Custom trip information
Short Answer: We don’t know yet!
That’s the exciting part of booking a private, custom trip. All of our guides have great local knowledge, and while they have lots of options and ideas, they won’t make the final determination on exactly where you’ll be hiking until the day of your trip. They’ll take into account weather, current conditions, and your input! Maybe you’ve been hiking every day since you booked your trip, and you want to push yourself; or maybe you tweaked your ankle last week so you want to take it easy. We can accommodate it all! So stay flexible, keep an open mind, and trust that we’ll have a great day together
Short answer: It’s up to you!
Our exclusive raft trips take place on the Nenena River, which forms the eastern boundary of Denali National Park. This glacially fed river has something for everyone; and just like our day hikes, we will tailor the experience to you and your group. Whether you want a calm scenic float, or a splashy whitewater adventure, we’ll put you on the right section of river to give you the experience you’re looking for.
Short answer: No
Commercial vehicles (even private guiding services like us) are not permitted beyond the Denali Visitor Center. From there, however, we do have access to lots of trails and visitor services.
If you have a personal vehicle or rental car, you can drive yourself as far as Mile 15 of the Denali Park Road (Savage River). If you want to go farther than that on the Park Road, you’ll need to use the Denali Bus System.
We recommend booking an activity with us on your first full day in the Denali area, then exploring Denali National Park independently on another day during your visit. That way, if you decide to take a bus into the park, you’ll have a day of hiking with one of our guides under your belt, and can feel much more confident hiking on your own.
Short answer: Sometimes
We do have permits to guide inside Denali National Park on designated trails within the entrance area. There are some excellent trails here that can make for a day well spent. No commercial guiding of any kind is allowed beyond the visitor center, as this falls within the Wilderness Boundary of Denali National Park.
For our Private, Full-Day Adventure, we often prefer to explore areas that provide a more “off-the-beaten-path” experience. Many of the places we like to share may fall outside the boundary of the national park, but are equally wild, impressive, and representative of the Denali area. Weather permitting, there are also areas outside the park that have spectacular views of the Alaska Range and The Mountain (Denali).
Hiking: No age minimum or maximum. Our team will customize your adventure for the ages and activity level of your entire group. For these trips only, there is no charge for infants under 2 years old if they will be carried the entire time.
Rafting: 5+ for any rafting trip. 12+ for Class III+ rapids
Helpful Alaska information
While we would love to guarantee you will see wildlife during the trip, it is difficult to predict when and where wildlife will be in any particular area.
That’s a good thing! We aim to minimize our impact during all activities so the wilderness stays wild.
We recommend bringing a good pair of binoculars if you’re particularly interested in trying to spot wildlife.
Required gear varies slightly depending on the trip. We’ll send a comprehensive gear list with your confirmation email after booking. In general, expect to bring the following items.
- Worn-in hiking boots/shoes (your first hike in Alaska is a bad time to try to break in the new boots!)
- Synthetic or wool hiking clothes, NO COTTON
- Warm base layers
- Gloves/hat
- Rain jacket
- Rain pants
- Reusable water bottle (ex. Nalgene)
Policies and helpful trip information
Day trips:
Full payment, which includes a 15% non-refundable deposit, is required in order to secure your reservation.
Multi-day trips:
For multi-day trips, a 25% non-refundable deposit is due to secure your reservation. For trips booked within 60 days of trip departure, full payment is required to complete the reservation.
Final payment is due on or before 60 days prior to the trip start date, in ACH/check form. For trips of $5,000 or more, payment must be made in ACH/check form (or can be made with a credit card, with 3% fee adjusted accordingly).
Please contact us if you have questions regarding trip payment.
Payment via Visa, Mastercard, check or ACH is accepted. ACH is an electronic funds transfer, it is essentially a digital check entered in a completely secure online portal. The only information that is necessary for payment is to enter your account information in the online payment.
For trips of $5,000 or more, payment must be made in ACH/check form (or can be made with a credit card, with 3% fee adjusted accordingly).
See previous payment FAQ for day or multi-day trip payment details. Please contact us if you have questions regarding trip payment.
We are a small, flexible organization; however, we want visitors to understand many of our expenses are incurred prior to trip departure dates.
Alaska is an extraordinary place and extraordinary events are not uncommon. Our policies do not provide free cancellation for unforeseen circumstances (wildfires, floods, storms of any kind, pandemics or viruses, acts of war, terrorism, riots). We STRONGLY suggest you purchase travel insurance to protect your trip from a wide variety of possibilities.
In the event you need to cancel your booking, we offer the following:
Day Trips:
Cancellations made more than 10 days before the trip start date will receive a full refund, less 15% deposit. Cancellations made within 10 days prior to the trip start date will receive no refund.
Multi-Day Trips & Custom Itineraries:
A trip qualifies as a Multi-Day Trip anytime more than a single day trip is booked. Cancellations made more than 30 days before the trip start date will receive a full refund, less the 25% non-refundable deposit. Funds held may be used as a credit toward a future booking with Traverse Alaska, credit valid for 2 years.
Cancellations made within 30 days prior to the trip start date are not eligible for a refund.
We highly recommend purchasing travel insurance for your entire Alaska adventure. We partner with Travel Safe to offer trip protection. Request a quote here or contact us with questions. Policies must be purchased within 21 days of trip deposit payment in order to receive full benefits.
Current industry standard is 10-20% of the total cost of your trip or activity. For example, if your trip costs $1,000, consider tipping your guide at least $100.
As we do a variety of adventures, another guideline is tipping approximately $100-$200 per guide, per day.
