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All tours are PRIVATE!

Tour Description: A private, guided Alaska Range mountain hike
Tour Availability: May 1 through September 30
Duration: Variable depending on your preference; 4-12 miles round-trip, 2500-5000 feet elevation gain, 8-12 hours
Difficulty: Routes vary between moderate and difficult
Max Group Size: 6 people
Minimum Age Suggestion: About 12 and older with previous exposure to hiking
Max Age: None, but participants should be in good hiking shape
Tour Start Location: Between Mile 214 and 234 along the Richardson Highway, 2.5 hours +/- southeast of Fairbanks, 4.5 hours +/- northeast of Anchorage
Where To Meet: Meeting in Delta Junction or at the Lodge at Black Rapids before the hike is preferred, with carpool available from there. Customers who plan to camp nearby or travel to/from the Valdez/Anchorage direction will arrange meetup on an individual basis. An exact meeting time and location will be provided after booking depending on logistics.

Scroll to the bottom of this page for current rates, tour refund policy, and information about discounts.

Rates

Alaska Resident & Military Discount: Parties with at least one Alaska resident or active duty military personnel receive a 10% discount. Enter code “AK_AND_MILITARY_DISCOUNT” at checkout.
Add $50 per person for professional adventure portraits. (High-resolution digital files delivered via web download after your hike.)
Receive a discount when you also book an Aurora Borealis Photography Tour.
Rates above do not include transportation from Fairbanks! Optional transportation is typically not available for the Expert Mountain Hike due to the long hours required to transport and guide customers. Please inquire if you need transportation prior to booking or consider booking a shorter Standard Mountain Hike.

All tours are PRIVATE and involve no technical rock or ice climbing. Maximum group size 6. Children are welcome on tours but there is no youth discount; see age recommendations in difficulty ratings below. Full payment is required to reserve a tour. A 5% cancellation fee is charged when reservations are canceled at least 10 days in advance, a 50% cancellation fee is charged when reservations are canceled less than 10 days but at least three days in advance, and NO refund is given for cancellations made less than three days in advance. Tours may be canceled due to extreme weather (e.g. lightning), highway closures, etc., in which case your tour will be rescheduled or fully refunded. However, rain, wind, and temperatures near freezing are quite common in the mountains, especially at higher elevations, so customers should dress appropriately and be prepared to face the elements. Note that light rain showers are much more common than heavy downpours. While I can sometimes shift the date of a tour to align with better weather (subject to availability), I cannot guarantee perfect weather on the day of your hike and do not provide refunds if you experience rainy or cloudy weather. If you are afraid of catching a single raindrop or clouds hampering your landscape photo opportunities, please do not bother booking! For complete tour policies and more tour information, see the Black Rapids Tours FAQ.

Difficulty Ratings are assigned to each route as follows:
Easy: Minimal elevation gain, suitable for people of average fitness and kids about 7 and up
Moderate: Significant elevation gain (1000-2500+ feet) and/or rugged terrain requiring good fitness & agility, suitable for kids about 10 and up
Difficult: High elevation gain (2500-5000 feet) and/or steep & rugged terrain, suitable for tough kids about 12 and up

Please contact me if you have questions about the difficulty of a particular route. Keep in mind that hiking on unimproved trails & off-trail in Alaska is more difficult than hiking on a maintained trail. In rugged terrain our average hiking speed may be 1 mph or less. A 1000-foot elevation gain can be challenging for those who don’t hike or climb much, even for people in decent shape. Also, inclement weather can make hiking more challenging, especially at higher elevations. Many routes don’t feature a specific endpoint, and how far we travel always depends on your preference and stamina. Most of these hiking routes require good fitness and experienced hikers will find plenty of interesting and challenging options. You may change your selected route anytime before your tour starts, and I may suggest exchanging routes based on weather and other factors.