On the wild Alatna, a guide makes his case to the state

The Alatna River runs clear out of the central Brooks Range, threading Gates of the Arctic National Park through country with no roads in and no trails to follow. A Fairbanks guide wants the state's permission to make a business of it.

Fredrick Harbison, operating as Iron Hills Guides and Expedition Training, has applied to the Alaska Department of Natural Resources for a five-year land use permit to run commercial guiding on the Alatna, west of the north end of Iniakuk Lake, according to a public notice the agency posted in late May. The name of the outfit doubles as its pitch: guided trips, and the skills to handle country that gives little margin for error.

The Alatna has been a federally designated Wild and Scenic River since 1980, its main stem winding through Gates of the Arctic. The first 40 miles off the headwaters run fast, with Class III water above Ram Creek; downstream the river widens and slows into a long, meandering float through boreal forest. Six- and seven-thousand-foot peaks flank the upper valley. There are no roads — access is by floatplane or bush plane out of Bettles, and no other way.

The river's reputation rests on what rises beside it. Upriver, the Alatna is the main route climbers take to reach the Arrigetch Peaks, a cluster of sheer granite spires designated a National Natural Landmark that draws mountaineers from around the world. The Park Service calls the Alatna an outstanding wilderness float with access to hiking and climbing around the Arrigetch. It is also a working river for the people of the region, used for subsistence as much as recreation.

That last point is part of why the state takes public comment before letting a commercial operator in. The comment period closed June 15, and the DNR Northern Regional Land Office in Fairbanks is now weighing the application; any permit it grants could carry conditions meant to limit conflicts with other users. The full application packet is available on request from Jim Wessel at the Northern Regional Land Office.