Full-Day Float & Fly Rafting Trip
Three rivers. One canyon. Seventeen miles of wilderness. A scenic flight home.
The Float & Fly covers water and air in a single day.
- Trip Length: Full day (~7 hours)
- Season: Late May to early September
- Difficulty: Moderate (paddle or oar-powered options)
- Age Requirement: 10+
- Distance: Approximately 17 miles
- Departure Times: Custom launches between 7:00 AM – 11:00 AM
River to Sky: Alaska’s Complete Day Adventure
This Float & Fly rafting trip follows water from glacier-fed headwaters to remote wilderness confluence, then returns you to McCarthy by air. It’s a full-day journey that covers three rivers, braided channels, canyon walls, and finishes with a perspective from above that shows how it all connects.
The morning starts on the upper Kennicott River with Class III whitewater—splashy waves and technical moves through glacier-carved channels. The current pulls steady here, keeping you engaged as your guide navigates through features with names earned over years of running this section.
Where the Kennicott meets the Nizina, the river doubles in size and takes on a silty, chocolate-milk color. The character shifts. Instead of confined channels, the valley opens into broad braided flows with mountains visible in every direction—some closer 7,000-foot “foothills,” others distant towering peaks. Gravel bars stretch wide, often showing fresh tracks from bears or moose that passed through recently.
After a riverside lunch prepared by your guide, the float continues to Nizina Canyon—a 4-mile limestone corridor where the braided flows compress back into a single channel. Walls rise on both sides. Sound echoes differently here: paddle strokes, water against stone, the occasional rattle of rockfall. The geology reveals itself in distinct layers across vertical faces.
As you exit the canyon, the Nizina-Chitina confluence appears—one of the more remote spots accessible on a day trip from McCarthy. Your bush plane meets the group on a gravel bar. The transfer happens quickly, and within minutes you’re airborne, watching the landscape transform from ground-level detail to broad pattern. The flight back offers views of the glaciers, valleys, and ridges you’ve just traveled through.
This private, customizable full-day Alaska rafting trip delivers the Float & Fly experience in Wrangell St. Elias National Park without multi-day commitment.
What Makes This Float & Fly Distinctive
Three Rivers, One Progression
The journey from Kennicott to Nizina to Chitina follows the natural downstream flow, and each section reveals different character.
The Kennicott: Fast, technical, glacier-fed. Whitewater that keeps your attention.
The Nizina: Wide braided channels, silty water, open valleys where you can see the scale of this country.
Nizina Canyon: Four miles where limestone walls compress those braided flows back into one channel—dramatic geology and the trip’s visual highlight.
This progression means the scenery keeps changing. You’re not looking at the same landscape for seven hours.
Bush Plane Landing at River’s Edge
The day’s conclusion is its own experience. Your bush plane descends toward the river, touching down on a gravel bar where moments before there was only wilderness. The pilot shuts down the engine. You transfer gear from raft to aircraft. Then you’re airborne, climbing above the river you’ve just traveled.
From the air, the landscape reveals patterns invisible from water level. Braided channels form intricate networks. Side glaciers spill down from high ice fields. The route you took appears as a thin line through vast terrain.
The scenic flight back to McCarthy showcases glaciers, valleys, and mountain ridges from a perspective that completes the day—you’ve experienced this wilderness by water and by air, understanding it through both intimate contact and grand overview.
Private Experience, Flexible Pace
Choose your departure time between 7:00 AM and 11:00 AM based on your preferences. Earlier launches provide additional time for wildlife viewing as animals are most active in morning hours. Mid-morning departures work better for those who prefer less hurried starts.
Select paddle raft for active engagement or oar rig for guide-powered travel while you observe. The private booking structure allows greater flexibility on the water—stopping when wildlife appears, spending extra time in canyon sections for photography, adjusting pace to match your group’s energy and interest level.
This customizable Alaska rafting approach works particularly well for families with older children, small groups with varied experience levels, and travelers celebrating special occasions who want the trip shaped around their specific vision.
Complete Drysuit Outfitting
We provide professional drysuits for every guest on this Float & Fly rafting trip. In glacier-fed rivers where water temperature remains just above freezing even in summer, drysuits ensure comfort throughout the full day on the water.
The difference is tangible. Instead of managing cold and wondering if you should have worn more layers, you focus on the canyon walls, the wildlife tracks, the way light filters through morning mist rising from the river.
What to Expect: Your Day on the River
Distance:
Approximately 17 miles
Meals:
Fresh riverside lunch included
Age Requirement:
10+
Difficulty Level: Moderate (active paddling or oar-boat option)
How the Day Unfolds
Your adventure begins with gear fitting and drysuit instruction before walking to the water. The morning air is crisp—typical for glacier valleys where cold air drains downslope overnight. Once you’re suited up and on the water, the Kennicott River’s current takes hold immediately.
