KENAI MOUNTAINS & GLACIERS BACKPACKING

“Experience the raw Alaskan backcountry & be amazed by breathtaking scenery on your Kenai Mountains & Glaciers Backpacking Adventure.”

Our Kenai Mountains & Glaciers Backpacking Adventure is an 8 day, 60+ mile mountaineering-style backpacking experience takes place completely off-trail in the backcountry of the Kenai Mountains.

This expedition is strenuous! You will be challenged, and you will learn a lot about yourself as you put in a solid day of adventuring day after day.

This is the one of the funnest, and most challenging technical backpacking routes in the Kenai Mountains – pioneered exclusively by KBA! Mountaineering techniques are utilized throughout the entire trip; there is segment that entails crossing one of the largest glaciers around and trekking up a portion of the Harding Icefield.

You will scale mountains, hike knife ridges, cross streams, trek across glaciers, camp near gorgeous lakes, and witness views few have ever seen. Oh and did we mention the wildlife?! This area is full of wildlife, sometimes in the least expected places.

KBA has pioneered routes all over the Kenai Mountains, and this allows us to tailor the trip to the members of each trip group. While this adventure has a base rating of strenuous, we do have ways to make it less strenuous by exercising various route changes. This works well with younger adventurers or folks that want the full adventure but aren’t able to push as hard as our hardest route requires.

This trip is complete with round-trip bush plane flights to and from the backcountry, and expert Alaska mountaineering guides that know the area better than anyone. You will have the opportunity to see rarely visited areas of this part of Alaska.

This adventure includes provided meals prepared and cooked by your guides, group gear, technical gear, ground transportation, and round-trip floatplane flights – see Inclusions for more details.

DAY 1: ARRIVAL > KENAI > BACKCOUNTRY
Today you’ll arrive in Kenai by plane or car. Arrival can be anytime before 10:00am. Your KBA guide will greet you at the Kenai Airport (if flying), or at our Kenai flight office (if driving). At 11:00am we begin with a group orientation meeting, gear check, weights & measures, safety briefing, and discussion of our overall trip plan – lunch will be hosted by KBA during the meeting. Between 3:30-4:00pm we begin staging our gear to be loaded on the bush plane. When ready to take flight, we’ll load all of our gear for the trip, and fly out around 4:30pm. Arrival in the backcountry is welcomed with a sense of awe and wonder as you gaze upon the magnificent mountains towering above, and surrounding you. Our first objective will be to get camp set up and squared away, and following this we’ll head out for an evening hike and give you a glimpse of your backcountry playground for the next few days. Depending on the zone, and overall route, we may backpack a short segment this day. 
Meals Included: Welcome lunch, and backcountry dinner
Accommodation: Under tent

DAY 2-7:  KENAI NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE – KENAI MOUNTAINS BACKPACKING
For the next 6 days, we’ll work to complete a long route that eventually leads us into a hidden mountain bowl that is bordered by glaciers on all sides. These will be challenging, yet very rewarding days. Our routes will venture into the furthest backcountry areas in this part of the Kenai Peninsula. Camp will be near alpine lakes, edges of glaciers, and high in the alpine tundra. The remoteness and utter beauty of all that surrounds you will leave you feeling blissful and ready for the next day’s challenges.
All meals included
Distance: Average is 8-10 miles, upwards of 15 miles (per day)
Accommodation: Under tent

DAY 8: KENAI MOUNTAINS > KENAI
After a morning and afternoon of exploring, our group will break camp, and stage our gear lake side while we wait for the arrival of our bush plane. Our return flight is exhilarating, and you’ll get a bird’s eye view of the massive landscape which you’ve just trekked. This will really put your accomplishment into perspective. We think you will be very proud of yourself!

Once we arrive back to the floatplane base, we’ll decompress and slowly gather our frontcountry senses. Anyone heading out from the Kenai Airport, we will transport you there. We generally arrive to the flight office around 5:00pm. If you are returning home this evening, please be sure to schedule your return Kenai flight for after 8:00pm.
Meals Included: Breakfast and lunch
Distance: 3-5+ miles

*The accompanying itinerary is the schedule we intend to follow. However, this is Alaska, and our trips may deviate as written on this page or in any documentation we publish. This can be as a result of weather conditions, group preference, safety considerations, or unforeseeable circumstances. Therefore expect the unexpected, and prepare to be flexible. 

This is an all-inclusive adventure, meaning everything is included in your price apart from your flights to and from Alaska, personal gear, gratuities for guides, and voluntary expenditures. You trip package includes: