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Additional
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 Source to the Sea Home Page:
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Why Choose Destination Wilderness For Your Alaska
Adventure Holiday?
Destination Wilderness
offers an exceptionally well-crafted selection of Alaska wilderness rafting and
adventure travel trips, one of the most diverse and spectacular available.
These trips are run by our Alaska affiliate outfitter, Copper Oar. Copper Oar
is partially owned by and trips led in part by guides who worked for
Destination Wilderness when it operated trips in Alaska directly. From one-day
raft and flightsee tours to week long rafting journeys to two-week
multi-activity wilderness expeditions, Copper Oar outfits professionally-run,
home spun Alaska adventure holidays that are suitable for anyone seeking the
best of Last Frontier adventures. Consider all that we provide on this great
land:
Your Choice:
 It is Your Trip Not Ours.
We have been running Alaska adventure holiday trips for years and years and
believe that the best trip is the trip you desire. We provide a foundation of
safety and seamless logistics, and have a wealth of knowledge about Alaska.
From there we create the trip you want, adjusting our style to your wants and
needs rather than asking you to fit into our agenda.
A Variety of Trip Options.
With Destination Wilderness you can choose between a variety of Alaska
adventure holiday offerings including camp or camp/lodge combination trips. We
also offer a broad choice of trip lengths and types. And, we are happy to offer
custom charter trips to groups.
Your
Safety:
Guides That Live in Alaska. Destination Wilderness and Copper
Oar, one of the longest established outfitters operating in Alaska backcountry,
are both owned by Ken Streater. Copper Oar is located in McCarthy, Alaska, in
the heart of the largest national park in the U.S, and serves as the base for
all Destination Wilderness' Alaska trips. Guides that
work for Copper Oar and Destination Wilderness are primarily Alaska residents
who know the nuances of Alaska river running and long to share their experience
and passion for Alaska with you.
At Least Two Boats and Two Guides Per River Rafting Trip. On
all Alaska adventure holiday trips with rafting we always have at least two
licensed guides on the water. We believe that the safest possible trip starts
with appropriate staffing and that just one guide on the water is not as
effective as two or more. Therefore, we always have at least two boats and two
guides on each trip.
Full Safety Orientation and Gear. Before the river rafting
trip we provide a thorough safety and instructional presentation. We also
provide wetsuit paddle jackets as part of the safety ensemble needed to raft
Alaska rivers.
 Your
Comfort:
Smaller Group Size. Typically, our Alaska adventure trips are
limited to 12 guests plus guides. We have the ability to take more at select
times during the season, but we generally prefer to keep group sizes reasonable
in order to maximize your wilderness experience.
Personable Guest to Guide
Ratio. We run trips with one guide for every three to four guests, a ratio
that we feel enhances each guest's experience in terms of safety, comfort, and
good company!
Your Satisfaction:
We are confident you
will find your experience with Destination Wilderness to be exceptionally
rewarding!
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River Difficulty
The
Source to the Sea Expedition takes place three rivers. The Upper Nizina is
class III-, but is swift and remote. The NIzina Canyon, further downriver, is
class III. The Chitina is class I and II, and is a broad, braided river. The
Copper is a huge, big volume river with two sections of whitewater, the most
significant being Abercrombie rapids which we encounter on the next to the last
day. This river trip is suitable for first time rafters seeking moderately
challenging rivers in the middle of nowhere.
River Difficulty Scale:
Class I is flat water and Class VI is unrunnably difficult. Class II has
current with small waves and some obstacles.Class III rapids are fun and
thrilling, ideal for first-time and experienced rafters. Class IV whitewater is
great for experienced rafters and reasonable for fit first-timers who have had
some warm-up in class III. Class V is very difficult and for experienced river
rafters.
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Top
Trip
Outline
Meeting Time: Our shuttle driver will meet you in Valdez at the
Valdez airport at 7:30 a.m. on the first day of your trip. We then drive to the
hamlet of Chitina and launch just south of town. Please be sure to eat
breakfast before the rendezvous. We may also be able to pick you up your hotel
in Valdez. Please contact our office for details.
Our Source to the Sea
Expedition begins in Valdez, Alaska. They are fifteen days long and include
hiking, rafting, exploring glaciers and waterfalls, flightseeing, and wildlife,
in the heart of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. We spend all but one night
camped along the river. The trip ends near the charming coastal town of
Cordova. From there, you'll fly back to Anchorage or ferry to Valdez or
Whittier, depending on your preference.