Kennicott and Nizina River Progression
The first section delivers splashy Class III whitewater—waves that break over the bow, technical moves around river features, the kind of engaging rapids that require attention without demanding expert skills. Your guide reads the water constantly, choosing lines through wave trains and around rocks.
As the Kennicott transitions to the Nizina, the river doubles in size and takes on a silty “chocolate milk” appearance. Here, the river widens into scenic braided channels. The valley opens up. Mountains surround the river in all directions, from the closer 7,000-foot “foothills” to distant towering peaks. The scale becomes apparent—this is interior Alaska wilderness where space extends further than you’d expect.
Lunch Stop and Canyon Descent
Midway through the day, the group stops for riverside lunch. Your guide prepares fresh food while you explore the gravel bar, look for wildlife tracks in the sand, or simply sit with the sound of moving water. The break provides time to process the morning’s experiences and shift gears mentally for the afternoon’s different terrain.
After lunch, you approach Nizina Canyon—a 4-mile limestone corridor that constricts the braided flows into one channel. The river compresses. Sound echoes differently here: paddle strokes, water against stone, occasional rockfall from the cliffs above. This section provides some of the trip’s most dramatic scenery, where geology is written in layers across vertical walls.
As you exit the canyon, the Nizina-Chitina confluence appears—one of the more remote areas accessible on a day trip from McCarthy. Here, your bush plane meets you on a gravel bar. The transfer from river to air happens in minutes, and suddenly you’re climbing above the landscape, watching it transform from intimate detail to broad pattern.
The flight back delivers aerial views of glaciers you’ve floated past, valleys you’ve traveled through, mountain ridges that frame the system. It’s a good way to end the day—understanding this wilderness through both close contact and overhead perspective.
2026 Dates & Pricing
The Float & Fly operates from the last weekend in May through the first weekend in September. Due to coordination with our air taxi partner, availability is limited and early reservations are strongly encouraged.
Private Tour Pricing (Per Person)
- 1 Guest: $1290
- 2 Guests: $715 per person
- 3 Guests: $620 per person
- 4–7 Guests: $465 per person
- 8–12 Guests: $395 per person
Departure Times
Custom launches available between 7:00 AM and 11:00 AM. Earlier departures allow additional time for wildlife viewing and photography during peak activity hours.
Flight Coordination
Bush plane pickup is arranged with a local air taxi service. Your return flight offers exceptional views of the Kennicott Valley, Root Glacier, and surrounding peaks as you approach McCarthy from the air.
Customize Your Float & Fly Experience
This full-day Float & Fly rafting trip adapts to your group’s interests, physical capabilities, and goals. Some groups prioritize photography—spending extra time in canyon sections where light and geology create compelling compositions. Others focus on wildlife observation, moving quietly through areas where bears frequently appear along shorelines.
The pace can adjust based on your group’s energy. More breaks for exploration and observation, or steady progression to maximize river mileage—both approaches work within the day’s timeframe.
Because this is a private rafting experience, it accommodates families with older kids, small groups with mixed abilities, and travelers planning once-in-a-lifetime Alaska adventures who want the day shaped around their specific vision.
Contact us at 888-609-RAFT to discuss customizing your Float & Fly rafting experience in Wrangell St. Elias National Park.
Professional Guide Service
Our guides bring specific expertise to this Float & Fly rafting trip. The route requires comprehensive knowledge across three different waterways, sound judgment around weather and water conditions that affect both rafting and flight coordination, and clear communication with air taxi services to ensure precise pickup timing.
You can learn more about the experience, certifications, and backgrounds of the people leading your trip on our Meet the Guides page.
Required Training and Certification
- Swiftwater rescue techniques
- Wilderness First Responder care (80-hour minimum)
- Local river systems and route planning expertise
- Wildlife awareness and safety protocols
- Cold-water and remote-environment operations
What This Experience Brings
Our guides have spent years building local knowledge on the Kennicott, Nizina, and Chitina river systems. They understand how afternoon glacier melt affects water levels, which gravel bars work for plane landings at different river heights, where wildlife corridors intersect the route, and how to pace the day so lunch happens at optimal locations.
When you choose this guided Float & Fly trip, you’re traveling with a team that understands both the rivers and the logistics that make this combination of water and air travel work seamlessly.
Why Our Float & Fly Stands Apart
With decades of combined guiding experience in Wrangell St. Elias National Park, we offer a thoughtfully paced Float & Fly rafting experience built around safety, comfort, and genuine wilderness immersion.
