stikine-leconte wilderness

Our guide, Brenda from Alaska Charters, took our jetboat as close as possible to the glacier which involved several miles of maneuvering around so much ice it sounded like we were in a glass full of ice cubes. The beauty of the ice was magical and well worth the trip. Went to the area for bear viewing and loved this even more!

The LeConte glacier is very active and it showed its calving abilities while we visited. We took a jetboat to the glacier and got very, very close inspite of the possibility of "shooters", that is submarine icebergs that quickly rise from the depths. We could clearly hear the "thunder" of LeConte as the glacier slips toward its terminus. We were able to observe several quite sizable calving events which set the small boat rocking. Additionally, we saw quite a few seals and some pups as well as a large number of seabirds including the arctic tern. Also, the surrounding scenery is stunning with mountains and waterfalls.

We were so very lucky to witness well over 25 incidences of calving from the LeConte Glacier on August 10, 2012. Our Breakaway Adventure jetboat driver, Robert Truex, said it was the most he had ever seen. In the pin-drop silence, you would start to hear a distant rumble, then "wham" - huge thunder then ancient ice would spiral to the surface shooting toward the overcast sky, then float away from the glacier upon huge waves. We were so glad we were in a large jet boat and not in a kayak!

The Stikine River and the LeConte (maritime) Glacier and all the wild country in-between. Great place for a boat ride from Wrangell or Petersburg.

The Stikine-LeConte Wilderness is a beautiful area filled with amazing scenery and tons of wildlife.

At the beginning of September 2008, we spent eight days kayaking down the Stikine, staying in various USFS cabins all within the so-called Stikine LeConte Wilderness Area. We usually camp in tents and usually head for British Columbia, so this was a first and we were looking forward to it as we had read so much about the area. Perhaps our expectations were too high, but our trip was largely disappointing. We certainly hadn't expected the boat traffic (granted black bear hunting had started--we met hunters, but just two black bears and no grizzlies, and moose hunting was round the corner--we met just one cow moose)--we heard on average 5 boats/day (jet boats are loud, you hear them for a good 20 minutes). There are also cabins up many sloughs, mostly float cabins (I suppose this is the loophole in the law about not being able to build any permanent constructions in the area), but quite a few on land too (that mostly don't show up maps and one directly opposite from Mt Rynda cabin). On our first night we had some nut in a jet boat roar past Mt Flemer cabin in the near total darkness--so much for peace and quiet. I don't see how all this activity can possibly make for conducive wildlife viewing.Perhaps the most depressing thing was the trash at most of the cabins. Granted we stopped by after labour weekend and the USFS isn't to blame, but who wants to arrive at a place littered with beer cans, broken glass, spent bullets and even batteries? We certainly haven't travelled half way round the world to see this. Another disappointing aspect was the fishing. Around the cabins and on the creeks that the tour books/operators recommend there were very few resident fish. Near Government Slough we even came across 4 discarded and badly filleted halibut (why?!). The Stikine LeConte wilderness is undoubtedly scenic, but it is heavily used. Don't expect a wilderness, think recreational park and you might have a good time.