Our Extraordinary, Life-Changing, 17-Day Trip to FIVE Alaska National Parks!

RIGHT OFF THE BAT, PLEASE KNOW: THIS TRIP ENDS ON AUGUST 6TH, not August 3rd (Meetup's website does not have the ability to extend a trip longer than 14 days).

Therefore, THIS TRIP BEGINS ON JULY 21st AND ENDS ON AUGUST 6th.

ALSO: It is not necessary to participate in the entire trip. It is possible to participate in selected segments of the trip. However, this possibility must be discussed in full with the trip participants and agreed to by Michelle Mozell who has the sole/unilateral right to make this decision.

***

As many of you are aware, eight years ago, I began a renewed journey to backpack again.

I began with Yosemite, then, every California National Park.

Then, the entire West.

This quickly morphed into my desire to backpack/kayak all sixty-three National Parks in the United States.

And, now, as of this writing, I have backpacked/kayaked/boat-camped/car-camped/visited all fifty-one US National Parks in the “Lower 48,” plus the National Parks of Hawai’i and the Virgin Islands*.

To do so, I designed and led twenty-four carefully-planned trips, most of which appeared right here on Meetup.

But, now, what's next?

The EIGHT ALASKA NATIONAL PARKS, of course.

To get this accomplished, I’ve planned THREE trips to backpack or kayak all eight parks.

Our FIRST trip is an extraordinary adventure to the first of Alaska's eight National Parks, Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve. On this fifteen-day expedition, we cruise via ferry for four days through the breathtaking Inside Passage, arriving in charming and quirky Juneau for a three-day exploration. Then, we'll venture into Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve, where we'll spend five days immersed in its raw, unspoiled, and unforgettable beauty. Included is an all-day catamaran tour to the base of the 250-foot, blue-hued Margerie and Grand Pacific Glaciers to witness icy monoliths calving into deep turquoise waters below. The highlight of the voyage is a guided three-day, two-night kayaking and tent-camping journey into Glacier Bay’s resplendent Beardslee Islands.

This is a fully awesome exploration of extraordinary Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve - a stunningly beautiful, wild and wonderful World Heritage site - that commences on May 29th and continues through June 12th.

Our THIRD trip, a trip to beautiful Lake Clark and bear-full Katmai National Parks in September, is designed and ready to post. Keep an eye out for this trip!

Our SECOND trip of the three is THIS one, "Our Extraordinary, Life-Changing, 17-Day Trip to FIVE Alaska National Parks," wherein I immerse you within the five breathtaking "central" Alaska National Parks:

Denali National Park & Preserve
Gates of the Arctic National Park & Preserve
Kenai Fjords National Park
Kobuk Valley National Park
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve

Therefore, today, I'm excited to invite you to join us in this SECOND of three extraordinary adventures to Alaska, our nation's magnificent "Last Frontier."

HERE IS OUR ITINERARY:

DAY ONE, July 21, 2025: Fly into Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. Arrive in Anchorage. Shuttle to our hotel (TBD). Check in. Meet up with trip participants. Dinner together. Evening at our hotel.

DAY TWO, July 22, 2025: Awaken very early. Breakfast together in our hotel. Shuttle to Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. Fly Alaska Airlines to Kotzebue. Arrive mid-morning at the Ralph Wien Memorial Airport. Check our luggage into our hotel (TBD) in Kotzebue. Explore Kotzebue. Visit the Northwest Arctic Heritage Center. Check into our hotel. Have dinner together in town. Evening at our hotel.

DAY THREE, July 23, 2025: Awaken early. Breakfast at the hotel. Uber/walk/shuttle to the Ralph Wien Memorial Airport. Board our Bering Air flight to the tiny Kowagniut Iñupiat Eskimo town of Ambler 45 miles north of the Arctic Circle. Shuttle to the Kobuk River Lodge along the banks of Alaska’s Kobuk River. Check in our luggage at the Lodge and prepare our backpacking/hiking gear. Board our boat for a guided trip into Kobuk Valley National Park and Preserve to our campsite at Paatitaaq-Onion Portage and the historic J. Louis Giddings Cabin. Set up camp (with our electric fence**). Explore the nearby Onion Portage Archeological District National Historic Landmark and the surrounding wilderness of vast tundra and rolling hills. Await in anticipation a potential witnessing of the great Caribou migration that passes through yearly. Settle down for dinner, then for an evening, under the extraordinary, billion-star Arctic skies.

