| Paxson
Alpine Tours, the oldest established nature tour
company in the region, offering seasonal activities since the 1980s.
Important note: Fuel price increases have hit here, too. We can keep our tour rates the same as they have been for the past five years only if we conduct tours using guests' vehicles. The use of our vehicles will involve a $25-$50 surcharge. |
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Join your host, Dr. Audubon Bakewell IV, for a guided bird trip. The four-hour tour combines road-birding and light to strenuous hiking to the region’s specialty tundra birds. Six hour tour extends our range further into the Alaska Range and further west along the Denali Highway. Birds we will be searching for include Smith’s longspur, arctic warbler and gyrfalcon. Other targets include long-tailed jaeger, American golden plover, northern wheatear, trumpeter swan, harlequin duck, northern dipper, merlin, golden-crowned sparrow, Lincoln’s sparrow, golden eagle and many more. |
Day hiking Full-day (approx. 6-8 hours) guided hikes through white spruce forest into willow tundra and up above treeline into the breathtaking high tundra. Bag lunch included. This is a strenuous trip, but no specialty climbing gear is needed. Three to four hour Glacier hike. A moderate hike to the glacier base, with the ability to scramble on the glacier for those who desire to do so. Collect multi-thousand year-old glacier ice! Emphasis on glacial geology. Normally conducted in late afternoon. This is a good choice if the weather is uncooperative for other hikes. Inquire about un-guided hikes to the glacier.
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Among
other choices, we offer the following package, which we consider to
be a spectacular way to spend a day on the Denali Highway: We ferry
you up the steepest part of the highway, and bring you to the high alpine
tundra. Suggestion from there is to bike the next 20 miles (32km) to
the top of Maclaren Pass, enjoying at slow speed the sights, sounds
and smells of the Alaska Range. The more energetic may wish to explore
the side roads, or descend the pass to the Maclaren River. At the end
of the day, return to the pavement, and coast downhill (mostly) to your
cabin. Variety of bikes available, including Alaska's own "FatBike!", the winner of the Iditasport Extreme 350-mile winter trail race.
Travel the Denali Highway in the comfort of your own car, learning about the Tangle Lakes Archaeological District and the unique role this region played in the peopling of the North American continent. Light to moderate hiking to examine the wildflowers and other flora of the southern flank of the Alaska Range. Search for moose, beaver, and also collared pika and, if they are in the area, the 40,000-strong Nelchina caribou herd. A special emphasis on the extraordinarily diverse glacial geomorphology of this area. And, of course, we point out the birds we come across! |
Our
oldest and our most popular tour. A non-whitewater float through the
Paxson Wildlife Reserve. Always a beautiful way to spend the evening
hours. We never know what we will see, but we often have up-close views
of beaver and moose
feeding. We also almost always see bald eagle.
In season, the spawning sockeye salmon
number in the thousands or tens of thousands; eagles and grizzly
bear come to feed on them. We occasionally
have treats like lynx and great
horned or hawk owl on the river,
too. This also is a terrific and unique way to birdwatch the riparian
and spruce forest-dwellers. Trip length: three
to four hours
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Fish
for trophy grayling (>18”) or lake
trout (up to 35 lbs.) Bag lunch included. Please inquire for
details. Ice fishing in winter for burbot and
lake trout. |
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Join us for a day-long or multi-day photo safari. We customize each tour for the photographer interested in birds, wildflowers or generalized scenery. We are one of the few operators in nature photography that makes available much specialized equipment for the traveling shutterbug - please contact us for details. Please browse through this website's Gallery. |
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Very stable yet responsive, one- and two-person kayaks are available for rent. For day trips, you can paddle the Upper Gulkana River or the Tangle Lakes region. Multi-day trips include exploring the upper Delta and Main or Middle Forks of the Gulkana Rivers. Paddles and life vests included. SUGGESTED ITINERARIES: River trip: Put in on Upper Gulkana; take out on Paxson Lake. Class 1 and small amount of Class 2 water. Entire passage is through the Paxson Wildlife Reserve. Lake trip: Put in at Tangle Lakes campground; kayak through Middle Tangle Lake; one easy portage to end of Upper Tangle Lake. Return same way, or along river with one more portage. Beautiful waters with the Alaska Range as a backdrop. Multi-day trips: Explore our National Wild and Scenic Rivers: the Main Fork of the Gulkana, Middle Fork of the Gulkana, West Fork of the Gulkana, or Delta Rivers. For experienced kayakers only. |
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The Paxson
area is spectacularly beautiful and a unique destination for many travelers.
This eastern side of the Alaska Range presents the visitor with wilderness
and high alpine scenery equal to and, in many Alaskans' and visitors' opinions,
surpassing the more commonly-visited Denali Park region, with absolutely none
of its crowds or driving restrictions. With the variety of tours we offer,
and ample opportunities for independent exploration, we highly recommend a
two to three night stay. Below is a possible, mostly unguided, itinerary for
a three day visit:
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Day 1 * Explore the grounds. Stroll along the Gulkana River; visit our Great Room, meet the chickens and Aurora and Borealis. * Take one of a number of easy hikes right from the cabins, with good possibilities for moose, salmon, nesting trumpeter swan viewing, and excellent boreal forest birding. * Evening float trip |
Day 2 * Drive, or rent a bicycle. Take your time and slowly explore the beauty of the high alpine tundra. * Kayak lakes or, for those with experience, our rivers. * Alpine tundra birding, wildflower viewing and in season, enjoying Alaska's most famous berry picking sites. * For those who didn't
take advantage the prior evening, a float trip |
Day 3 * Hike to the Gulkana Glacier or explore some of the Alaska Range's magnificent canyons. * Fish the Gulkana River or its adjacent streams, or rent a canoe and try your luck in Paxson or Summit Lakes. * Visit our neighboring fish hatchery - the world's highest altitude and furthest upstream, and probably the most efficient. Its staff always is eager to provide a complimentary guided tour. * Fossil hunting, rockhounding, or gold panning. We have picks, gold pans, and gloves available for use. * Campfire along river with s'mores *
Grill a sockeye salmon on your deck, overlooking the very river where
it was spawned. For non-fish lovers, organic bison or garden burgers
provide a terrific alternative. |