Alaska Sea Kayaking, hiking and river trips are off the beaten track adventures that take you away from the crowded tourist spots and show you an Alaska few have seen - wild and untamed! Judy and Chuck Nichols, veteran Alaska guides, offer small group tours sea kayaking in Kenai Fiords and Kodiak Island, rafting and hiking in the Brooks Range, and hiking and wildlife viewing with naturalists in Denali Park. Discover Alaska with Nichols Expeditions!

Whether it's your first time camping or you are an experienced backcountry traveler, a trip with Nichols Expeditions is always a fun way to explore a new area or return to an old favorite. Our guides are excellent teachers and our tours are the perfect place to learn a new sport like sea kayaking. You'll also meet great folks like yourself who enjoy the outdoors.

Below are descriptions of our four Alaska tours.

ALASKA SEA KAYAKING IN KENAI FIORDS

Your kayak is gliding silently, effortlessly over the blue-green water of the fiord as you reach for your camera to take a shot of a seal. It's the same one that's been curiously following you and is now posed on a small iceberg, framed by a towering glacier behind. "Click" - you get the shot right before your little friend playfully slips back into the water. It's another day of sea kayaking in Alaska!

A vast system of glaciers once covered the entire coastal region of Alaska. As they retreated, the splendor of the massive, intricately carved granite passageways was revealed. Many of these fiords are beautiful, but only the most spectacular were called the Kenai Fiords National Park. Located south of Anchorage on the rugged southeastern coast of the Kenai Peninsula, this marine park, with its remote bays and pristine coastline, receives little visitation. We will be exploring the area in two person sea kayaks, whose stable shape and rugged construction make them the craft of choice. Surrounded by only the sounds of nature, we will weave in and out of the secluded coves, past thundering waterfalls and view the mighty tidewater glaciers that are still carving these fiords. This is a full week of "Kodak moments".

Days are spent kayaking, hiking, fishing or just kicking back at camp watching a parade of icebergs pass by. Bald eagles, otters, seals, black bears and even an occasional orca or humpback whale call these fiords home. This is definitely one "off the beaten track" expedition that will exceed your expectations of the Alaska experience and answer your every need for adventure.

Meeting: Seward, Alaska
Trip type: Sea kayaking and beach camping
6 Days/$1,650: July 7 - 12, 2008
Charter dates are available.
Itinerary Request

DENALI NATIONAL PARK - CAMP DENALI WILDERNESS LODGE

Camp Denali is a remote wilderness lodge that lays in the shadow of Mount McKinley in the heart of Denali National Park. Lodging is provided in individual cabins decorated with hand-crafted patchwork quilts, a wood burning stove and a spectacular view of Mt. McKinley. Daily activities include wildlife observation, hikes led by naturalists, canoeing, fishing and biking. Delicious meals and freshly baked treats are featured in the dining room. A complete Alaskan resource library and nightly programs are yours to enjoy. Whether you make Camp Denali your main Alaskan destination or an add-on to another Nichols Expeditions trip, you will be glad you did.

Meeting Place: Denali National Park
Trip type: Wilderness Lodge, Hiking, Canoeing, Biking options 3, 4 or 7 nights/$455/night plus tax(double occupancy), children under 12 years sharing a cabin with adults - $345/night plus tax: Weekly departures June 6 - September 12, 2008
Itinerary Request

ALASKA SEA KAYAKING KODIAK ISLAND

Join Nichols Expeditions on an exciting sea kayaking adventure in Alaska's remote Kodiak Island Archipelago. Chuck and Judy Nichols will personally guide the trip, and it will be a small group experience. Our plan, besides having the maximum amount of fun, is to explore and photograph this scenic and infrequently paddled area. This is the perfect trip for those with a sense of discovery and who enjoy paddling a sea kayak.

Situated in the gulf of Alaska, the Kodiak Archipelago comprises 16 major islands and many smaller ones. . Our tour takes us to Shuyak Island, 54 miles north of Kodiak, Alaska. This.a true paddler's paradise, and is one of the best ways to explore this intricate maze of secluded bays, channels, and inlets. This region contains more sheltered interior waterways than anywhere in the Kodiak Archipelago.

This spectacular scenic wilderness is ideally suited for both land and marine life. Otters share the sea with whales, harbor seals, sea lions, and Dall porpoises. Kodiak brown bear and Sitka black-tailed deer inhabit the island's forests. Birds such as puffins, black oystercatchers, cormorants, common and red-throated loons, mergansers, harlequin ducks, and bald eagles are plentiful. Fishing for salmon and Dolly Varden could also prove to be good.

Meeting: Kodiak, Alaska
Trip type: Sea kayaking and beach camping
6 Days/$2,300: Charter dates available for groups of 6 people.
Itinerary Request

ALASKA HIKING & RAFTING THE BROOKS RANGE

By combining river rafting and hiking, the Nichols have created the ultimate Alaskan adventure that will take you into one of the most remote wilderness areas in the Brooks Range. This is a spectacular area that is very special to Chuck and Judy. The Noatak River lies north of the Arctic Circle in the Gates of the Arctic National Park and is considered one of the finest wild rivers in all of Alaska.

This expedition will combine floating and fishing in the undulating curves of the Noatak River with day hikes into the surrounding valleys and mountains. By venturing away from the river, where few take time to explore, the landscape opens up to reveal countless deep blue lakes, numerous side streams and wildflower draped mountainsides. A sweep of the horizon with binoculars may even uncover some of the local residents: barren ground grizzlies, wolf, Dall sheep, moose, Arctic fox and caribou.

The scenery, remoteness and wildlife viewing make this one of the most memorable and rewarding expeditions we offer. Bathed in the lingering glow of Alaska's midnight sun, the Brooks Range is guaranteed to inspire the wilderness spirit within you.

Meeting: Fairbanks, Alaska
Trip type: River rafting, backpacking and camping.
9 Days/$3,695 (includes Fairbanks to Brooks Range bush flights)
Charter dates are available for groups of 6 people.
Itinerary Request