minute questions.

Day 1: Drive about three hours north, into British Columbia and then the Yukon. We’ll have lunch and rig the boats at Dalton Post, an abandoned trading station on the banks of the river. After lunch we’ll begin our float. Soon we will enter a narrow canyon for a series of class III and IV rapids.

Day 2-7: During the next few days the mountains will continue to grow around us. We will pass large gravel deltas created by glacial streams. The river will grow dramatically in size as these major tributaries add their water to the Tat. We will stay in the same camp for two nights on one or two occasions to do full day hikes at Sediments Creek, the Nose, or the Stairway to Heaven. On about the 6th day we will join the Alsek and the river will double in size.

Day 8: We will camp in the vicinity of Walker Glacier and take the opportunity to walk on this massive river of ice.

Day 9: Today we float past the Novatak Glacier, one of the largest along the river. In the afternoon we will reach Alsek Lake and camp on its shore.

Day 10: We’ll spend today paddling among the icebergs floating in the lake. We may paddle across to watch the glaciers calve. Our last night is spent near the outlet of the lake, where icebergs can be heard rolling and crashing.

Day 11: Today will be an early start and a nice float to Dry Bay. You will fly to Yakutat in mid-afternoon and catch the 6PM Alaska Airlines flight to Juneau where you will spend the evening.

General Information

Tatshenshini Logistics
The Tatshenshini River Trip begins in Haines, Alaska ands ends in Yakutat, Alaska. You fly commercially to Juneau, Alaska and take either Wing of Alaska 1-907-789-0790 or LAB Flying Service 1-907-766-2222 from Juneau to Haines.

After the trip, we fly you to Yakutat, Alaska, where you will catch your commercial flight from Yakutat to Juneau (only one a day in the evening) with Alaska Airlines. You will need to spend the evening in Juneau and continue your trip home the next morning. Your luggage you left behind in Haines will be flown to Juneau and taken to your hotel for you to pick up.

Included in the cost is transportation from Haines to the river, a flight from Dry Bay to Yakutat, Alaska at the end of the trip, meals beginning with lunch on the first day and ending with lunch on the last day, dry bags for your personal gear, and use of our sleeping bags, pads, and tents (you are also welcome to bring your own gear and receive a $75 discount).

Not Included in the cost is travel from your originating city to Juneau, air travel from Juneau to Haines, air travel from Yakutat to Juneau or guide gratuities.

Hotel: Please make your reservations at the Halsingland Hotel (1-800-542-6363) in Haines, AK for the evening before your trip, and at the Aspen Inn (1-888-559-9846) in Juneau for the evening your trip ends. If you wish to make other arrangements please give us a call and we will be happy to assist you.

Transportation

Air: Alaska Airlines runs several flights a day into Juneau. Alaska Coastal Airlines and LAB Flying Service run scheduled flights from Juneau to Haines. You should make a reservation on the 5-6PM Alaska Airlines flight from Yakutat to Juneau for the evening your trip ends (this flight is not included in the trip price).

Water: The Alaska Marine Highway runs a ferry from Bellingham, Washington up the inside passage to Haines (2-3 days), or you can fly to Juneau and take a half day ferry from Juneau to Haines. Or take one of the fast ferries.

Return to Tatshenshini Alsek River