A friend and I who were both in Scouting in our adolescence have been getting back into backpacking and backcountry camping. I have always wanted to go far north, and we decided to start planning for a trip to the Gates of The Arctic National Park. We plan to go in maybe 3-5 years.

We recently did a week in the Great Smokey Mountains and last year we did 4 days in the Red River Gorge. In my Scouting years I did a week at Philmont. We've both got various other backcountry trips under our belt but we recognize GoTA is VERY remote, strenuous, and potentially dangerous which is why we are wanting to take our time planning this trip.

If anyone has ever been or knows any resources from other experienced hikers that have been that would be great. We're looking for information on areas that are commonly hiked or easily accessible. We know we will most likely need to be flown in and out by a brush pilot. We're looking for information on routes, how best to pack, what to pack, when best to go to not have dangerous weather, etc. Essentially everything you'd want to know as a beginner. We don't want to over estimate ourselves for this trip. We plan to aim for 2 weeks in Alaska, whether or not that is entirely within the wilderness is debatable but for the cost of getting to Alaska in general we want to be there for about 2 weeks.

Any information would be appreciated. Thank you.