Daily
Itinerary
Day One:
We meet you in Valdez at 7:30 a.m. From Valdez,
we travel by van approximately two hours to the town of Chitina, located on the
western fringe of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. We then fly to McCarthy,
where we transfer to a smaller plane for the short flight to the Nizina glacier
foot. Here, your guides meet you and prepare the first of many great dinners in
the midst of unmatched natural beauty. We camp here and prepare for to head
downriver the next day
 Day Two
Early in the
morning we head across Nizina Lake and begin the river trip. It is a
fascinating feeling to row across still water and then reach the point where
the water spills over the lake's lip shore on begins its trip to the sea. The
river moves swiftly in the upper reaches. We reach the point from where we hike
to the Chitistone Valley later this day or early on day three, after traveling
along the amazing upper Nizina. We camp along the Nizina this
night.
Days Three
and Four:
On these days we explore by foot the Chitistone area, where
glaciers have scoured deep and easy valleys that are ringed by jagged mountain
ridges. The views are forever and the hiking a pleasure. The hiking and sights
on this day are uniquely Alaska: plunging waterfalls, soft tundra underfooting,
bear, wolf, and moose tracks, and more are all encountered. After hiking each
day we return to the riverside camps. We also float through the Mile High
Cliffs area of the Nizina, where canyon walls tower thousands of feet above the
river. Waterfalls cascade into the Nizina as we marvel and the scale of this
purely Alaska phenomena. We camp on one night across the river from the Mile
High Cliffs.
Day
Five:
On this day we reach and camp in the Nizina Canyon, after
negotiating tricky and tight hairpin turn whitewater. We camp near where the
Nizina spills into the Chitina river, and drift to sleep with fresh memories of
the treasures of the Nizina. This and every night the light lasts until early
in the morning and quickly returns to announce another great
day.
Day
Six:
The topography changes significantly as we merge with and float the
Chitina, a broad, braided river. On the Chitina when skies are clear you can
see distant peaks that reach over three miles into the sky. The Chugach
mountains form the southern boundary and the Wrangells form the north as the
Chitina winds its way west. The Chitina is blessed with fantastic sandy
campsites that allow classic Alaska panoramas.
 Days Seven and Eight:
We continue down the Chitina, stopping
along the way for great side hikes, fishing clear side streams for salmon,
exploring historic sites, and so on. Each day distant peaks of the St. Elias
mountains fill the sky. The afternoon of day nine we reach the Copper river and
the town of Chitina. He we are shuttled to nearby cabins for a night of showers
and other creature comforts.
Day Nine:
Late in the morning we shove off and head down
the Copper. We quickly enter Woods Canyon, where the river narrows and runs
swift and deep. The river here flows nearly ten times as strong as the Colorado
through the Grand Canyon. Simply put, the Copper river is big. After exiting
the canyon we camp along shore, and marvel in the rich green Copper river
corridor.
Days Ten-Thirteen:
On these days we float further
and further down this grand river, as it grows in size and spectacle with each
mile. Glaciers begin to appear around each corner. Tributary rivers serve as
idyllic lunch and camp stops. The river flows calm and wide and whispers down
braid channels. Brisk afternoon winds are likely on these days. Natural
Features such as Bremner Dunes and Whiting Falls leave us impressed with the
power and uniqueness of Alaska. Typically, bear, eagle and salmon are spotted
on this stretch, as well as a wayward seal in search of a far upriver salmon
dinner. Each night we camp along the Copper and are blessed with unreal views
of skyscraping mountains, hanging glaciers, and more.
Day Fourteen:
On this
day we typically raft through Abercrombie canyon, a place of whitewater,
wildlife, and wonder. We emerge from Abercrombie and enter broad and beautiful
Miles Lake, which is actually where the Copper simply spreads out wide and
thin.
 The lake is spangled with icebergs that have
calved from two-mile wide Miles Glacier. We camp near the glacier and witness
time and again the power of natural Alaska, as giant ice chunks break crash
into the river. Our last night of this unmatched adventure is filled with
thunderous explosions of calving icebergs and quiet moments of reflection on
Miles Lake.
Day Fifteen:
This morning we row across Miles Lake and
sachet our way around the icebergs large and small that pepper this stretch of
the river. We approach Childs Glacier and go ashore just above it, unpack the
rafts, visit the observation point, and then board the van for the one-hour
drive to Cordova. On this drive we travel over the Copper river delta, where
the river reaches the Gulf of Alaska, and are generally able to spot Trumpeter
Swans, Canadian Geese, and other birds. We arrive in Cordova late this
afternoon, enjoy a tasty Alaska dinner at a local eatery, and toast a great
trip and great land. Those flying on to Anchorage do so this evening, while
ferry riders spend the night on their own in Cordova and catch the ferry the
next day.
