“Joe took my husband & I and our two boys (11 and 14) on a hike to the most spectacular spot between the Alaska Range and the Talkeetna Range. His knowledge of the wildlife and all the flowers was incredible. He got so excited when we found bear mounds near a known caribou path. Wish I’d gotten a video of him explaining how they go after the artic ground squirrels. Tim joined us the next day as the guide for our 3 day float beginning on the Chulitna River. He and Joe were fantastic hosts. We got to fish, camp, and have a blast on the river. We lucked out with picture perfect weather and saw a black bear, golden eagle, and several bald eagles. The last day we were within 20 feet of one perched on a fallen tree. Everyone was quiet so as not to disturb him. Couldn’t get a picture, but that experience will never be forgotten. We’re already thinking of when we can get back. I’d love to have more time with Mollie and improve on my photography skills.”
Traverse Alaska Philosophy
Traverse Alaska specializes in private, custom human-powered adventures based in Denali. We provide single-day and multi-day hiking, rafting, backpacking, packrafting and custom trips that focus on deep exploration and education across Alaska. Partnering with the highest quality local lodges and restaurants enables us to create seamless itineraries that inspire connections to our natural world and ignite the soul. Our custom-designed trips challenge guests while creating the opportunity to experience true, wild freedom at their own unique pace.
Testimonials
What does a Private, Custom trip mean?
Our Private and Custom experiences mean it’s just you and your group, with our team of local, professional guides. All adventures are customized to your group’s interests and abilities. Each and every trip we do is unique based on your group. We can guide your group on a single day adventure, multiple days in the Denali area, or build your entire Alaska itinerary. Our home is Denali, however we offer trips and provide services across Alaska by working with knowledgeable local experts, and the highest quality businesses in areas across the state.
#traversealaska #privatepersonalcustom
Q: “Will we be able to see the mountain—Denali—on our trip with you?”
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A: Many of our Private and Custom adventures go to areas with spectacular base-to-summit views of the 20,310-ft mountain—Denali. Of course, this is all based on the weather, but if it is a clear day, we have a very strong chance of seeing Denali.
Make sure to tell our team if viewing Denali is at the top of your priority list, and we will make sure to tailor the day to what you are looking for.
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See our FAQ page of our website for more info.
📸: @mollieofdenali
#traversealaska
Today we take a moment to celebrate all the talented, strong, amazing ladies on our team, and in our local community. The group of badass ladies in our network is way too long to list, but here are a handful of photos of ladies who continually inspire us.
Happy International Women’s Day!
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1 - Paige of @squidacreskennel with some impressive yoga moves from the back of a dogsled
2 - @kaitlynweitzeil showing us how it’s done on the river
3 - @victorialeighwild + @mollieofdenali capturing photos on a beautiful day in Resurrection Bay with @sewardoceanexcursions
4 - Louise / @amerikiwheezy crushing the whitewater, as she does
5 - @eatinwild @_ellafoster_ @mollieofdenali on a sister’s backpacking trip in the Talkeetna Mountains
6 - Jan Tomsen on a 100+mi ski to Nome along the Iditarod Trail
7 - @alaskannie teaching skiing with @skiku.ak in Kaktovik
#whoruntheworld #womenwhotraverse
Review from a Private, Custom Fly-in Backpacking trip last summer
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“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!”
— Dan T.
Would you like this to be your “office” this summer? Traverse Alaska is hiring!
We have a couple of hike and raft guide positions still available for this summer season. With our local-hire policy, applicants need to have year-round experience in Alaska.
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Our team seeks applicants for:
- Professional Wilderness Hiking Guides
- Professional Rafting Guides
- Logistics, Office, Administrative, and Maintenance Support
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From wilderness guides to management and office staff, we expect the highest level of talent, professionalism, and flexibility from each member of our team. Our guides provide private and custom hiking, backpacking, rafting, packrafting, and/or custom adventures, based on experience and qualifications. The positions are based in the Denali area, with trips to other areas in Alaska possible.
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Members of the Traverse Alaska team are expected to be professional, respectful, trustworthy, flexible, optimistic, detailed, creative, collaborative, corrigible, inspired, inspiring, playful, open-minded, patient, kind, curious, occasionally funny, hard-working, and helpful.
Local-hire policy, applicants must have year-round experience in Alaska, or willing to gain experience. Competitive pay based on experience.
More information and application via link in profile.
#traversealaska
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We are dedicated to supporting organizations that keep Alaska wild.
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Some of our favorite non-profit partners are doing valuable work for Alaska lands, wildlife, and people.
Follow these organizations to stay connected on important Alaska issues:
@keepalaskawild
@thenortherncenter
@alaskatrails
@greatlandtrust
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📸 @mollieofdenali // Mollie Foster Media
A herd of caribou graze on the tundra, just after midnight in @denalinps with Denali visible in the distance.
At 12:30am right after the new year, the sky opened up and Mother Nature put on her own epic fireworks display! 2025 is off to a wonderful start✨
2024 Summer highlights: August
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Private, custom fly-in backpacking trips (enjoying breakfast with caribou walking through camp), exclusive rafting trips for larger families (7-12ppl+), making time to stop and swim on the river, intro to backpacking overnight trips, enjoying clear, snowy mountain views, autumn colors changing, and custom week+ long trip from Fairbanks to Seward for a family of 4.
#traversealaska
2024 Summer highlights: July
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Private, custom rafting adventures with families and young kids in their own big raft, safely rafting by the Riley Creek fire, families learning about sled dogs and cuddling puppies, seeing bears while hiking, experiencing clear views of Mt. Denali for the first time, learning about packrafting, and finding water to cool off on those rare hot July days.
#traversealaska
