Arctic Basecamp III

Our Arctic Basecamp is located on the shores of Galbraith Lake – a remnant of a large glacial lake that once occupied the entire Atigun Valley –between Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve to the West and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to the East. For this trip, we truck our sled dogs up the remote and wild Dalton Highway.

The Dalton is the only travel artery connecting Interior Alaska to the Arctic Ocean, and though beautiful, the road is rugged and seldom traveled in winter, frequented only by truckers hauling supplies to the oil fields, wolves, moose, caribou, ptarmigan and the odd intrepid tourist. The route to basecamp cuts through the rolling hills of the Yukon River Valley, crosses the Arctic Circle into the Land of the Midnight Sun, and traverses wild ancient plains dotted with granite tors before approaching the striking silhouette of the Brooks Range.

In the heart of the mountains is Coldfoot, where your flight comes in. North of Coldfoot is stunning Sukakpak Mountain, as well as the steep grades of Atigun Pass, the highest mountain pass in the state. Coming down from Atigun Pass, Gates of the Arctic National Park stretches out to the West, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge dominates the skyline to the East, and vast treeless tundra stretches unbidden to the North.

Your accommodation for this trip is a heated Alaskan tent called an "Arctic Oven." This is Alaskan "glamping" -- a truly comfortable winter camping experience. With two twin beds, the Arctic Ovens can accommodate two people per tent. The tents are equipped with cots, winter rated sleeping pads and sleeping bags. The Arctic Oven is heated by a small stove, lit with twinkle lights, contains a gear drying rack, and has room for gear storage at the end of the bed. With 9x9x7 foot dimensions, you can even stand up inside.

Herds of caribou pass behind camp and flocks of hundreds of ptarmigan soar down creek valleys. The Brooks Range landscape is rife with migrating animals during the time of our stay here. 

Your dog sledding guide for this trip is Lisbet Norris. Lisbet is the company owner and lead guide at Arctic Dog Adventure Co. Originally from Willow, Alaska, Lisbet grew up in a dog-mushing family. She is a three-time finisher of the Iditarod, the longest sled dog race in the world. Lisbet has two decades of experience guiding dog sled tours and expeditions. She is known for her leadership qualities under adverse circumstances and through sound preparation and experience, she makes the most unique and challenging adventures possible for her clients! Lisbet has a strong love for the North. A self-taught naturalist, she feels at home in the boreal forest of Interior Alaska and loves sharing the northern landscape with others. Lisbet holds a degree in Northern Studies and History from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. 

Moderate to difficult because of narrow backcountry trails that require some balance and fitness to navigate. Moderate hill climbs where you will need to help the dogs by pushing the sled uphill and demonstrate basic balance in order to manage the sled brake on the descent. This trip traverses unbroken and seldomly traveled Arctic landscapes. 

No previous mushing experience is required. We will teach you everything you need to know to feel comfortable and equipped for your days on the trail. ​That being said, dog mushing is a physical activity...from harnessing dogs to standing on the sled all day, you will need to be reasonably able-bodied in order to fully enjoy this experience. 

In order to safely enjoy this trip you must be able to:

•  Lift 50 lbs.
•  Endure hard falls onto ice or hard-packed snow.
•  Get dragged while holding onto sled handlebars (hard on shoulders).
•  You must be able to squat to go to the bathroom outside (There is a sit down toilet at camp but you need to have this level of mobility in case you need to go to the bathroom on the trail.) 
•  You must be able to balance on one foot for a minimum of 5-10 seconds.
•  You must be able to climb stairs quickly and easily. 
•  You must be able to jump up from a prone position on the ground and in deep snow off-piste (i.e. a snow burpee)
•  Be capable of walking or hiking on steep and uneven terrain for up to 4 hours.
•  Be prepared to wrangle strong sled dogs (hard on wrists, hands, and shoulders).  
• Be prepared to be exposed to cold, wet, windy and otherwise adverse weather conditions sometimes found in higher latitudes. 

If you are over the age of 65, we require a medical clearance from your doctor. (Click here to see our medical form.)

