Expeditions Alaska

I can’t say enough good things about Expeditions Alaska, specifically owner Carl, coordinator Emily, and guide Marc. My colleague and I began planning a late August/early September 2025 “Northern Traverse” Arctic Circle backpacking trip with Expeditions Alaska as far back as January 2025. I felt incredibly well taken care of, long before I ever met any Expeditions Alaska crew in person. They had both our happiness AND our safety at the forefront, every step of the way during the planning stage. When late August finally rolled around and it was time to embark into the Arctic Circle, a massive weather front moved in. Our guide, Marc, spent 36 hours working to find different ways to get us into the area we wanted to go, but weather foiled us each time. Then, and this was truly incredible, Marc and Carl were able to pivot on a dime and plan an entirely different trip for us in an entirely different part of the state within just 48 hours! (Goat Trail, Wrangell St.-Elias National Park). I was so amazed at their ability to shift gears so quickly and roll with the punches that are Alaska’s weather systems. My colleague and I had an incredible time in Wrangell. Marc was an amazing guide and he kept us safe and entertained. I highly recommend Expeditions Alaska for their goodness of heart, keenness of mind, and their dedication to their clients.

Thank you, Expeditions Alaska, for helping make a dream come true! Our Fat Bears in the Fall trip was incredible. We saw more bears than I ever imagined possible. Everything was so well organized from start to finish, and both Emily and Carl were fantastic at answering all our questions beforehand. Once we arrived, it was all about the bears, and Carl made sure we had endless opportunities to watch and photograph them. He’s a great guide, full of knowledge not just about the bears but the entire environment we were immersed in. And of course, Christie deserves a huge shout-out! She kept us so well fed that we could have easily renamed the trip Fat Photographers in the Fall. The food and snacks were outstanding, and her positive energy made camp life even better. I can’t recommend Expeditions Alaska highly enough and look forward to joining them on another adventure down the road.

Had a great experience with Expeditions Alaska and specifically with out guide Marc on our 8 day backpacking trip called "Seven Passes" in Wrangell St Elias NP - including a big variety of terrain (tundra, rocks, glacier). Amazing scenery in a very remote area. Very cool to fly in and fly out with a bush plane. We didn't see one person the entire time on the "trail" (no trail really). Marc was a great guide with lots of info about the area and also helped repair my cut hand and torn pants. It's a rugged hike - but highly recommended.

We took three excursions with this company, two base camping and one packrafting. We had three different guides each of them top notch professionals. Jared Martin for packrafting, David Capo for base camping at Steamboat Hills and Garrett Murphy for base camping at Lake Clark. Each of the guides were tremendous in their own way. Jared was exceptionally knowledgeable about Alaska. Very patient with Rob and I and teaching us how to pack raft. He had a couple that were more advanced and he managed to make sure they were being challenged and we were being watched over. Jared allowed us to problem solve and learn new skills while making sure we stayed safe. David, was so full of energy and joy and excitement about the experience. He only had Rob and I on his trip and he was especially great at modifying the hiking for our age and abilities. He was incredibly thoughtful about scouting out areas after we gone to bed, putting in the extra effort to make it a wonderful trip for us. Garrett was given the extra challenge of visibility being a problem and the plane not being able to get to turquoise lake. We made the decision to have the plane drop us at lake Clark instead it was a fabulous decision. Garrett helped us scout the area, go fishing take hikes back into the bush area spend time together telling stories. Don't worry about food with this company, think I'm the only woman to go to the back country in Alaska and gain weight! Each and everyone of the guides were fabulous cooks had their own special twist on meals were very considerate about dietary considerations and about favorite snacks and treats. I can't say enough about the professionalism of this company. I plan on taking more excursions with them in the future. In addition, all the employees had great things to say about the owner. Which I think says a lot, he cares about his people. He cares about the people taking the trips. I highly recommend this company

Expeditions Alaska went above and beyond to rebook a new trip for us when our hopes of visiting Gates of the Arctic fell through due to weather. Carl and our guide, Marc, planned an entirely new itinerary for us along the Goat Trail in the Wrangells in only a matter of hours and it was an incredibly GORGEOUS trip! Can't thank Expeditions Alaska enough for taking care of us during the highs and lows of weather delays and flight cancellations. Wishing I had purchased trip insurance (completely my negligence), but also grateful to still see the untamed wilderness of Alaska. Only leaves me more hungry to return and get Gates someday. Thank you for sharing your home with us, Carl and Marc!

