Harlequin Lake Kayaking Tour
This unparalleled kayaking adventure features the awesome beauty and power of glacier meeting water in an area little visited by other travelers. Outside of Yakutat, on the Gulf of Alaska, is a glacial lake still in the process of being formed.
The Yakutat Glacier has a glacial face four miles across! It is the largest glacier to enter a fresh water lake in North America. Interacting with the lakes fresh water the ancient glacial ice crumbles and calves giving us a spectacular show!
Paddling the shoreline gives us an excellent chance to spot bears, wolves, moose, otters and mink. Wildflower gardens of dwarf fireweed, Indian paintbrush and mimulus spill their colors on the sand and lichens dot the rocks. The geological puzzle here is a fascinating opportunity for us to try to piece together the past two hundred years. With terrain perfect for exploring we'll hike amongst glacial remnants, over old moraines, and through the succession of plants recolonizing the area. At night we feel the thundering percussion of the calving glacier face.
Expedition Details — Harlequin Lake [HL]
Location: Harlequin Lake, via Yakutat
Duration: Custom expeditions by arrangement.
Paddle Distance: 25-50 miles.
Activities: Paddling, photography, glacier watching, hiking.
Highlights: Paddling among the icebergs, watching wildlife, photography, listening to tidewater glaciers, fantastic scenery, seals on icebergs, real wilderness solitude, hiking through a truly untouched area.
Schedule and Prices: see Schedule for currently available trips and prices.
Book Your Trip: go to Trip Reservations to book your trip today, or call 1-800-KAYAKER!
Trip Description — Harlequin Lake [HL]
The trip starts in Yakutat where we meet each other and pack our personal gear for the trip. Then we depart for the lake, driving through the Yakutat forelands, and crossing the Situk River, one of the most productive salmon rivers in the world. After assembling and loading our boats we'll line them a few hundred yards up the Dangerous River (dangerous for boats that draw more than five inches of water, but not for our kayaks). After an orientation of basic paddling skills and safety procedures we'll start paddling in and amongst the icebergs, making sure to leave plenty of room between us and the larger pieces of ice – each an unique and beautiful sculpture.
The varied campsites on the lake give us more opportunity to explore and get to know the different areas of the lake. One campsite might be on a pebble beach, making sure to be far enough up to avoid any waves from the calving glacier. The next campsite may be surrounded by recently exposed bedrock with a view of the glacier. Or, we may camp on the gravel outwash of the glacier where we can watch the glacier and trace the various paths the outwash stream has taken in the past few years.
There is no "best place to be" on this trip. Each of these areas provides us with excellent hiking opportunities where we can take a quick hike after dinner, utilizing the long Alaska summer. Or, we can decide not to paddle at all one day and spend the day hiking and exploring ridge tops, river valleys or the shore line. It is impossible to make a bad decision on a day's activities. Sitting around a campfire in the evening, drinking a warm drink and looking back at a day well spent provides the perfect ending to a perfect day.
On the last day we pack our gear and paddle back to the Dangerous River. The trip back to Yakutat gives us time to think about our experiences at Harlequin Lake. In Yakutat, you may decide to stay for a few more days to slowly acclimate to the roads and missing icebergs, while you do some world class fishing for salmon or halibut.
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Trip Map: Harlequin Lake
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