Highlights

Deep in the Alaskan wilderness, the Tatshenshini River lays at the heart of the Tatshenshini-Alsek Wilderness Park, encompassing over 27 million acres and five U.S. and Canadian parks and preserves. Bound by two towering mountain ranges — the Alsek and St. Elias — the Tatshenshini is a river forgotten by time. The rafting trip begins in a lake of ice flows, and then runs toward the ocean, merging with the Alsek River. This one-of-a-kind adventure then leads onto a glacier of moraines and frozen falls and finally into the shadows of ship-sized icebergs and the terminus of Alsek Bay.

Full Description

A ROAM Tatshenshini River trip offers a unique perspective on Alaska's most rugged and pristine wilderness. Rafting among icebergs and hiking wildflower-carpeted fields alive with grizzlies, moose, bighorn sheep and bald eagles - only a few of the many exciting adventure options in this glorious country.

The Tatshenshini River, rated as one of the world's top five scenic rivers, drains the northwest corner of B.C. and the southwest corner of the Yukon Territory. The river joins the Alsek River just before the Alaska border and continues through the top of the Alaska panhandle to drain into the Pacific Ocean at Dry Bay. This special river valley has been designated as a Provincial Park and achieved World Heritage status, protecting it for generations to come. Shakespeare's assertion that "Man is the measure of all things" could not have been made by anyone who has spent time in Alaska and the Yukon. In this land, man is humbled by the sheer mythic proportions of the landscape. The rivers and the vastness of space were made for Titans to roam and explore; the towering mountains were merely their thrones.

The Terrain
Our journey will take us through alpine tundra, towering mountains with massive glaciers that often reach into the river and finally out onto the narrow coastal plain. This is a primeval land of the grizzly, the raven and the eagle: wilderness in its purest form. It has always been difficult to visit this remote corner of the world and settlements are few and very far between. The trappers and prospectors who came through in previous centuries endured extreme hardship to travel in the area -many did not survive the harshness. But "The Spell of the Yukon" has always been there and even today, Alaska and the Yukon have a place in the psyche of every adventurous North American.

This trip offers you a way to get completely away from civilization. On the river you will see no cars, no bridges, no wires. You will not hear a telephone or a television. A fax machine will seem as far away as it did 20 years ago. But if you ever thought of this part of the world as empty, a few days on the Tatshenshini will change that impression. Distances between things may be great but the abundance of life that manages to make the most of the short summer and long days will constantly surprise you and you will see why this region has become the largest international wilderness area in the world.

The Rivers
The Tatshenshini drops 1950 feet from Dalton Post, Yukon to Dry Bay, Alaska and the whitewater section lasts approximately 45 minutes with a maximum gradient of 50 feet per mile. The river itself is characterized as Class III but is misleading because of its remoteness. The upper Tat runs highest in June with the spring snowmelt yet the Alsek peaks in early July because of melting glaciers. The hotter the weather, the longer the high water will hold, leaving medium to moderate levels for September.

Wildlife and Flora
The valley of the Tatshenshini is a fantastic area for viewing wildlife. Wildlife sightings have included grizzly and black bear, moose, Dall sheep, mountain goat and wolf. Indigenous species also include coyote, lynx, marten and red fox. On the open country we are quite likely to see beaver, arctic ground squirrel and hoary marmot. Feeding on the salmon are many breeding pairs of bald eagles. The occasional golden eagle can also be seen soaring over the canyons of the upper Tat. A variety of hawks and the rare peregrine falcon also call this river valley home. Canada geese and the fish eating merganser are found along the river; while gulls and arctic terns are often seen as well.

While hiking we may come across ptarmigan and many varieties of songbirds. The giant spring or king salmon, coho, sockeye and chum salmon all spawn in the Tatshenshini and its tributaries while rainbow trout and char populate the upper river. Occasionally mosquitoes may be encountered but they are an infrequent annoyance later in the season. The mountain slopes are forested with hemlock, fir and spruce. Balsam, poplar, and cottonwood are found on the alluvial fans and river terraces, while wildflowers such as dwarf fireweed and cinquefoil grace the river's edge. The alpine meadows are covered with wildflowers such as moss campion and spotted saxifrage.

The Tatshenshini-Alsek is one of the North’s most prolific salmon habitats and commercial fisheries. It has massive sockeye salmon runs and is a spawning ground for spring and coho salmon. However, because of the glacial run-off from the world’s largest non-polar ice fields, the fishing is not great. If you plan on staying in the Yukon before or after your expedition, there are a number of wonderful char, grayling and trout fisheries in the region. We suggest you bring a rod with a case and the smallest of tackle boxes with the appropriate lures or flies.