Skolai Pass Base Camp Trip. Five full days plus two air transfer days to and from Skolai Pass, fantastic experience with Rachel, who is an amazing backcountry cook as well as a good fun and safe guide! We were a group of six plus Rachel. Bears, Karibous and other game crossed our paths. Glaciers, waterfalls, brushwood... I let the attached photos speak for themselves! The camps were around 5000ft, we set camp 3 times. On full-pack days, we climbed up to 500ft (with some ups and downs even a bit more) and did about 7 miles. One night the temperature was below freezing point due to a clear sky, so pack accordingly. Thank you Rachel for everything!

Fantastic adventure in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park with Expeditions Alaska! I did the Skolai Pass Basecamp during August, but there are any number of great trips you can find on the website. Rachel was an outstanding guide. She did a great job of listening to client’s preferences and gave clear recommendations when appropriate. Throughout the trip, Rachel was positive and enthusiastic, which increased everyone’s excitement for being in such a beautiful place. Her overall outdoor experience is extraordinary and was fascinating to learn about. The rest of the EA crew were also great. Emily, the lead admin, kindly and quickly replied to all our emails in August 2024 as my group were still choosing dates and a trip, and both Emily and Carl (the owner of Expeditions Alaska) provided timely, useful answers to all our gear and logistics questions. There are so many glowing reviews here of trips with EA that I’ll try to provide a bit of unique insight. While I have absolutely zero guiding experience, I have led volunteer groups on wildlife camera installation and trail maintenance workdays near my hometown in California. With those workdays in mind, I was particularly impressed with EA on these points: 1. Logistics: It takes at least as much time for me to plan the workdays as I actually spend in the field. I expect it takes a similar effort for EA to prepare for their trips, which means at least a week’s worth of prep. Rachel mentioned the food alone takes an entire day (and given how delicious, varied, and organized her meals were, I was surprised it was that quick—definitely get EA to do this for you unless you are an avid backcountry chef) and I shudder to think at organizing the air taxis, paperwork, guide schedules, vans, gear, etc. and to keep everyone informed throughout. All that went smoothly, which is very impressive. 2. Explanation of techniques: Rachel concisely explained proper river crossing form, which guylines to use on our tents in the rain, and how to safely walk on a glacier. I never seem to nail my demos of how to service a wildlife camera or clear vegetation with a hedge trimmer; I often misjudge which information is important enough to include for the cameras and repeatedly have to clean up missed branches after other volunteers try to cut back brush from a trail. Rachel’s feedback on our creek crossing techniques and glacier travel was similarly excellent: complimentary when deserved, but she was quick to point out safety hazards like poorly secured boots during a crossing and treacherous fall zones on the ice. 3. Dealing with bad luck: Rachel explained how once, the day before guiding a trip, she broke her hand and still drove the clients 6 hours (with one arm in sling) to McCarthy. EA worked it out for a local guide from there to take the clients on their trip, and they completed it with minimal disruption, with Rachel driving them back afterwards. In my volunteering, I most highly value when others have a determination to see the project through (while staying safe) even if things don’t go to plan. Without that, you very often come up short in challenging, unpredictable terrain.

When we were unable to arrive in Fairbanks by Thursday due to a volcanic eruption grounding flights, we thought for sure our trip to park #62/63 was tanked. But Emily and Carl worked fast and furious to make sure we were able to catch up to our group, and we are so grateful! Exploring the backcountry of Alaska was an incredible experience. Our group and our guide, the amazing Jared, made for an incredible trip. Great hiring choice, Expeditions Alaska! Jared, thank you for your excellent teaching and guidance, your joyful passion for the outdoors - particularly Alaska, your PPE lessons (I'll never use a chainsaw w/o chaps, I promise), and your incredible and creative cooking. We hope to get a chance to do another (full) packrafting trip in the future. They're super fun! Please let us know when the Expeditions Alaska cookbook is done.

Alaska Coastal Wildlife and Brown Bears I did this tour in August 2023. It is a photography-centric tour and it lived up to the hype. We had bears. Lots of bears. Bear cubs. Carl Donohue was our Expedition Leader and did a great job. It was great to have someone with tons of bear experience, as it was close sometimes! It was a boat-based tour so that we would have the freedom to move to where the bears are. Day one we had bears. Day two we had weather, lots of weather. We were in Alaska after all. From there on out we were in bear heaven. I shot literally thousands of images (shooting at 30 frames per second will do that) and I really struggled to delete down to the 400 or so that I'm at now. It's tough to delete amazing photos because you have some that are even more amazing and you just don't need them all. The boat (yacht?) at 98 feet was super comfortable for our small group of photographers. The crew was awesome and the food was very good, certainly more than you would expect for a boat-based trip. I can't imagine how good you have to be at planning to pull that off. Every day I took "shot of a lifetime" photos of bears.

