Dadina River to Chelle Lake

TRIP DETAILS

Trip Type:

Point-to-Point

Duration:

5-7 days

Distance:

24 miles, + side trips

Difficuty:

moderate to challenging

Rates shown are charter rates for the entire aircraft per flight, regardless of pax count. Rates are for one way flight between Gulkana and listed airstrip(s).

Airstrip

Chelle Lake

3-5 Pax*
Beaver

$1000

2-3 Pax*
Cessna 185

N/A

1-2 Pax*
PA-12

$450

Dadina River

N/A

Please call office for rates.

*Passenger capacity of aircraft depends on total weight of passengers and cargo. Call us to find the best option for your group.

Book a FLIGHT

I have a few questions...

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.

What a View !!! What a Pilot!

We took off from the grass strip next to the paved one and turned East toward the park. The first thing we did was go over some of the mud volcanos for a real good look. We then proceeded further East to Mount Drum and went up and down the glaciers there; taking pictures everywhere. We also saw Dahl sheep in their summer range on the sides of the mountains. We then flew up over a 8800 foot saddle to view some pinnacles and out on to the Wrangell glacier.

Flying back to the strip (cement this time) we couldn’t believe how many picture we each took.

You have got to do this. Regards, OldeBear

OldeBear Hamden, Connecticut - 2015

The best part of our amazing trip

Small plane for the three of us and an incredible pilot, very nice, totally fond on the region, with a communicative enthusiast and a lot of information. We did the Glacier tour as the weather was not good enough to flight over the mountains of the Wrangell, and we were very glad, because it was definitely amazing. Highly recommended!

Sophie L - 2017

Soooooo cool! Would totally do this again!

Our flightseeing tour with Copper Valley Air Service was incredible! Definitely a highlight of our trip to Alaska! Kevin, our pilot, was great. He got us in close to Mt. Drum to see the dramatic crags that are only visible when up so close. He took us close to Mt. Wrangell as well. We got to see the glaciers, and a herd of Dahl Sheep, a herd of caribou and 2 moose in a small lake. We keep wishing we could go back and do it again, before we go home. We would totally do this again!

2016 - cccrockymountain2016 Fort Collins, CO

Incredible experience!

We were lucky to be blessed with perfect weather conditions. Chris wasca perfect pilot and showed us Moose, Sheep and the beauty of the National Park.

Madeye17 - Interlaken, Switzerland - 2019

Friendly and Professional

These folks are great. They flew us in to Wrangell-St. Elias NP for a backpacking trip (we were with Expeditions Alaska), and our experience was wholly positive. They treat you like family, and our pilot was so competent and professional that I had no worries at all about our backcountry flight. I highly recommend this company!

2019 - mattfox1971 Rochester, NY

Best way to get to kennicott!

Used this service in and out to lodge. was excellent service and good pilots. highly recommend this instead of the drive. scenic.

twoscratchy Culebra, Puerto Rico - 2019

Awesome flight-seeing!

Such a great flight seeing trip with Copper Valley Air! There are very limited roads into Wrangell St Elias NP, so the best way to see the amazing sights of the park are by plane. The pilot was very knowledgable and we had a very smooth flight. Each passenger had a window seat and a headset to hear the pilot tell us about what we were seeing. We got great views of the park’s mud volcanos, mountain peaks, and my favorite a huge glacier. We highly recommend this trip as a great way to see the U.S.’s largest National Park.

dianaf938 - 2016

Astonishing Flight with Katherine

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

Amazing Experience!

Amazing Experience!We just pulled in on the off chance that we would be able to have a flightseeing trip and it was the best thing we did on our Alaska trip!!! Everyone was so friendly, professional and made us feel safe. One of the best value for money experiences we had on our trip.