Alaska Wildland Adventures

Story

Since 1977, Alaska Wildland Adventures invites you to experience Alaska through expertly guided small-group adventures. Originally operating as Alaska Campout Adventures, the company begins by leading camping safaris for a small number of travelers across Alaska. In 1987, the company becomes Alaska Wildland Adventures, reflecting the growing interest in participatory travel experiences throughout the state. Today, you explore Alaska through carefully crafted lodge-to-lodge adventures that combine wilderness, comfort, and authentic local experiences.

Alaska Wildland Adventures also operates journeys for respected organizations, including Lindblad Expeditions, The Nature Conservancy Legacy Club, International Expeditions, AdventureSmith Expeditions, the National Audubon Society, Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, Harvard Museums of Science and Culture, MIT Alumni Association, Stanford Travel Study, Yale Educational Travel, and many other national and international groups.

Based in Girdwood, Alaska, just 40 miles south of Anchorage, Alaska Wildland Adventures welcomes you from a scenic headquarters surrounded by beaver ponds, nesting waterfowl, mountain landscapes, and abundant wildlife. Under the leadership of President and CEO Kirk Hoessle, the company continues a long tradition of responsible tourism, conservation, and exceptional guest experiences. Since joining the company in 1982 and becoming owner in 1987, Kirk helps shape Alaska Wildland Adventures into one of Alaska's leading adventure travel companies while promoting sustainable tourism and protecting Alaska's natural heritage.

Mission

Alaska Wildland Adventures provides you with the highest-quality, small-group, interactive experiences in wild Alaska without compromising comfort. Every journey combines meaningful interpretation of Alaska's natural world with genuine care for the environment, allowing you to explore responsibly while enjoying outstanding accommodations, cuisine, and hospitality. The company embraces new challenges, values mutual respect among staff, promotes a family-like culture, and delivers rewarding travel experiences through well-managed operations.

Guiding Principles

Alaska Wildland Adventures believes experience makes every journey exceptional. You benefit from more than four decades of local knowledge, pioneering small-group adventures across iconic destinations including the Kenai River, Kenai Fjords National Park, and Denali National Park and Preserve.

You enjoy the perfect balance of wilderness and comfort through carefully selected accommodations, exceptional cuisine, attentive hospitality, and continuously refined itineraries inspired by guest feedback.

Knowledgeable guides, talented chefs, and dedicated hospitality professionals enrich every adventure with enthusiasm, expertise, and personal service from beginning to end.

Responsible travel remains central to every trip. Alaska Wildland Adventures protects Alaska's public lands, waterways, wildlife, communities, and culture through sustainable ecotourism practices that preserve these extraordinary places for future generations.

Small groups create richer experiences. Small boats, small vehicles, and intimate group sizes give you more opportunities for wildlife encounters, authentic connections, deeper insights, meaningful adventures, lasting friendships, and unforgettable memories.

Business operations also follow principles that reduce environmental impacts, promote responsible wildlife viewing, provide meaningful guest education, and support responsible business activities wherever Alaska Wildland Adventures operates.

Alaska Wildland Adventures believes ecotourism is an innovative way to protect wild places through responsible and sustainable travel. You experience Alaska's remote wilderness while helping support conservation efforts that promote the long-term protection of natural environments. Alaska Wildland Adventures supports Sustainable Travel International's Travel Better program and gives you the opportunity to participate at no additional cost. Through a travel style focused on Greenworks initiatives, company volunteerism, environmental innovations at Kenai Backcountry Lodge, and financial contributions, Alaska Wildland Adventures actively promotes responsible tourism.

Alaska Wildland Adventures provides high-quality, small-group, interactive experiences in wild Alaska without compromising—or overemphasizing—comfort. You explore alongside knowledgeable guides who encourage a deeper understanding of the natural world while demonstrating constant care and respect for the environment. Every journey follows principles that minimize environmental impact and support the long-term sustainability of Alaska's wilderness.

You help leave every destination as pristine as it is found by following Leave No Trace practices and leaving only footprints behind. Alaska Wildland Adventures removes garbage, including human waste during wilderness camping, and cleans up litter left by others whenever possible. Energy consumption and material use are reduced across operations, while purchasing decisions prioritize pre-cycling, reusing, and recycling whenever possible. Activity levels are voluntarily limited or adjusted if environmental degradation occurs, impacts are dispersed across wild areas to promote sustainable use, and affected locations are identified, restored, and protected through conservation efforts.

Wildlife viewing always prioritizes animal welfare. You observe wildlife in ways that do not disturb natural behavior, even when that means watching from a greater distance. Sensitive habitats, including nesting areas and other critical wildlife environments, are respected and avoided whenever necessary.

Before your journey begins, Alaska Wildland Adventures shares responsible travel guidelines to help you minimize environmental impacts in sensitive areas. Throughout your experience, you gain natural history knowledge that builds a greater appreciation and understanding of Alaska. Guides present multiple perspectives on environmental issues so you better understand the challenges, choices, and responsibilities involved in protecting wild places. Environmental awareness and best practices are also shared with local communities and partner organizations.

Sustainability guides every business decision at Alaska Wildland Adventures so future generations can continue to enjoy a healthy natural environment. The company maintains honest and transparent relationships with guests, staff, business partners, and land management agencies. Sustainable tourism practices, innovative techniques, and responsible business systems are openly shared to encourage others to follow similar standards. Alaska Wildland Adventures also contributes to local communities and organizations that advance sustainable tourism, protects Alaska's wilderness through responsible resource management, and donates a meaningful portion of pre-tax earnings to conservation organizations and environmental causes.