Testimonials

We set up a custom photography day trip with Mollie and it was a wonderful non-stop adventure of her favorite locations south of the main Denali park.

As a photographer herself, Mollie took into consideration the locations based on light and the time of day that we were shooting. We started early in the morning and ended around 5:00 pm and she managed the stops based on the sunlight and clouds through the day.

As she guided us to many diverse photography stops she also shared information on the history, fauna, and animals of the area. Her warmth and engaging style left us with a better understanding of Alaska and expanded photography knowledge on how best to shoot the vast landscapes and small scenes afforded us on the trip. We will bring this knowledge to future Alaskan adventures.

Traverse Alaska was very professional in their process of capturing our interests for a custom photography day and matched us with a perfect expert in Mollie. The company also has rights to access indigenous permit only lands which provided us photography locations that we wouldn’t have been able to access on our own. We would not hesitate to coordinate another future custom trip with them.

Erica was amazing. She guided 8 of us, including with our 1 year old baby, on a hike into the tundra into the wilderness near Denali, in the mountains in the area of Denali National park, but not in the Park itself. She was full of knowledge of the area including flora and fauna, very affable, and was great with both our children and their grandparents. We hiked for more than four hours, and never saw another human being. Highly highly recommended.

We chose Traverse Alaska as an alternative to the overcrowded National Park bus tours.

Prior to our trip, Traverse reached out to us with detailed instructions on what to pack and bring, ensuring that we were well-prepared for our hike. Our guide, Vicki, picked us up from our hotel and drove us to Denali State Park. We had 4 novice backcountry hikers in our group (74 yo, 68 yo, 38 yo, and 36 yo), and Vicki did a great job of tailoring the hike to our individual needs.

It was already Fall in Denali and sight of termination snow in the distance served as a reminder that winter was just around the corner. We learned a lot about life in the tundra and what it takes to survive a forbidding climate like Denali. It was a fantastic day, and I highly recommend Traverse Alaska to those seeking to discover Denali without the crowds.

Tip: I wish we had booked Traverse Alaska to pick us up from the Whittier cruise ship terminal and drive us to Denali. This would have saved us a 12.5 hour train ride with 89 people.

I had an incredible hike in August with Joe. I’m a somewhat novice hiker, and we ended up accomplishing a much greater hike than I thought possible. He picked the perfect mountain to climb, taking breaks as I needed. I enjoyed the great views, including seeing 50+ dall sheep gathered on a neighboring peak. Joe shared lots of information regarding the plants, terrain, animals, etc. And he successfully motivated me to do a hike and see views that I would never have experienced without the right guide. Traverse really catered to my skill level and desired hike, and I was lucky they were able to schedule this hike within 24 hours of my contacting them. Thanks Joe and Traverse!

This is my second year in a row going on day hikes with Mollie at Traverse, and it was the first thing I looked to book when I came back this year. Mollie and Traverse are really the best. They know the area so well, and customize the trips to exactly what you want. This year we did two days with Traverse — a day of hiking, and then a day of scenic float/rafting and half day hike. Leading up to the trip, Traverse was so accommodating in answering all of our (many) questions (thanks, Jake and Mollie!) and customizing to what we were looking for and for the ability of our group. Both days were spectacular — beautiful off-the-beaten path hikes through gorgeous tundra and mountain views and to lakes, really fun scenic float with a different beautiful view of the scenery. Would recommend Traverse to everyone — some of the best few days we had in Alaska. Can’t wait to come back for my third trip someday!

We had a full-day hike with Anne. She drove us to a secluded spot a little ways southeast of Denali where we hiked through a series of naturally terraced alpine meadows filled with wildflowers and fascinating tundra groundcover. The view at the top was classic Alaska — wide open, uninhabited and epic. But the real highlight was spending a day with someone so knowledgeable, friendly and attentive. As Anne said, you have to keep your eyes up when you’re hiking here — bear, moose and what have you — but she brought the ground underfoot to life and got us hooked on looking down. We ended the day feeling like we’d had a sweeping introduction to this special place, from it’s grand, glacier-shaped vistas to its tiny, nectar-bearing buds of thawing tundra. Amazing and unforgettable.