This is my second photography tour with Carl Donohue of Expeditions Alaska and all I can say is that he delivers on what is promised. The first was the Bald Eagles in Haines in November 2022. Recently, in April 2023, I went on the Hungry Whales trip in Sitka, photographing bubble-net feeding whales. In both cases the awesome photo opportunities far exceeded my expectations. If you're looking for creature comforts go on an Alaska Cruise. If you are a dedicated photographer, seeking unique photos, stick with Carl. He does his best to connect you with the subjects and help you capture those stunning shots you seek. If other opportunities arise, such as eagles feeding on fish in the whale tour, you'll get those as well. I strongly recommend Expeditions Alaska for your photo needs in this beautiful state.

I recently went on the eagle photo tour in Haines Alaska . It was great fun and the photo ops were unbeatable. The trip was everything I hoped it would be. Our guide Carl offered a flexible agenda each day - it was relaxed and non regimented but well organized. This trip left me with super photos, and new friends. I highly recommend checking out a tour with Expeditions Alaska! There is something for everyone who likes the beautiful outdoors.

Carl at Expeditions Alaska killed it with this trip! We spent 5 nights and 6 days packrafting Gates of the Arctic on the N fork of the Koyukuk. The logistics to put this trip together must have been an elaborate dance. I highly recommend booking with Expeditions Alaska to take care of all your needs so the packraft trip can be enjoyed to the max! On the river we saw lots of moose, and wolf and bear sign. It was pretty crazy and cool to paddle all night under the midnight sun. And take Carl's word for it, book your flight departing Fairbanks a day or two later--flights out of Coldfoot are weather dependent. Surprisingly there is lots to do in Coldfoot too--Lodging, Bar, buffet dining, and the GOTA NP visitor is nice, new, and jam packed with cool sights and information. I double recommend booking your meals with Expeditions Alaska as well--guide Rachel Taylor made all my meals and it was nothing short of gourmet dining! She is the best guide!! Would love to go on another guided trip with her next year! Hats off to this group and thanks so much for a trip of a lifetime.

We went to Wrangell St.Elias on a week long backpacking trip with our guide Trevor. ​ The weather was extremely unpredictable and it changes rapidly. Our guide (Trevor) provided all these information first-hand and equipped us with the essential gears required. Before starting from Anchorage, he checked the gears we carried and he asked me to buy a new fleece since the number of layers I carried was insufficient. I would've been in freezing cold had Trevor not asked me to get that fleece. Apart from that, he also checked all our gears one by one a day before our backpacking. Throughout the trip, we was extremely patient and he also interacted with us like friends sharing stories. I was the slowest in our group in terms of backpacking pace, but he never urged me and in fact he encouraged me to stay at my comfortable pace so I can enjoy the experience better. IMO he was very knowledgeable and he gained our trust quickly. Without a guide like him, our trip wouldn't have been awesome especially when the weather changes this rapidly (and we are not used to Alaskan weather). Highly recommend ExpeditionsAlaska for your adventure.

nine day Canning River raft trip. expectations were high and were exceeded. brooks range was beautiful, arctic wolves, musk ox up close, caribou, moose, fox, jaeger and rough legged hawks. expedition grade equipment. guides, Jared and Christy were excellent.

I just returned from my fourth photo tour with Expeditions Alaska, this one to Moraine Creek in Katmai Park. Once again, it was an amazing experience. Carl is an excellent guide. He understand the bears well enough to put us in the best position to get incredible shots without getting too close. Jule does an amazing job with the food, again. If you have any interest in this sort of trip, it's a great place to go. It's easy camping, the hiking isn't difficult at all, there are plenty of bears around and, not many people. It would be hard to find these kind of photo opportunities anywhere else. I would highly recommend Carl and Expeditions Alaska.

My brother and I did the Arrigetch trip in July of 2018 and had an amazing experience throughout the process. Carl was extremely helpful with planning, had a ton of information for us. Jule was an amazing guide and fantastic throughout the trip. We would certainly recommend them and I hope to do another trip in the near future!

Carl is an excellent guide. The food was amazing. Great trip in spite of the terrible weather we had but that's something you can't control. There's nothing like seeing a 1000 pound grizzly in real time. Carl teaches you to be respectful of the impact we humans have on these great creatures and guided us to safely photograph the Grizzlies without disturbing them. Carl is entertaining, knowledgeable and enthusiastic while making sure we all get in the right place to make the photographs we want all the while keeping us safe and respecting the bears. Highly recommended.

