Hike & Sail Prince William Sound

While we tend to use a variety of boats and captains for these trips, all are equipped to be relatively comfortable.

Hiking in coastal Alaska has its own set of challenges! We’ll be hiking 3–6 miles per day, often on uneven terrain—think rocky beaches, steep forest, and sometimes slippery moss or tidal flats. If you’ve done some hiking and prepare physically, you’ll do great. Experienced hikers will still find plenty to love and push their limits. Guests will be expected to take care of their personal gear, pack and unpack their bags, and help carry a portion of shared items when we go ashore. The effort is more than worth it: you’ll be moving through wild, remote landscapes few others ever reach, with the satisfaction of having earned every view and experience.

The price includes all accommodations aboard the sailboat during the trip, all sailing and shore transportation within the Sound, breakfasts and dinners on board, all group supplies—cooking equipment, water filtration, group safety gear, emergency communication devices, maps, GPS, first aid kit, and the support of your experienced and trained guides.

The price does not include travel to Anchorage or Whittier/Valdez (depending on trip start), transportation to the harbor at the start and end, travel insurance or rescue insurance (both strongly recommended), or gratuity for your guides (10–20% of trip cost is customary). Personal gear is not included—things like hiking boots, layers, rain gear, day pack, headlamp, and toiletries. The price also does not include the cost of lunches / snacks. On our trips lunches are really just extended snacking throughout the day.

The boat has space for 5 guests, 1 guide, and 1 captain.

Meals on board are simple, hearty, and surprisingly good. Our captain knows their way around a galley and cooks up satisfying meals each day, often featuring fresh-caught salmon if we’re lucky. Expect a mix of comfort food and fresh ingredients, perfect after a full day of exploring. We can accommodate most dietary restrictions. We’ll provide all breakfasts and dinners, and the occasional treat. Guests are asked to bring their own lunch snacks. On these trips, lunch is more of a “snack as you go” style to keep the day flowing and maximize time out in the wild.

Fly into Ted Stevens International Airport in Anchorage. Then either fly to Valdez or train to Whittier (details will be sent out upon booking).

We have people come on our trips by themselves all the time! There’s nothing like travel through remote wilderness to build community.

Indigo Alpine Guide trips are most often run by the owner Jack Bynum and his closest and most trusted friends. All the people who work for IAG have over a decade of experience guiding trips in the most remote places on earth, have wilderness medical training and advanced guiding certifications.

For the Advanced Backpacking Course, Instructors will be women or queer respectively.

Deposit (non-refundable)

• $1,000–$2,000 per person, depending on the trip.

• Required to confirm your booking.

• The deposit is refundable if you cancel within 72 hours of booking. After that, they are non-refundable.

Final payment due:

• 90 days prior to trip start date.

Cancellation by client:

• >90 days before trip: Refund of all payments minus deposit.

• 61–90 days before trip: 50% refund of total trip cost.

• 60 days or fewer before trip: No refund.

• Replacement option: If you are able to fill your spot by finding a new guest, 100% refund (minus deposit).

Cancellation by Indigo Alpine Guides:

• Full refund of all payments including deposit, but we are not responsible for any additional expenses incurred (flights, hotels, etc.). We recommend booking refundable airfare when possible.

Trip delays / itinerary changes:

• No refunds for weather delays, itinerary changes, or other factors outside our control.

Travel insurance:

• Strongly recommended to protect your trip investment.

We always encourage folks to purchase trip cancelation insurance in addition to the mandatory medical evacuation insurance. We require that you have at least $200,000 in medical evacuation insurance. Your insurance policy should cover hazardous sports and we recommend that your policy cover search and rescue. Since we cannot confirm each client’s policy individually, it is your responsibility to make sure your policy will cover you while you participate in your activities of choice on the expedition.

For US citizens, we recommend Global Rescue. You will have a choice of purchasing it with or without the cancellation coverage–so make sure to select the one that gives you the coverage that you need. Other commonly used companies include World Nomads and Squaremouth.

You are welcome to seek out other insurance options, as these are only recommendations. When selecting a policy, please make sure they insure all the activities you’ll be participating in (many don’t include roped climbing, skiing, mountaineering, etc).