I feel so lucky to have found Traverse Alaska (Joe and Mollie) for a Yokohama Tire film project. It was super last minute, but they rose to the challenge with great attitudes. They took care of our celebrity guests in a professional laid back way that fit our group’s vibe perfectly. The excursions and accommodations were expertly planned and executed. Added fun was that Mollie was our photographer.

Thank you Joe and Mollie!

Joe & Mollie made trip planning so easy for my husband and I. It was our first time in Alaska and they did an amazing job making our vacation one of our most memorable and personalized vacations. They are both excellent people who have great ideas and superb local knowledge. We were very well taken care of on the trip. For outdoor adventures we went on some gorgeous day hikes, pack rafting (first time for both of us and highly recommend this), biking, sea kayaking and fly fishing. On the plane ride home we decided that Alaska is a place we hope to make it back to many times and will likely use Traverse again! I wish they could plan all of our vacations. Thank you so much!

We were overwhelmed by the vastness of Alaska and were struggling to put together an itinerary. Luckily, we found Joe and Traverse Alaska… he asked questions about what was most important to us, what sort of experience we wanted and personalized the trip for us. It turned out to be everything we wanted, a few things we didn’t know we wanted but loved, and probably the best experience we have ever had.The diversity of our experience could not have been accomplished without Traverse Alaska. We began our adventure in Anchorage, spent several days in Denali, and then headed to Seward to wrap up the trip. Sounds simple enough, but Joe made sure that we got the most out of each segment, and most importantly, tailored everything to our vision.The value of the local connections Traverse Alaska has cannot be underestimated. The accommodations allowed us to see a more authentic and intimate version of Alaska, far from the cruise ship crowds. We got a taste of ‘local’ life and the amazing tapestry of Alaskans. The hiking was amazing, and Joe was an unbelievable resource. It was incredibly educational, but in the fun sense because of his passion… sort of like a narrated version of Wikipedia with your favorite professor.If you are like us, you want to maximize your vacation time and have a truly unforgettable experience. Traverse Alaska takes that concept and delivers beyond your highest expectation.

Go visit Alaska on land and use an Alaskan guide. Not just any guide, use Traverse Alaska. They use Alaska residents as their guides, and are knowledgeable and skilled. We were fortunate enough to have Vicki as our guide when my husband, two adult daughters, and I visited Denali. I indicated when I first contacted Traverse Alaska that we wanted a hiking experience at Denali. I did my best to describe our skill level, and Vicki worked with that. They also highly recommended a rafting trip. I was dubious, but said okay. While we did parts of our trip in places other than Denali, my husband said the favorite part of our trip was rafting down the Nenana. He laughed uproariously as he got his glacial facial (as did our adult daughter). The hikes were amazing, and Vicki adapted and modified to what she listened to and feedback. While I love the plant life and evolution of the Denali forest, my husband does not as much. Vicki modified it to what would suit all of us. Most people arrive late the first day, we arrived 3 hours earlier than check-in, and Vicki met us and we went for a hike that day. On our last day in Denali, when most people just leave, she asked if we wanted one last hike, and took us that day for a final hike. If we wanted to keep hiking, she kept going. She took us to areas we never would have found on our own. We hiked alongside lakes, over tundra (it is not the easiest thing to do), bushwhacking in the wilderness, wild blueberry picking during hikes (and consuming as we hiked). She met our every need, and then some.
During our time there, she made suggestions about the flight over Denali (we booked it, but listened to her suggestions), made sure we were always properly dressed for hikes (for the rest of our trip we all walked around saying ABP—”always bring puffy.” Vicki prepared us well not only for each day in Denali, but for what to expect and how to dress when we went on our own to other destinations.
Vicki is passionate and knowledgeable and was relatable to not only us older folks, but to our 27 and 31 year old daughters.
If you are of that rarer group of people who don’t just want a day in port, but want to see Alaska—to traverse Alaska, take advantage of this wonderful company—Traverse Alaska.

