Kavik River Camp is located just north of Fairbanks and it is a unique camp that in the old days was an exploration camp that now serves guests in the ecotourism business.
The camp includes wide open spaces and offers an extensive high arctic flora and fauna. This is a great place for watching foxes, wolves, arctic squirrels, raptors, moose, and ermine. Incidentally, all caribou herds are migrating through the valley as well.
Kavik River Camp is situated on Alaska’s North Slope, just some twenty miles from the Arctic Ocean. Fairbanks, the closest large city, is around 500 miles to the south, and to find the nearest road, you would need to travel 80 miles west. The extremely remote camp attracts many rugged individuals wishing to camp, hunt, hike, bird watching and who love to explore Alaska’s arctic terrain. The camp offers shower and laundry facilities and food and beverage services. Kavik River Camp can only be reached plane and has a 1,25-mile-long small airstrip and fuel facilities.
The climate around Kavik River Camp is arctic, meaning the winters are long and extremely cold, and there are just a few hours of sunlight. The summers are short and cool, and getting some sleep may cause difficulty as darkness is extremely short in summer. Winter temperatures may get as low as –60°F and the arctic winds can reach speeds of more than 60 miles per hour.
From Kavik River Camp it is just a few miles to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and at the camp, you will find all support for your arctic needs. This is the pace for one-of-a-kind camping, amazing bird viewing, the best fishing and hunting, and all sorts of other Arctic activities.
Lovers of photography and filming have all opportunities here to shoot their best pictures and the camp’s proximity to the Refuge guarantees a unique experience. The camp offers all kinds of logistical support for filming am photographing, but you are advised to check for availability as space is limited, and demand is high. Kavik River Camp provides all sorts of services to adventurous people who want to visit the High Arctic and also caters to campers in the area.
National Geographic Channel has launched a new reality series that deals with enduring Alaska, titled ‘Life Below Zero’, and the woman who has run the camp for eleven years, Susan Aikens, introduces life at her remote outpost in such a direct way that it’s easy to see that she fits there perfectly well.
At Kavik River Camp, Sue Aikens operates one of the world’s most remote bed and breakfast facilities. She typically is an adventurer, outdoorswoman, angler, hunter, survivor, but also a businesswoman who operates her B&B all by herself. The camp is situated right in the middle of grizzly bear territory, and during summer (from early June to late September), Aikens’ facility hosts scientific researchers, eco tourists, hikers, hunters, fishers, birders, and many others seeking a remote getaway among plenty of wildlife. During the remaining eight months, Susan Aikens is living by herself, dealing with sub-zero temperatures, high arctic winds, and the continuous threat of more than 80 grizzly bears that live within ten miles of the camp.