Hiking the back country of Wrangell- St. Elias NP is like no other experience. We backpacked the Jarvis Plateau area for 9 days and never encountered another human soul. No trails, no people, and with our guide Carl, no worries either! Carl knows his way around the back country. He is a top-notch guide with a great sense of humor. This was the best trip ever. I have never before experienced truly untouched wilderness. The feeling of hiking in such a place was magical. I look forward to exploring more of Alaska with Carl @ Alaska Alpine Treks.

Our experience with Expeditions Alaska on the Seven Passes trip was so awesome that its hard to figure out where to start. All the nuts and bolts (driving, pick ups, flights, lodging, routes, gear questions, etc. etc.) were handled with speed, professionalism, and accuracy. Our guide Jules had an incredible wealth of knowledge that kept our trip safe and fascinating. He led us to game trails that made the hiking easier, knew about spectacular campsites, and encouraged questions throughout. He also did a great job keeping our spirits up when the going got tough and helping us enjoy moments of beauty, unique places and situations, and true peace of being completely disconnected from larger society. It was the experience of a lifetime worth every penny and more. If you want to really experience Alaska and are prepared to put in the work that requires, this is for you.

My family and I had a fabulous trip on the Seven Pass Route with Rhane as our guide. It was without question the most beautiful and varied trip we have ever been on. The scenery was stunning at every turn. The trip was adventurous for us because we got to hike on a glacier and cross large streams for the first time. Rhane was an excellent guide. The off-trail terrain was definitely made easier with Rhane's guiding. He always made sure we felt safe in any situation. Because my daughters and I are short, this meant he always found manageable steps for us and we never had to jump over any crevasses or stones in the creeks. He also was very safe around bears (we saw 10!) and was careful to keep the cooking area far from the tents. In addition, Rhane was very knowledgeable about the flora, fauna, geology, history, weather etc of Alaska. In fact, he was knowledgeable about just about everything and was very good company. In terms of logistics: Carl and his crew were patient answering all of my questions before the trip. We rented two tents from Carl and some other minor equipment for the trip. The tents and other equipment were of highest quality. With some nervousness, I signed up for Rhane to provide all of our food. One of our family members is quite picky and I was concerned there would be nothing for her to eat. I was also concerned that too much food would be brought and we would have too heavy packs. It turned out that Rhane is a fabulous cook! All of our preferences (and allergies) were fully accommodated and we all loved the food. We highly recommend this company for any trips in Alaska you are planning!

My wife and I did the Seven Pass trip with Mike and it was fantastic. Everything was handled seamlessly from the time we were picked up until the time we were dropped off. The scenery was unparalleled to anything we've hiked in the lower 48. Everything is big! Mike was a great help along the way. I had severe lower back pain on the second day of hiking, but with a rest day at camp and some pack adjustments, I was able to comfortably finish the trip. If you are considering backpacking Alaska, Carl's description of "Alaska Miles" is entirely accurate - the mileage doesn't matter at all. It's the terrain that you have to be prepared for. This was not an easy trip and there were more than a few times where you had to really work to move forwards - particularly through a section of seemingly endless alder or willows, but overall the scenery is unmatched. Every valley and pass was different and we cannot emphasize the beauty of this trip. We also felt very safe - Mike was very clear in his pre-trip briefings on everything from dangerous hiking situations to bear precautions. I cannot say that for other guide services in the area. At our exit point we saw tents from another guiding company very close to their kitchen - definitely not good practice in bear country. Not the case with Mike and Expeditions Alaska - safety was always first. We thought the campsites and mileage each day was manageable - the glacier crossing day was a very long day, but that was mostly because of some hours stuck in bushes in the morning. Carl and Mike were very good about providing the few pieces of gear that we needed and everything was in good condition. Do not hesitate to take a trip with this company.

I've done two exploratory trips with Carl and I'm going back for a third. Carl's knowledge and competence in the wilds of Alaska really create the opportunity for a great experience.

I did a multi-day base camping trip to 3 destinations in the Wrangel Mountains. The scenery was fantastic. I got tons of photographs. The guide was Rhane Pfeifer, who works many of Carl's trips. He was super-knowledgeable, very experienced, friendly, supportive, helpful, well-equipped, and a hiking powerhouse. I hike frequently in the mountains of Colorado, but this was my first trip into Alaskan wilderness with no trails and no facilities. Carl's preparatory write-up and Rhane's assistance were critical to a successful trip. The base camping format was perfect for me. I would have had big-time trouble carrying the full pack over long distances, but the weight of only one day's provisions was well within my abilities. If you are not certain you can carry a heavy pack uphill over long distances, I highly recommend choosing a base camping trip like this one. Plus, be sure to read Carl's preparatory material, follow the instructions, and bring good gear!