Access
Access is difficult and the biggest challenge is finding a suitable drop-off and pick-up point for your backpacking trip. We chose to be dropped off at Circle Lake, which allowed for an easier route to the Arrigetch Peaks. We elected to be picked up at Takahula Lake because of flight weight concerns if we returned to Circle. Circle Lake and Takahula are semi-connected via the Alatna River. Thus, on our final day, we would packraft 25 miles south from the Circle Lake area to Takahula Lake.
 
To start the trip, we needed to get to Circle Lake. Again, the park is in the far north of Alaska so to even access the park, we needed to first get within range. Thus, we had to travel to a tiny village in northern Alaska called Bettles. Bettles is the primary access point for Gates of the Arctic – for backpacking and flightseeing.
 
We flew commercially into Fairbanks International Airport and the next day we took a small bush plane flight to Bettles. We landed in Bettles, gathered our gear, and organized our packs, then flew another hour in a floatplane to our drop-off point of Circle Lake.
 
When we arrived at Circle Lake, we unloaded our gear, and just like that, we were in the wilderness alone for 11 days.

Trip Information
We spent an incredible 11 days in the Arrigetch Peaks region and were treated to fantastic weather. The light wasn’t “the best,” in terms of photography, but any day where you can see the sun is a win during autumn in northern Alaska. We were also treated to comfortable temperatures, as it’s not uncommon for single digits the last week of August. We were prepared for that type of cold but thankfully did not have to deal with it.

We returned to our drop-off point on our second-to-last day and grabbed our rafting gear. For our final day, we bushwacked to the Alatna River, inflated our rafts, prepared our gear, and put in. The Alatna is sometimes called the ‘Flatna’ by packrafters. It is an easy paddle with no rapids. With the right wind, you can sometimes do 5-6 mph in a raft. The wind was blowing against so we moved much slower. 

We rafted 25 miles and then took out right next to Takahula Lake. We spent one night camped along the Alatna River on a sand bed, and it was a beautiful evening. We had a fire on the beach and enjoyed our last moments in the park. 

One of the most difficult aspects of the trip was its duration. Being in the field 11 days means you have to eat, and when you’re burning calories hiking, you need to eat a lot. So, carrying that much food, and corresponding weight, moves a trip like this into the “strenuous” category. I averaged 2.5 lbs of food per day so my food alone was around 25 pounds. 

Food (Average Day)  

Breakfast: Oatmeal w/ peanut butter/coconut oil mix, coffee with coconut milk powder
Lunch: Trail mix, energy bar, fruit leather, peanut butter, beef bar
Dinner: Good To-Go dehydrated meal, dark chocolate bar

Now, add in camping, photography, and packrafting gear, and yeah, these packs were heavy. My pack, for example, weighed in at between 60 and 65 pounds at the beginning of the trip. Thankfully, we were able to cache our packrafting gear at our drop-off point or we would have been looking at an additional 10-15 pounds. Each day though, the packs would get lighter and they felt much better on day 10 when we returned to our drop-off point.

Bears are an “issue” in Alaska. The park alerted to reports of a particularly curious bear who’d been spotted in the general vicinity of where we were heading, so we began our trip on high alert. We did run into that bear twice during our trip. The first time, we noticed him after we set up camp. He was about 100 meters away on the other side of a stream. He was eating berries and didn’t pay too much attention to us. However, he was in a bad spot because he was boxed in with only two directions, away from camp or towards camp, so of course, he chose to come towards us. We tracked the bear for a while and actually were able to push him away from camp and it was a non-issue. 

The second time we ran into him, he wasn’t concerned about us at all. Both encounters were not close though. Careful bear practices are essential to a safe trip in Alaska and we were prepared for that. All of us had Ursack bear bags for food storage, we set up a triangle at every camp (space between camp, kitchen, and food storage), and we had bear spray. 

Packing List

Photo Gear

• Nikon Z7
• Nikon 14-30mm f/4
• Breakthrough Filters X4 CPL
• 6 x batteries
• Zeiss Lens Cleaning Wipes
• 10 x lens clothes
  
  

Backpack

Gregory Baltoro 85L Backpack

Sleeping Bag

Marmot Helium 15 Down Sleeping Bag

Packrafting Gear

• Alpacka Caribou
• Aqua Bound Manta Ray 4-piece Paddle
• PFD
• Sea to Summit 35L Big River Dry Bag

Footwear

• LOWA Renegade GTX
• Brooks Cascadia Trail Runners

Shell/Rain Jacket & Pants

• Arcteryx Beta AR Shell Jacket
• Marmot Precip Rain Pants

Down Jacket

• Rab Neutrino Endurance Down Jacket

Apparel

• 1 x Wool Long-sleeve Shirts
• 1 x Arcteryx Adahy Fleece
• 1 x Merino 250 Bottom Baselayer
• 1 x Marmot Scree Softshell Pants
• 2 x Wool Socks
• 2 x ExOfficio Underwear
• Wool Hat
• Buff
• 2 x Gloves
• Quick-drying Camp Towel

Electronics

• Anker PowerCore 10000mAh Power Bank
• Black Diamond ReVolt Headlamp
• Phone Charger
• 3x AAA Batteries
• Garmin InReach 
• Anker Two Panel Solar Charger
• iPhone 11 

Water 

• 1 Liter Nalgene
• LifeStraw Go

Other Accessories

• Trekking Poles
• Ursack Bear Bag
• First Aid Kit
• Bear Spray
• Toiletries
• Toilet Paper
• Hand Warmers
• Compass
• Paper Map
• MSR Pocket Rocket Stove
• GSI Soloist