These are remote Alaskan backcountry treks that define wilderness backpacking and hiking in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. Access to these hikes is by air taxi service only, and involves flying into small, backcountry airstrips in single engine planes.

The trips in this category range from easier base camping trips to extended backpacking treks that will challenge even the most experienced hiker. Although this section is one of the largest in this guide, it's impossible to include all of the backcountry hiking and trekking possibilities in the park in just one volume. The routes included are merely some of the best.

Some of these treks will be suitable for self-guided treks by experienced backpackers, while others in the very strenuous and advanced categories might be best undertaken as a guided trip. But the treks featured in the book run the full gamut.