Alaska River Rafting, Alaska Adventure Trips, Hiking and Backpacking Alaska

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Copper Oar:
Alaska's Wilderness Rafting & Adventure Travel Company

Alaska Adventure Trips: Rafting, Hiking, Glacier and multi-sport vacations

Copper Oar is an whitewater rafting and adventure travel company based in McCarthy, Alaska, in the heart of the largest protected wilderness area on earth, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. We are committed to sharing the wilderness of Alaska by outfitting exceptional rafting, hiking, glacier, and wildlife adventure travel trips. Copper Oar is likewise committed to the preservation of the wilderness where we live and travel. Our guides' appreciation for this great land results in tours that embrace Alaska's wildness and grandeur.

About the name... Copper Oar is so called because of the rich history that copper has played in this region, from prehistoric times to today.  And, virtually all of the rivers we run are tributaries to Alaska's most dramatic and historic Copper River.

Copper Oar was founded by Howard Mozen, a McCarthy resident who has been teaching natural history through guided rafting and hiking trips in the Wrangell St- Elias National Park since 1985. Copper Oar has been shaped out of a love of sharing the beauty of this remarkable wilderness, along with a desire to explore the natural history. It is now owned and operated by Wayne Marrs, life-long outdoor enthusiast and owner of St. Elias Alpine Guides, and Gaia Thurston-Shaine, who grew up running these rivers with Copper Oar nearly from the time she could walk.

Our base in McCarthy serves as the ideal starting point to explore the vast wilderness, visit the old ghost towns of McCarthy and Kennicott, and get out onto the adjacent rivers and glaciers for unique outdoor experiences. After many years of taking travelers on floating and hiking adventures, Copper Oar has created an exceptional combination of hiking, rafting, wildlife, and flightseeing packages that give our clients a well-crafted, home grown journey. We invite you to read through our itineraries and call, write or e-mail us (email to: info@copperoar.com) if you have questions or would like to join us on an Alaska adventure travel tour.

We would like to express our  gratitude for many of the photos on this website. Most of the exceptional photos you see on this site were taken by Lynn Schooler, Charlie Borland, and Diane Milliard. Lynn, who is also the author of the acclaimed classic Alaska  adventure read "The Blue Bear" has lived in Alaska most of his adult life and has won the Alaska Magazine photo of the year award. Charlie has had his  world-class photos published in a variety of publications such as Outside,  National Geographic, and many, many others. Diane lives in McCarthy and has spent years photo documenting the unique beauty of Wrangell St. Elias, and has photos considered for inclusion in National Geographic publications.

For information about hiking, ice climbing, backpacking and mountaineering in the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, please see our partner company, St. Elias Alpine Guides.

For information on great trips such as Oregon river rafting adventures please see our marketing affiliate company, Destination Wilderness.

For great rafting trips throughout the Americas, visit Rafting America.

For employment opportunities, click here.