DAY FOUR, July 24, 2025: Awaken early. Have breakfast deep in the Arctic wilderness. Explore the wild Arctic outback and the shores of the wild and chilly Kobuk River. Board our guided boat for our return trip back to our evening’s stay at the Kobuk River Lodge. Explore the area. Prepare dinner in our Lodge. Evening comfortably within our remote Arctic Lodge nestled warmly within the Alaskan outback.

DAY FIVE, July 25, 2025: Awaken early. Have breakfast deep in the Arctic wilderness. Explore more the wonders of the Kobuk River Valley. Have meals in our Lodge. Shuttle back to our airstrip in Ambler. Board our late afternoon Bering Air flight to Kotzebue hopscotching into the tiny, remote Iñupiat towns of Shungnak and Kobuk before reaching Ralph Wien Memorial Airport in Kotzebue. Board our plane back to Anchorage’s Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport via Alaska Airlines. Arrive Anchorage. Drive to our hotel (TBD). Dinner together at the hotel or in town. Evening at our hotel.

DAY SIX, July 26, 2025: Awaken early. Have breakfast at our hotel. Pick up our rental vehicle. Drive along the western coastline of the Kenai Peninsula having lunch along the way. Continue onward southwest to the quaint, yet funky, charmingly cutting-edge town of Homer. Check into our hotel (TBD). Explore town and find our dinner on a warm July Saturday evening. Make our way back to our hotel. Settle in for the night.

DAY SEVEN, July 27, 2025: Breakfast at the hotel. Drive to Kenai Fjords National Park’s Exit Glacier. Seek to secure an evening at Exit Glacier Campground. If not, we will find shelter in Seward. Explore the Exit Glacier Nature Center. Hike the Exit Glacier Trail to Exit Glacier. Have dinner together at Exit Glacier Campground or in Seward. Enjoy our evening in beautiful southern Alaska.

DAY EIGHT, July 28, 2025: Awaken and have breakfast. Shower. If at the campground, shower in Seward. Purchase cabin food and supplies in town. Pick up our marine radio and our satellite phone at our kayak rental store***. Drive to the south boat launch in Seward to board our chartered boat service to take us to our night’s stay at Holgate Cabin deep within the Holgate Arm of Aialik Bay (across from the magnificent Holgate Glacier). Along the way, our guide will treat us to a full three-hour tour of the stunning Kenai Fjords coastline in search of whales and sea lions and puffins. After setting up within our cabin, kayak*** along the shoreline of Holgate Arm to a small island at the base of the massive Holgate Glacier. Watch for whales and bears and puffins steering clear of calving ice sheets. Return to our cabin to walk the coastline listening for the sounds of untamed wildlife and the roar of glacial calving. Cook our dinner (inside our cabin) and enjoy our meal on our cabin’s deck. Then, enjoy our evening’s rest nestled warmly inside our cabin within the wild Alaskan coast.

DAY NINE, July 29, 2025: Awaken when we wish. Prepare and enjoy our breakfast on the deck of our cabin. Kayak*** along the shoreline searching for berries and bears. Board our chartered boat for out 2.5-hour trip to Seward. Shower in Seward. Drive northward via the beautiful Seward Highway back through Anchorage. Rent/buy crampons in Anchorage. Continue north along the famous Dalton Highway to our campground or our hotel (TBD) in Denali National Park. LOOK to see if Denali is visible through the clouds. (Here’s nearly everything you need to know about Denali National Park.) Have dinner in or near the park entrance or at our campsite. Stay the evening in our campground or our hotel within an eagle’s flight to the tallest mountain in North America.

