Women's Alaska Backpacking - Adult

Spend eight days under Alaska’s midnight sun backpacking through remote wilderness with a group of motivated women seeking adventure, community, and personal growth. You’ll fly into the Talkeetna or Chugach Mountains by bush plane and hike off-trail through terrain that’s as stunning as it is unforgiving—navigating dense shrub, fording glacier-fed rivers, and scaling steep, rocky slopes while often gaining or losing thousands of feet in elevation within a single day.

Photo credit: Catherine Rocchi

You’ll start at the NOLS Alaska base organizing and packing gear. Your instructors—experienced in both wilderness travel and building supportive group dynamics—will teach you essential backcountry skills: camp setup, navigation, grizzly protocols, and decision-making in unpredictable conditions. As you build competence, you’ll take on more responsibility for route-finding and leadership.

Photo credit: Molly Hagbrand

All-women’s expeditions are built on the same core principles as all NOLS courses: leadership and risk management, environmental stewardship, and expedition behavior—supporting your team and putting the group first.

Weather shifts fast in Alaska. Blue skies can turn to rain or snow within an hour, leaving you feeling like you’re constantly changing layers, but this is also what makes the landscape wild. You’ll leave with wilderness skills, newfound confidence, and a community of women who understand what it takes to thrive in Alaska’s backcountry.

Photo credit: Mauricio Clauzet