What Makes The Best Tours in Denali?

Our Philosophy

At Northern Epics we believe in doing things differently. Doing things right. We strive to break away from the cookie cutter mold of profit-first guiding companies around the United States and beyond, with the goal of offering the best tours in Denali. We have seen time and time again that educating people about the place they’ve come across the world to experience elevates their entire vacation. This “vacation elevation” is what we strive to give you. Not just a fun tour, but one that will have a lasting positive impact on your trip and your life.

While many tour operators will talk about how educating the public about the natural world assists conservation efforts, Northern Epics puts our money where our mouth is, donating five percent of our profits towards the protection of the incredible lands we guide in.

We put our customers’ safety first, requiring all of our guides to have Wilderness First Responder advanced first aid certifications and carry GPS and satellite SOS devices on all of our backcountry excursions.

We are proud to offer what are (in our opinion) the best tours in Denali for all fitness and experience levels, from those who want an easy stroll through the woods to the fitness crazed adventure addict. We hope you share our forward facing view of the guiding industry, and decide to create a wonderful memory with us that you will never forget.

The Big 3:

Northern Epics was founded on 3 main principles that we felt the guiding industry as a whole was falling short on. Those 3 principles were Safety, Sustainability, and Immersion. Read on to see how we’re raising the bar.

Safety

Our next-level safety standards start with our guides and how we train them. Our guides are required to have up-to-date Wilderness First Responder certifications. This means that they have completed an eighty-hour first-aid intensive, with a focus on backcountry and improvised first-aid. This makes them even better prepared than an EMT for a backcountry emergency. We also require our guides to carry comprehensive first-aid kits and GPS/SOS devices on every tour. We know how nerve-wracking it can be to hike to in bear country, so all of our guides are trained in wildlife encounters and carry bear spray.

Sustainability

We pride ourselves in creating a culture of sustainability and good outdoor ethics, making every attempt to leave the land we pass through more pristine than we found it. All of our guides have Leave No Trace certifications, and seek to help educate our clients about the natural world and what they can do to protect it. We also go a step further, donating 5% of our profits to the conservation of the lands that we guide in.

Immersion

We know that many of our clients have traveled thousands of miles to get to Denali, and we think it’s tragic that most visitors will never get fully immersed in the authentic Alaskan experience. We want to change that, which is why we offer our Wilderness Wonders Tour that goes completely off-trail and into the Denali taiga. We try to engage all five of our clients’ senses on every tour, from feeling the squishy peat moss under hand and foot to tasting all of the local edible plants. We also limit our group size to eleven, allowing our guides to give more one-on-one attention to each of our clients than they would get on the industry-standard large group tours you’re likely to find elsewhere.

The Best Guides in the Industry

We believe that as tour operators, our guides ARE our business, and for that reason we make sure that we have the best guides in the industry. Here’s how we accomplish that:

  • We handpick all of our guides to make sure they are all well qualified and well-suited to role. We make sure that each of our guides has an inherent curiosity about nature and is self-motivated learn more. We also make sure that they are predisposed to teaching, and have a passion for sharing their wealth of knowledge with as many people as possible. As a side-note, our competitors will hire guides off the side of the road (literally).

  • We pay our guides more than double the industry average, ensuring that they are well taken care of and excited to give you the hike of your life. Many companies in the guiding industry pay their guides minimum wage. Do you want the person guiding you and your family through the backcountry full of moose and grizzly bear to be paid less than a McDonalds drive-through worker? We certainly don’t.

  • All of our guides have Wilderness First Responder certifications (this means that they have undergone an eighty hour intensive first-aid training) and carry comprehensive first-aid kits, bear spray, and GPS/SOS devices. They are also highly trained in natural navigation (the art of using trees, plants, water, terrain, etc. to find your way in the wilderness) and utilize that training on every off-trail tour that they guide.

  • Our guides are expected to study - even in the offseason. Once they’ve arrived in Denali for the summer, they go on five to ten familiarization hikes every year before they ever start guiding customers. Once this process is complete, they are shadowed by one of our senior guides until it is decided that they are experienced and skilled enough to take people out on their own. All of this to ensure that our guides can provide you with the best tours in Denali National Park.

A quote from one of our guides:

“Guiding in Denali with Northern Epics has honestly been a dream come true. I get to spend every day working outside with other people who share the same passion for the outdoors that I have. I’d say the best part of working with Northern Epics is the opportunity it’s given me to learn so much about the Denali area.”

- Jordan Allen, Head Guide for Northern Epics

Jordan Allen summiting a snowy peak in the Alaska Range in late September.

The Ultimate Confidence Guarantee:

It can be stressful to find the right tour. What if it’s bad? Not what you thought it would be? Most companies would tell you to kick rocks. Not us.

If you don’t like your tour with Northern Epics, just give us a call. Or shoot us an email. Either way, we’ll give you a full refund. AND $100 towards your next tour in Alaska.

Find someone who stands by their tours as well as we do. I’m waiting.

Choose the only company with a commitment to you.

So do YOU want to take one of the best tours in Denali? If the answer is yes, you can book a hiking or survival tour (our personal pick for the best tour in Denali) here.