DAY TEN, July 30, 2025: Arise early. Breakfast in our campground or at the hotel. Drive to the Backcountry Information Center in Denali National Park to secure our evening’s backcountry permit. Attend our mandatory Backcountry Orientation (or, better yet, watch all of the backcountry orientation videos before we leave for Alaska). Explore the Denali Visitor Center and the Murie Science and Learning Center. Hop onto a “Free Bus” at the Denali Bus Depot Parking area. Enjoy a leisurely bus ride to our Backcountry Unit drop-off. Backpack into the extraordinary Denali backcountry stopping where we find a perfect evening’s campsite. LOOK to see if Denali is visible through the clouds. Set up camp (within our electric fence**). Have dinner at our site. Spend the evening beneath the broad and beautiful endless Denali sky.

DAY ELEVEN, July 31, 2025: Awaken at any time. Have breakfast together. LOOK to see if Denali is visible through the clouds. Hike out to our trailhead at the park road. Take any bus back to our vehicle. Drive north on the Dalton Highway to our hotel (TBD) in Fairbanks. Check in. Explore Fairbanks. Have dinner together. Evening at our hotel.

***

NOTE: Our next adventure is a little difficult, though we have the full permission and confidence of the area’s federal rangers to do so. You may choose, therefore, to stay in Fairbanks and explore/relax until we return OR return home from here.

***

DAY TWELVE, August 1, 2025: Awaken early. Breakfast in the hotel. Pack our backpacks and drive north on the Dalton Highway to our entry point for Gates of the Arctic National Park. Park our vehicle safely. Backpack into the park and settle camp (within our electric fence**). Dinner near our campsite. Spend our evening in the near-Arctic wilderness far, far from civilization and from home.

DAY THIRTEEN, August 2, 2025: Awaken early. Breakfast near camp. Hike out to our vehicle. Drive south on the Dalton Highway to our hotel (TBD) in Fairbanks. Check in. Explore Fairbanks. Have dinner together. Evening at our hotel.

DAY FOURTEEN, August 3, 2025: Breakfast at hotel. Drive southeast along the Alaska Highway and Alaska Route 4 toward Wrangell-St. Elias National Park (WSE). Explore the WSE Visitor Center in Copper Center. Visit, if open, the Ahtna Cultural Center. Drive toward the old mining towns of Kennicott and McCarthy along the McCarthy Road. Check into our hotel/hostel (TBD, but this must be done soon!). Explore the area. Have dinner together. Evening at our hotel.

DAY FIFTEEN, August 4, 2025: Awaken early. Breakfast. Ready for backpacking. If in McCarthy, take the five-mile shuttle to Kennecott. Visit the Kennecott Visitor Center (the hub for the Kennecott Mines National Historic Landmark). When done, backpack up the Root Glacier/Erie Mine Trail to the end of the Root Glacier Trail storing our excess at the Jumbo Creek Bear Storage. Turn northwest onto the Root Glacier (with crampons affixed). Hike onto the glacier and set up camp for the night (within our electric fence, if safe to do so**). Have dinner together well before the sun sets. Watch the extraordinarily dark and beautiful Alaska night sky open above us.

DAY SIXTEEN, August 5, 2025: Awaken early and have breakfast. Hike back to Kennecott. Take the shuttle back to our vehicle. Drive the McCarthy Road and Alaska Routes 10/4/1 back to Anchorage. Return our crampons (if rented). Drive to hotel (TBD). Check in. Dinner together in town. Evening at our hotel.

DAY SEVENTEEN, August 6, 2025: Awaken early. Breakfast at the hotel. Drive to Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. Return our vehicle. Board your flight home remembering fondly a life-changing trip to the extraordinary Alaskan Arctic!

* Please read the "About Us" section on our "Backpackers of the American West" Meetup page for a fuller description of my National Park visits.