You do not need previous experience with cold-weather climates, but you will need to equip yourself with a proper set of winter base layers in order to ensure your comfort and safety. Even though it is spring in Alaska, weather and temperatures can still be harsh and unpredictable. We will provide you with a list of suggested & required gear -- your comfort is our utmost concern!  Check out our packing list here.

Yes. You will drive and be responsible for your own small team of 4-6 dogs. Your professional dog sledding guide will introduce you to your team, and give you a lesson on how to drive the sled. You will learn how to harness a sled dog, and how to slow and stop your team. Your guide drives their own team just ahead of you, keeping an eye on the dogs, the trail, and your progress. 

Our Arctic Basecamp Tours offer more than just an extraordinary adventure—they are a chance to contribute to the preservation of one of the world’s most iconic wilderness areas. A portion of every booking supports Defend the Sacred Alaska, a grassroots organization dedicated to protecting the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the Gwich’in way of life.

By joining this journey, you’ll help:

• Safeguard the Arctic Refuge: Your trip supports efforts to defend this untouched wilderness from industrial threats, ensuring it remains a sanctuary for caribou, polar bears, migratory birds, and other wildlife.
• Uphold Indigenous Rights: The Gwich’in people have stewarded these lands for generations. Your participation helps amplify their voices in the fight to protect the Refuge, which is vital to their culture and survival.
• Promote Environmental Justice: Together, we can protect one of the planet’s last great wild places, ensuring its beauty and ecological significance endure for future generations.

Immerse yourself in the stunning Arctic landscape—where the snow-draped tundra, star-filled skies, and majestic wildlife offer an unforgettable experience. As you explore, know that you’re part of a powerful effort to protect this sacred region.

Reserve your spot today and join us in making a lasting impact!

Take to the skies on a breathtaking 1-hour flight from Fairbanks to Coldfoot, Alaska — soaring over 60 miles north of the Arctic Circle. This unforgettable journey offers panoramic views of Alaska’s untouched wilderness, including the mighty Yukon River, the expansive boreal forest, and the rolling ridgelines of the Brooks Range. Spot winding tundra rivers, glacial valleys, and if you're lucky, wildlife like moose or caribou from the air. This is more than a transfer — it’s an aerial adventure into the heart of Alaska’s remote Arctic frontier.

AIRLINE REQUIREMENTS

1 x Personal luggage of max 40lbs per person.

Airline-type carry-on baggage is not allowed on small aircraft by FAA regulation. ALL items accompanying the passenger onboard the aircraft must be weighed and tagged as checked baggage, including items such as purses, laptops, cameras, small backpacks, etc. 

Wright Air Service, Inc. offers approved blue bags (approximately the size of a brown lunch bag) to hold personal items such as wallets, medicine, infant supplies useful during the flight. Special permissions may be given by customer service agents to allow items to be held by the passenger after weights are recorded while awaiting departure. These will need to be surrendered to the agent at time of flight closeout.

Wright Air Service, Inc. recommends that small items of value or importance such as prescription medication or monetary items be removed from baggage and carried on the passenger’s person. Coats, jackets, or similar gear may be carried or worn onboard the aircraft. At no time may any item be placed on the floor during taxi, takeoff, or landing.

Sukakpak Mountain

Hotel pickup is included on the first day of your tour. Our transport partner will pick you up from your hotel around 11 a.m. and take you to the small plane airport where you will check in at Wright Air for your 1 hour flight seeing tour to Coldfoot, Alaska, 60 miles North of the Arctic Circle. Check-in at 11:30 a.m. for a 1 p.m. flight. Nils, one of our lead guides, will meet you at the runway at Coldfoot around 2 p.m. and help you load your gear for the 100 mile drive North to Galbraith Lake, an ancient glacial lake on the North side of the Brooks Range. Nils will have a sack lunch for you upon arrival.

