IMG Denali Expedition Itinerary
The expedition will start on Day 1 at our designated local hotel in Anchorage where your guides will meet you at 12PM to conduct your gear check. Climbers coming from abroad or the east coast of the USA may need to arrive in Anchorage a day before the start day, depending on your flights. In that case, you will be responsible for arranging overnight lodging in Anchorage and meeting the team at the group hotel the following day. You will be able to spend the afternoon of Day 1 picking up last-minute perishables and snack-items on your own in Anchorage. The first night in Alaska will be spent in the local group hotel. On Day 2, the team will catch an early morning shuttle to Talkeetna where the team will spend the day making final preparations and attending our mandatory NPS meeting. Our expedition begins with a thrilling flight onto the Kahiltna Glacier via ski plane. The rate of ascent will be dictated by the weather, the strength of the group, and our rate of acclimatization. All climbing decisions will be made by the guides, with the best interest of the group as a whole in mind. There will be a cache of food at Base Camp and we will carry 21 days of food with supplements to stretch it to 24 days if necessary. A good weather expedition might take 14 days on the mountain. Average time is 18 days, and 22-24 days is not unusual.
| Day | Itinerary |
| Day 01 | Meet your guides and team at our designated local hotel in Anchorage. Upon your arrival, please call the hotel to arrange for airport shuttle to pick you up. Group lodging arranged by IMGD. |
| Day 02 | Depart Anchorage early and a shuttle to Talkeetna. Attend our NPS briefing in Talkeetna, go over personal equipment, familiarize ourselves with the group equipment, divide it and get packed for the trip. Group lodging arranged by IMGD. |
| Day 03 | A 45-minute ski plane flight will land us at Base Camp on the SE Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier at 7,200 feet. |
| Day 04 | Drag sleds ~5.5 miles on the low-angle Kahiltna Glacier to Ski Hill Camp at 7,600'. Don't let the distance fool you, with sleds at their heaviest this can be a challenging day on the mountain! |
| Day 05 | Continue dragging sleds up to Camp 2 at 9,600'. This can also be accomplished as a double carry, caching at 10,000' and spending another night at Ski Hill Camp. |
| Day 06 | Weather and energy permitting, we will move up to Camp 3 at 11,000'. |
| Day 07 | Time for an active rest day, possibly "back carrying" to retrieve our cache at 10,000'. |
| Day 08 | Carry gear and cache at 13,500' past Windy Corner. As the terrain becomes more complex above 11,000' we shift towards less weight in sleds and more weight in our packs. |
| Day 09 | Move to 14 Camp, just above 14,000'. This is the location of the NPS climbing ranger post and can be like a small city during the height of the season. |
| Day 10 | Another active rest day, back carrying to retrieve our cache at 13,500'. Second night at 14,000'. |
| Day 11 | Rest and continue to acclimatize at 14 Camp. |
| Day 12 | Carry food, fuel, and other supplies for our summit bid to cache at 16,700' or High Camp at 17,200'. Return to 14,000' for a fourth night. |
| Day 13 | Fifth and final acclimatization day if needed at 14,000'. |
| Day 14 | Move to High Camp at 17,200', potentially picking up our cache along the way. |
| Day 15 | Possible rest day at High Camp or first chance for summit day! |
| Day 16 | Second possible summit day! |
| Day 17 | Descend to 11,000', Camp 3 for a quick bivy. |
| Day 18 | Descend to Base Camp. If the timing is right and the weather holds, "fly off" with our bush pilot. |
| Day 19 | Likely pickup by bush pilot and return to Talkeetna. |