Dadina River to Chelle Lake
A five to seven day route around the west slope of Mt. Drum with stunning glacier and Mt. Drum views. This is a seldom visited are of the park with many opportunities for side trip explorations.
The route begins on a small gravel airstrip along the Dadina River. You follow along the river for a while then it’s up into the alpine zone for lots of wide-open vistas. There are some crossings over debris covered glaciers.
There is a public use cabin at Chelle lake which makes a nice end to the trip. Note however that the cabin is not reservable so it’s first come, first served.
If you plan to travel self-guided you will need solid backpacking chops, navigation skills and off-trail experience. Alaska backcountry experience recommended.
We thought our flight around Denali the day before was great, but this one around Mt Sanford and Mt Drum was even better. Pilot Katherine flew us close to the peaks, over herds of Dahl Sheep, and shared much of the history of these mountains. I’m a 12,000 hour ATP rated flight instructor. I can tell you that her flying skills are as sharp as any pilot I’ve ever flown with!
2019 - rjma15 Buffalo, New York