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Getting
to Valdez
By Air:
Several regularly scheduled commercial flights
fly from Anchorage each day. Please contact us for details or assistance with
your flight from Anchorage.
By Ferry: From Anchorage take the train and/or bus to Whittier.
There, you can board the Alaska Marine Highway Ferry and travel across Prince
William Sound to Valdez. The ferry makes this run several times a week.
By Car:
You can
access Valdez from the lower 48 and points in Alaska. Simply travel to the
southernmost portion of the Richardson Highway (Alaska Highway 4), and you will
find Valdez! You can ferry to Valdez at the end of your trip and drive away!
Pre and Post-Trip
Transportation
Destination Wilderness provides all transportation from
Valdez to Chitina at the beginning of the trip. We can also help arrange any
transportation you need between Anchorage or Valdez or from Cordova to
Anchorage at the end of the trip.
Where To
Stay
We recommend lodging in Valdez the night before your trip.
The following establishments are located in downtown Valdez, approximately 10
minutes from the airport:
Aspen Hotel: 866-483-7848
Keystone Inn:
907-835-3851
Totem Inn: 907-835-4443
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 Natural History
You have to
see Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve to believe it, and even then
you are not too sure you can believe it. Part of the problem is that it is
soooo magnificent that you could spend years and never see the whole thing or
spend an entire lifetime marveling at just one of the myriad natural treasures
in the park.
The total acreage of Wrangell-St. Elias makes this the
largest U.S. national park, the size of six Yellowstones. Four major mountain
ranges meet here, and includes 10 of the 16 highest peaks in the United States.
The high country is covered with snow year round, resulting in extensive
icefields and glaciers. The Bagley Icefield is the largest subpolar icefield in
North America. Together, Wrangell-St. Elias and the adjoining Kluane National
Park in Canada form the premier mountain wilderness in North America.
The park contains a variety of wildlife. Dall sheep and mountain goats patrol
the craggy peaks. Herds of caribou feed on the lichen and low woody plants
around the Wrangells. Moose browse in sloughs and bogs in the coastal lowlands
and in brushy areas, which also attract brown / grizzly bears. Black bears roam
throughout the park. Many rivers, streams and lakes provide spawning grounds
for salmon and other fish. The Copper River drainage is a major flyway for
migratory birds and include prime nesting sites for trumpeter swans.
Located on the border between Alaska and Canada, Wrangell-St. Elias contains a
huge chain of glaciers. Here, gargantuan ice sheets continue to move, shaping
and transforming the landscape. It is a phenomenon that has been occurring
since the Ice Age 11,000 years ago. The icefields and the 1,600 glaciers that
radiate from here are fed by 20 feet of snow each year created by the moist
Pacific air running into the high coastal mountains. The glaciers grind and
scour the rock beneath as they move slowly under their own weight, generally
traveling only a few inches or feet a year. Glaciers that work their way to the
ocean’s edge create gigantic icebergs. Over eons of time, some glaciers
have gradually retreated leaving a sculpted landscape of valleys, peaks and
lakes. It is the work of these glaciers that allow us to float from the source
to the sea, amid scenery unsurpassed for drama, grandeur, and isolation. For
glacier carved valleys carry present-day glacial melt.
On the Source
to the Sea trip we see day after day the impact of glaciers, from the starting
point Nizina pond to the ever changing silt deposits of the Copper river delta.
In December, 1978, by presidential proclamation under the authority granted in
the Antiquities Act of 1906, Wrangell-St. Elias National Monument was created.
It encompassed almost 11,000,000 acres of land. In 1980, in the Alaska National
Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA), the monument was expanded and
redesignated as Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. Together, Kluane
National Park and Wrangell-St. Elias form the largest area of protected land in
the world. This backcountry is also a designated World Heritage Site.
The park’s evolution continues today. In 1998 the Kennecott Mine area
became part of the park system. In 2000 the Park Service designated the Bremner
area as a national historic site. And, a new $7 million dollar visitor center
will open in the spring of 2002 on the western edge of the park. Clearly,
Wrangell-St. Elias continues to be increasingly discovered and protected, as it
has become a premier destination for those seeking the wildest of the wild and
the grandest of the grand.
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 Additional
Information
Experience Required
The Source to the Sea Expedition is
an absolute wilderness journey. It is an ideal trip for those seeking an
extended journey through the heart of Alaskan backcountry and not for those
seeking a traditional Alaska adventure holiday bus tour. Hardy first time
adventurers are welcome and our minimum age is 12. While not strenuous or
filled with difficult whitewater we do travel through pure wilderness.