We have backpacked in many places but never Alaska—we contacted Traverse Alaska to set up a backpack trip before taking our son off to college. With extremely short notice – literally a few days- Joe and Traverse sorted out a way to accommodate our short notice request – they quickly set up a 5 day trip that included a bush plane drop into a remote airstrip in the wilderness on the border of Denali Park – stunning! Joe guided us over gorgeous tundra and we eventually worked our way into a high cirque, hiked some amazing ridges and backpacked over all the zones- from treeline, to tundra, to high alpine and ice and snow- the trip was spectacular!!

Custom trip definition – means you do not have to have a plan to present- it means you come up with an idea and they help you from there. Joe sorts out your abilities on the trail and fit the next 5 days into some amazing trail-less backpacking. We did not see not see the trace of another human – but did get to see breathtaking views, a massive diversity of wild flowers, berries and plenty of the local wildlife- a small herd of caribou came through one of our campsites on a high bench during breakfast!

If you want to backpack in the wild, trail-less open of Alaska but are hesitant to just start out – we highly recommend setting up a custom trip with Traverse– no stress, no worries, just an amazing adventure with a highly experienced, awesome guide. Traverse got us comfortable traversing the wild, wide open landscape of Alaska and we are hooked- what an amazing place- what an amazing guide outfit!

“We (mom, dad, 3 children between the ages of 7 and 11) went on a 4-day, 3-night backpacking adventure together with Joe. The kids had never backpacked before. Joe did an amazing job of picking a route, giving us options depending on how the kids would do, and also of judging how far to go and when to take breaks, which resulted in our kids totally loving the experience (they are asking when we can go backpacking again). The food and equipment that was provided for us was really great (such a treat not having to bring/plan anything except our personal gear). Amazing service by friendly Traverse Alaska people from the start of planning our trip to getting dropped off by Joe in Fairbanks, and they helped us find really great lodging and had helpful advice for the rest of our trip too. Joe is extremely knowledgeable (about plants, wildlife and anything else we experienced during our trip). Overall we couldn’t be more satisfied with the whole experience and would highly recommend Traverse Alaska!”

Epic. Amazing. Educational. Awesome. Traverse organized the whole trip for us, arriving in Fairbanks and leaving from Anchorage. We spent a few days in Denal with the best guide. He had us set up with hikes, rafting, etc. He also had a hike organized that was off the animal trail (literally no trail) which we loved. Full of information but more importantly had us feeling like long-term friends by the end of our stay in Denali. Our Traverse Alaska guide was just outstanding. Things go wrong in Alaska – weather, delays, etc. Traverse continually scrambled to find organizations that could deliver the excursion. The trip itself was just amazing. Our itinerary was: Day 1 Fairbanks arrival, Day 2 hiking in Denali. Day 3 hiking in Denali. Day 4 hiking near Cantwell (off the trail), Day 5 additional hikes and driving to Anchorage, stopping in Talkeetna, Day 6 Ellison Air (from Anchorage) to view bears feeding (within 30 feet), Day 7 viewing glaciers from the water in Seward, Day 8 hiking Exit Glacier trail. Day 9 flying home.

“We didn’t know exactly what to expect when we signed up for a family day hike with Traverse Alaska with Mollie Foster. It turned out to be a great idea. My wife and I have two boys (aged 11 and 13 at the time) who had a fair amount of backpacking experience (mostly in CA). The hike we did was an excellent way to orient ourselves to off trail hiking in Alaska and the surrounding Denali area. She gave us great insight on how to make our park experience in Denali better. The next day we enjoyed a family tundra nap off trail in Denali National Park. I highly recommend that you work with Traverse and have them take you hiking on your first day in the area. They have incredible knowledge and experience.”

“Would you truly like to make memories of a lifetime? Then you should hire Traverse Alaska and never look back. Joe and Mollie listened, organized, and provided guided service, transportation and meal planning at the highest level. They thought of, and through, everything and we couldn’t have been happier with our experience with them. On top of everything they provided, they connect with you like you have been lifelong friends. They have deep knowledge of the natural, and not so natural, characteristics of Alaska’s Interior (and I am sure elsewhere in Alaska) which made for a real educational experience for us too.
If you are ready to do something to make your special trip to Alaska far more special than you could’ve imagined then give them a call and enjoy your time with them… and the memories you I will have for a lifetime.”