** We are considering the purchase of a portable electric fence to install each backcountry evening to deter bears.

*** Kayak rentals are expensive. We may decide NOT to rent kayaks.

PLEASE KEEP IN MIND:

1. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE, PLEASE PRESS THE “ATTEND” BUTTON BY 6/14/25, THEN: CALL ME AT 602-292-0753 TO DISCUSS.
2. Of course, you may call me at any time prior to pressing the "Attend" button and before 6/14/25 at 602 292-0753 to discuss the trip fully.
3. Please know that PRESSING THE "ATTEND" BUTTON DOES NOT GUARANTEE PARTICIPATION. ONLY A CONFIRMATION OF PARTICIPATION BY MICHELLE MOZELL. Therefore, for possible participation, you must first discuss this trip with Michelle Mozell at 602-292-0753.
4. It is not necessary to participate in the entire trip. It is possible to participate in selected segments of the trip. However, this possibility must be discussed in full with the trip participants and agreed to by Michelle Mozell who has the sole/unilateral right to make this decision.
5. The minimum of participants is FOUR; the maximum is SIX.
6. You are responsible for all individual transportation to, from, and within our scheduled itinerary AND any individual transportation you separately secure within our scheduled itinerary. NO individual transportation is provided. We will discuss this THOROUGHLY.
7. THIS WILL BE A VERY PRICEY TRIP. TOTAL COST TO YOU IS TBD. Many costs will be shared by participants equally. Many costs will be borne by each participant singly. As we progress, these costs will become known. Periodic payments/deposits based upon this progression will be required.
8. IMPORTANT: Due to this trip’s difficulty in securing certain essential reservations, as a confirmed participant on this trip, we each shall agree that, from time to time, some payments/deposits shall be required that are, by their very nature, non-refundable. These deposits shall be fully discussed in detail before each deposit is due.
9. For most evenings that do not include backpacking or camping, overnight accommodations have been pre-booked, but not yet paid for, including hotels, vacation rentals, and hostels. For some evenings, multiple bookings have been made to provide options. For a few evenings, as of this posting, accommodation choices are yet to be made. Pricing for these accommodations varies widely. Therefore, it is our desire to include all participants in the final booking process before confirming. It is also our desire to share, as equitably as possible, the cost of the confirmed overnight accommodations among our trip's participants.
10. NO meals are provided, except: meals at the Kobuk River Lodge and breakfast, if offered by the hotels. The hotels are, as of this posting, TBD. THEREFORE, YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL OTHER MEALS FOR THE ENTIRETY OF THE TRIP.
11. NO BACKCOUNTRY FOOD, WATER, SNACKS, OR SUPPLIES ARE PROVIDED. THEREFORE, BRING SUFFICIENT FOOD, WATER, EQUIPMENT, AND SUPPLIES FOR ALL BACKPACKING, HIKING, AND TOURING ADVENTURES.
12. There is NO INTERNET CONNECTION in most of Alaska, especially in the backcountry of the National Parks. Be prepared to be out of COMMUNICATION FOR MUCH OF THE TRIP. BRING A SATELLITE PHONE AND/OR A PERSONAL LOCATOR BEACON(PLB)/SATELLITE MESSENGER (such as a Garmin InReach or a SPOT).
13. NO “trip cancellation/interruption/travel insurance” or “emergency evacuation insurance” are provided. No health insurance is provided. YOU ARE STRONGLY ADVISED TO PURCHASE ALL INSURANCES, ESPECIALLY "EMERGENCY EVACUATION INSURANCE," THAT YOU DEEM NECESSARY AND APPROPRIATE BEFORE YOU GO. Call me to discuss!
14. All reservations are final confirmation dependent and may change at any time. THERE ARE NO GUARANTEES THAT ANY RESERVATION IS FULLY SECURE.
15. Bring your National Park Pass to enter the parks.
16. BRING YOUR PASSPORT and/or all other necessary forms of identification.
17. PARTICIPATION IN THIS MEETUP AFFIRMS THAT YOU HAVE READ, UNDERSTOOD, AND AGREED TO THE FULL LEGAL DISCLAIMER AND RELEASE OF LIABILITY on Meetup’s Backpackers of the American West's website: (see: Meetup's Backpackers of the American West Rules and Regulations).
18. MICHELLE MOZELL RESERVES THE SOLE/UNILATERAL RIGHT TO CANCEL, ALTER, OR MODIFY THE TRIP ITINERARY AS SHE DEEMS NECESSARY AT ANY TIME FOR ANY REASON WHATSOEVER.
19. Photo citation: "NPS Photo."