Participants should be prepared for changes in weather and other possible
experiences associated with wilderness travel. Your guides will gladly help
with any aspect of our trip that is new for you, whether that means setting up
a new tent or learning to paddle.
Participant Fitness And
Activity Levels
Destination Wilderness trips are created with active,
curious, go-with-the-flow, and nature-loving adventurers in mind. Our Source to
the Sea Expedition is designed for those with a zest for remote wilderness,
moderate adventures, active participation and extensive time in the
backcountry. While you should be fit and in good health for this trip, you need
not be a honed athlete. Participants on this trip should be fit, able to swim,
and may need to play a part in self-rescue should you fall out of the raft.
Weather
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and the Copper River are located in
southcentral Alaska. Southcentral Alaska is subject to both coastal and
interior weather patterns. Weather in the region is very changeable. Sun, rain,
wind, fog, and more are common. Daytime temperatures typically range from the
40's to the mid 80's, with sun, fog, cold rain and wind all possible. Nights
are cooler with lows typically in the 40's and 50's.
Equipment
Destination Wilderness provides lifejackets, waterproof river suits, rubber
boots, waterproof 'dry' bags, camp chairs and eating utensils, all the
specialized river gear you need. A complete list of what you should bring will
be included in your confirmation packet. We also provide sleeping pads and
tents but not sleeping bags. Each person will have one waterproof ("dry") bag
(about the size of a large Hefty trash bag) in which clothing, toiletries,
sleeping bag, and other personal items will be kept. In addition, we have
available additional dry bags for tents and sleeping pads, and special day bags
and boxes for cameras, binoculars, etc. Do keep in mind that, although slight,
there is always a chance that any of your gear could get wet. Note: you need to
bring your own sleeping bag.
Camps
We camp
along the river in pristine wilderness, usually on a sandy beach. In the case
of rain, tarps are set up over communal eating and sitting areas. We proudly
practice minimum-impact camping and carry out all trash. We carry a portable
metal box chemical toilet (similar to motorhome toilets) that is set up each
evening in a private and scenic spot away from the heart of the camping area. A
system that will be explained by your guides allows for all campers to know
when the toilet is in use.
 Wildlife and Wild Plants
Wildlife is abundant
in the Alaskan wilderness and, among other animals, we may encounter bear,
sheep, and moose. It is important to follow your guides instruction to prevent
or reduce the likelihood of unwelcome wild animal encounters and to understand
what to do in the case of an encounter. Also, while they are generally not a
major problem on this trip, those sensitive to mosquitoes may want to bring
along a mosquito net hat. There are also, in places, thorny bushes (known as
Devil's Club) or others that can cause skin rashes. Please listen closely to
your guides' instructions on how to recognize these plants and what to do if
you touch them.
Fishing
Alaska requires you to have a fishing license if
you intend to fish during your visit. Your guide can help you obtain a license
at the rendezvous. The fishing can be quite good, with large Alaska salmon
often caught (and then eaten!).
Meals and Beverages
We serve gourmet meals prepared with fresh ingredients. We also provide a
variety of beverages with every meal and each afternoon we set up happy hour
snacks and beverages. Please let us know if you have special dietary needs or
wants!
Charter
Trips
We are able and happy to offer special private charter trips for
groups. For groups of six or more we may be able to run trips on dates other
than those listed in this packet. Please contact our office for details.
Gratuities
It is common to tip wilderness guides on adventure trips. It is not expected,
but always appreciated. If you are happy with your trip please let us and your
guide(s) know. Thanks!
Itinerary Changes
While we do everything possible to follow the itineraries in this packet
we may be forced to adjust trips due to reasons beyond our control. Therefore,
these itineraries are subject to change.
References
Many
of our past trip members have offered to speak with folks who are considering
our trips. We know we could blow our own horn until we are blue in the face
about the great time we feel you would have on our trips. So, we invite you to
contact us for a list of clients who have participated on Destination
Wilderness trips and we'll let them do the talking!
Destination
Wilderness/Copper Oar Guides
The pride of our outfit, our guides bring
a wealth of talent and experience to each trip we run. Destination
Wilderness/Copper Oar guides (and they are our guides not subcontracted
outfitters) have years and years of experience leading trips in the U.S. and
abroad. Each is licensed in first-aid and CPR. Furthermore, they create an
environment that fosters camaraderie and positive experiences. Simply put, they
care about what it is that YOU want from YOUR TRIP and do everything possible
to make that happen! We are confident that you will find your guides to be one
of the highlights of the adventure.
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Source to
the Sea Expedition: Alaska Adventure Holiday Additional
Information