Please note: Coldfoot is not a village or town, it is a truck stop with a rustic hotel, a runway, a State Trooper station (1 trooper who services the surrounding area by plane) and a few seasonal service buildings for Gates of the Arctic National Park and the BLM. The airstrip is across the highway from the truck stop. It will feel like you are flying into the middle of nowhere. Nils will meet you at the airstrip. Sometimes Coldfoot Camp offers a shuttle across the highway to the truck stop when they know there is a plane coming in but it is extremely unreliable. If the shuttle is there, take it! And text Nils (there is service in Coldfoot).

BLM recently opened a Winter Visitor's Center that offers Arctic Circle Certificates, National Park Passport Stamps, and more. We will swing by for your certificates and stamps before heading North towards Galbraith Lake and Basecamp.

The drive to Galbraith Lake passes several incredible landmarks such as Sukakpak Mountain, past the furthest North spruce tree, and over the famous Atigun Pass of the Brooks Range. During April, the Central Arctic Caribou Herd is heading from the mountains to their calving grounds near the Arctic Coast. Keep an eye out for migrating caribou herds on the horizon, and the large predators that may follow them. Keep your eyes peeled for musk ox, caribou, dall sheep, wolves or even grizzlies. Arrive at the Galbraith Lake trailhead by late afternoon, where we will be met by your teams of harnessed sled dogs.

When you have arrived at the Galbraith Lake Trailhead (a parking lot that doubles as a runway for Gates of Arctic National Park/Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and a refueling station for the Trans Alaskan Pipeline helicopters), we will issue you your outerwear, boots, etc. After loading your suitcase/bag into your dog sled, and a brief mushing lesson, you will drive your dog sled to camp, three miles away. Once the dogs are parked, unharnessed and settled, we will give you a tour of camp and let you settle in a bit before dinner.

Transport to Airport: Included.

Meals: Sack Lunch at Coldfoot Camp and Dinner at Camp.  

Accommodations: Arctic Ovens (2 persons per tent)

These days are devoted solely to dog sledding. Words can almost not describe the vast magnificence of the Arctic landscape. We left the boreal forest on the other side of the mountain range and only willow bush delineate the Arctic tundra that stretches as far as we can see to the North, and to the South, rocky ridges and dramatic mountain peaks rise dominate the landscape. Gates of the Arctic National Park surrounds us to the South and West and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge forms the valley boundary to the East. All around us, caribou tracks pepper the hillsides and ptarmigan tracks dot the creek valleys. (Caribou have been known to cross behind camp in the late evenings, after we are settled in for the night).

 Each day, we will harness the sled dogs, hook them up to the sleds, and take off on the day's adventure. We will explore the tundra and creek valleys surrounding our camp that run straight into the surrounding mountains. We will flit through the shadows of narrow creeks and cross over sunny mountain passes. Where we shall go depends on the weather, snow conditions, and our will! Prior to your arrival, we put in trails around camp that range in distance from 10 to 30 miles. Most are loops, with a few out and backs up that follow creeks up into the mountains. Lunch is taken al fresco, usually on a soft spot of exposed tundra or a sun-warmed rock emerging from a creek. 

When we arrive back at camp between 3 and 5, we unharness all the dogs, settle them in their sheltered spots on the picket line, and go about taking gear off and hanging it to dry in your tents. There is usually time to relax in your tent or around camp before dinner at 6 or 7pm. In the morning, coffee and breakfast are taken in the wood stove heated main tent (the Lodge) between 7 and 8am.  

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner at Camp.  
Accommodations: Arctic Ovens.

Our last breakfast in the Arctic. We will take the scenic route -- one last dog sled adventure -- to ferry our gear out to the trailhead to transfer you to Coldfoot, where the afternoon flight will take you back to Fairbanks. 

Upon arrival in Fairbanks, take a cab or other local transportation to your post trip hotel.  I usually use Tim with Tony’s Cafego Tours and Transport to pick you guys up and highly recommend him for the return. 1 (907) 750-0829.

Meals: Breakfast at Camp, Sack Lunch. You will need to find your own dinner this night.Click here for our recommendations.

Accommodations: You will need to find your own accommodations for this night.

Coldfoot Camp