Intimate River Knowledge
Our guides know these river systems through direct experience across multiple seasons and water levels. This knowledge allows confident navigation and informed decisions about route choices, timing, and where to focus attention for wildlife viewing or photography.
Small Group Flexibility
Limited group sizes create space for natural pacing on the water. When a bear appears on a distant gravel bar, there’s time to observe without disrupting other groups. When light hits canyon walls perfectly, there’s flexibility to pause for photography.
Professional Equipment and Standards
Complete drysuit outfitting, quality helmets and PFDs, well-maintained rafts and paddles—equipment is sized properly, explained thoroughly, and checked before launch. This attention to gear translates into comfort and confidence throughout the day.
Clear, Calm Communication
Our guiding approach emphasizes preparation over surprise, instruction over assumption, responsive adaptation over rigid schedules. The result is a full-day Alaska rafting trip that feels adventurous without being overwhelming.
The Float & Fly experience we offer is grounded in local expertise and careful execution, not marketing hype.
Why Travelers Choose This Trip
What’s Included in Your Float & Fly Adventure
We Provide
Technical Gear:
- Full drysuit (professionally fitted)
- PFD (personal flotation device)
- Helmet
- River shoes
- Paddle (for paddle-raft groups)
Food and Service:
- Fresh riverside lunch (prepared by your guide)
- Experienced, certified professional guide
- Bush plane coordination and return flight
You Bring
Clothing:
- Warm base layers (synthetic or wool, not cotton)
- Warm socks
- Sunglasses with retainer strap
Essentials:
- Water bottle
- Camera (in waterproof case recommended)
- Sunscreen
- Optional additional snacks
Appreciation:
- Guide gratuity (10-20% recommended for excellent service)
Experience Alaska’s legendary rivers
We’re ready for you! Call us at 888-609-RAFT or click below to start planning your journey through America’s largest national park.
Your Day: Itinerary Flow
Meet at the Shop
Waivers, gear orientation, drysuit fitting.
Questions answered, expectations set.
Suit Up & Walk to Water
Drysuit instruction and final fitting.
PFD and helmet sized and secured.
Short walk to launch site with gear.
Boat & River Instruction
Flat-water briefing covering paddle technique.
River safety overview including what to do if someone goes overboard.
Final questions before launch.
Kennicott & Nizina River Travel
Class III whitewater navigation.
Canyon features and dramatic geology.
Named rapids and technical sections.
Wildlife observation opportunities.
Riverside Lunch
Fresh meal prepared by your guide.
Time to explore gravel bars, look for tracks,
decompress from morning’s intensity.
Nizina Canyon to Chitina Confluence
Broad braided channels.
Remote wilderness sections.
Approaching the meeting of two major rivers.
Bush Plane Pickup
Aircraft landing on gravel bar.
Gear transfer.
Scenic flight back to McCarthy with aerial perspective of the day’s journey.
Note: Itinerary timing and sequence may vary based on weather conditions, water levels, wildlife encounters, and group interests.
Your experienced guides adapt the journey to maximize both safety and experience quality.
Ready for Alaska’s Float & Fly Experience?
The Full-Day Float & Fly is our most complete one-day rafting trip in Wrangell St. Elias National Park. It combines glacier-fed river rafting with a bush plane return, giving you perspective of this wilderness by both water and air.
As a private, customizable experience, the Float & Fly works well for photographers wanting varied landscapes, adventure travelers with limited time, and families with older children looking for genuine Alaska wilderness without multi-day commitment.
The combination of three rivers, canyon terrain, braided channels, and aerial return creates a day that covers a lot of ground—both literally and in terms of understanding how this landscape works.
Reserve Your Float & Fly Adventure
Early booking strongly recommended — Flight coordination limits daily availability
Call us at 888-609-RAFT — Discuss timing, customization, and logistics
Limited spots each season — Private trips and air taxi scheduling restrict capacity
Your Alaska Float & Fly rafting experience starts here.
River Scenes and Testimonials
Very well run operation and an almost spiritual experience.
– Robin M.
What a great way to enjoy McCarthy by spending time in a boat with an awesome guide. Our guide was super knowledgeable. Fun and hit the rapids really well.
– Jacob W.
We had a great time and learned a lot about from out guide Gloves. Beautiful scenery & an approach to rafting that made it both fun and save.
– Evelyn R.
READY TO PLAN YOUR TRIP?
We’ve got you covered with day and multi-day trip guides for McCarthy, Alaska.
Planning that bucket list trip to the Last Frontier can be a little daunting. But not to worry – We’ve made it easy with our trip planning guides! These guides cover everything from how to get to McCarthy, Alaska, what to pack for a trip, and our most frequently asked questions from past guests.
