WILD RIVER PACKRAFT TRIP, BROOKS RANGE, ALASKA, JUNE 29-JULY 6, 2026
PACKRAFTERS:
Doug Armstrong
Jason Fish
Laura Fish
Wally Hufford
Irene Lindquist
DETAILS:
Days on river-8
River miles paddled-65
Fauna-beavers (lots of them), a variety of birds, tracks of bear, moose, and caribou.
Flora-flowers galore
We did not see any other people during the river portion of the trip.
Weather was sunny and hot.
Campsites were exclusively gravel bars along the river. They were fantastic!
Mosquitoes were annoying at some camps, but not bad for this part of the world.
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| We stopped for a photo op at the Arctic Circle sign. |
It wasn't the trip we planned. But, it was dang near perfect. Originally we intended to float the North Fork of the Koyukuk. Then we arrived in Coldfoot during the middle of a gnarly storm that dropped inches of rain. Dirk, our pilot, let us know that it would be unlikely he would be able to find a gravel bar on the North Fork of the Koyukuk where he could land. Alaska was flexing her muscles and it was time to think about alternative rivers. The Wild River was the first to come to mind, so that's what we settled on.
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| Doug and Jason wait out the storm in a room at Coldfoot Camp. |
We all rented rooms at Coldfoot Camp. After a night and long morning of waiting to hear from Dirk we finally got word it was time to fly. We hastily made our way to the Coyote Air office and began loading gear onto the floatplane. It would take three trips to get people and gear to Wild Lake. Eventually we all ended up at the put-in which was actually an old landing strip at the edge of the water which had been used primarily by miners.
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| The group at Coyote Air. Ready for departure. |
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| Laura arriving at Wild Lake. |
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| It was drizzling at Wild Lake when we arrived. So we had dinner under the tarp. |
The next morning we took a tour of the area and walked up the creek from our camp. We ran across an abandoned mining operation. It was disheartening to see the mess they had left and how they had altered the stream with bulldozers. It was definitely a blight on this pristine country.
Later in the afternoon we looked out to see a small boat boat with several people headed across the lake in our direction. When they got to us we spent the next hour in a conversation learning about their homestead and life on Wild Lake. It was an absolutely charming discussion and they invited us to their place for dessert that evening. We really wanted to go, but the wind had picked up by dessert time and none of us wanted to attempt the waves on the open water in our packrafts.
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| Meet the Wallers. They have a homestead cabin on Wild Lake. We had a very pleasant visit with them. |
The next morning it was time to make our move and begin our trip down the Wild River. Conditions couldn't have been better. We paddled across glass smooth water to the outlet of the lake. After a stretch of moving water we reached another lake where we saw dimples on the surface from the fish rising for food. We didn't know it at the time, but that would be the last evidence of fish we would see.
After that we were once again the on moving water of the Wild River. We made fast time and after just a few hours we had covered seven miles. We found a nice gravel bar and decided to make camp which left the remainder of the afternoon for camp chores and relaxation. This would become the pattern of our days for the remainder of the trip. Due to the shorter length of the Wild River we were in no hurry and the weather was exquisite. There was no reason to rush.
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| Jason prepares breakfast at the edge of Wild Lake. |
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| All that gear goes inside the tubes of the packraft. |
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| Packrafts afloat on the Wild River. |
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| Irene stretches before we begin paddling for the day. |
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| Bear tracks along the edge of the Wild River. |
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| Mealtime |
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| Afternoon relaxation in folding chairs at the edge of the river was an important part of the trip. |
We paddled, camped, relaxed, and ate one day into the next. It was sublime. We watched beavers as they slapped their tails at us and took in the beauty of the surrounding mountains. We were a world away from the consternation of daily life. I think we all appreciated that.
And, we ate fresh homemade bread with butter every afternoon. Our friend, Gena, had made it and sent it along with us. We brought the butter for cooking fish, but since the fishing wasn't good we decided to derelict its use and spread it on the bread. It was a very good decision.
After we had set up camp on the afternoon of the Fourth of July, Laura surprised everyone by passing around decorations so we all could participate. We spent the afternoon wearing red, white, and blue necklaces and headgear. It was a great way to celebrate Independence Day at the edge of a remote river in the Brooks Range above the Arctic Circle.
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| Laura brought decorations for our Fourth of July celebration. |
On our final day of paddling we had just a few miles of the Wild River remaining before it flowed into the Middle Fork of the Koyukuk. We were surprised when we arrived at the confluence of the two rivers. The volume of water was huge and fast. We made the last couple of miles to Bettles in no time and landed on a gravel beach where we left our gear and headed into town in hopes of renting a room at the Bettles Lodge.
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| Jason paddles in front of a rock face along the Wild River. |
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| We had a gear explosion on the beach when we arrived in Bettles. |
After considerable confusion the lodge staff determined there weren't any rooms available. So we decided to camp at the Bettles baseball field, which we checked out before heading back to the river for our gear. Once we were back with our gear two guys showed up to "move their boat." We quickly enlisted their help and they loaded our bags onto a side-by-side and pickup truck. Minutes later we were setting up our tents at the baseball field under a sweltering sun.
Then it was time for a tour of Bettles. We visited the Bettles Ranger Station where we talked with Ranger Indigo and found out there would be a presentation about antlers and horns later in the afternoon. Then we sauntered over to Brooks Range Aviation headquarters where we got some ice cream treats. We wandered around for a while before returning to the Ranger Station for the presentation and then to the Bettles Lodge for dinner. We had also made contact with Coyote Air during this time and they said they could pick us up the next day. Things were working out splendidly.
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| A couple guys showed up to "move the boat." They helped us out by transporting our gear to the Bettles camp area. |
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| We visited the Bettles Ranger Station where they had internet. Later that afternoon we also attended a Ranger presentation about antlers and horns. |
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| We ate several meals at the Bettles Lodge. |
After spending the night at the baseball field we went to the Bettles Lodge for breakfast the next morning. We slowly packed our gear and walked around town again before waiting at the edge of the runway for our plane to arrive. Then, we were suddenly back in Coldfoot having a late lunch before making the drive back to Fairbanks.
The trip was over...but we're already making plans for the next one. Hope it's just as perfect.
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| The view from the floatplane flying back to Coldfoot. |
