2027 Expeditions
Alaska Endeavour hosts science expeditions on our research vessel, the Endeavour. The work varies from marine and terrestrial mammalogy, paleontology, glaciology, archeology, ornithology, and ichthyology, and includes benchmark studies of micro-environments. These expeditions take us to the most remote regions of maritime Alaska.
A senior scientist leads each expedition.
The maximum number of people on board is ten, including the research team and crew.
To help fund the expedition, we invite you to come along as a participant. We ask a fee as a contribution to the cause. We will train you. No prior experience is needed, just a willingness to get your hands dirty and be a working member of the team.
This science is real and it is important — and so is your contribution to it.
See below for a list of our 2027 expeditions. We have also included description of classes we offer at the start and end of each season on running a boat in remote waters, for those of you who have (or plan to have) your own boats. The fees for those classes directly support our science research.
“I expected a trip. What I found was a true expedition. Working beside the scientists and helping uncover fossils changed the way I see Alaska forever.”
— Expedition Participant
WILDERNESS MARINER COURSE
April 15 - 27
All Women
Get hands-on seamanship training far, far from any marina. Learn navigation, tides and currents, boat systems, anchoring, and the captain’s mindset in remote coastal waters. Join our 12-day spring session: an all-women’s course along the Alaska Peninsula from Kodiak west past Katmai Bay, Aniakchak Bay, the remote fishing village of Sand Point, out to the Aleutians to Dutch Harbor. The cost of the course is $5,600.
GRAY WHALE SURVEY - B
May 17 - 30
Eastern Aleutians
This is a continuation of the expedition in the first half of May. In and out of Dutch Harbor, the Endeavour will return to Akutan Pass in the eastern Aleutians to monitor the gray whales as they pass through. Some whales were tagged in Mexico. How many make it north? Again, with four scientists from the Alaska Whale Foundation on board we have berths for four donor participants. The contribution for this 14-day research expedition is $7,250.
BERING SEA NORTHBOND
July 4 - 15
Pribilof Islands, Bering Sea
The Endeavour will be making the run from Dutch Harbor north through the Pribilof Islands (St Paul, St. George) to St. Lawrence Island to Nome. The mission is to deliver a team of ornithologists to tiny Hall Island for a month-long study. Since we'll be following the gray whales migration path, we'll have a whale researcher on board. We don't know yet if there are openings for donor participants, or what the contribution might be. Stay tuned.
WHALES IN THE CHUKCHI SEA - B
August 1 - 16
Bering Strait and Arctic
This will be our second run from Nome up into the Chukchi Sea with the Alaska Whale Foundation to follow the gray whales to their feeding grounds. We'll be stopping at the Diomedes (on the Russian border in the Bering Strait), Shishmaref Lagoon, and will likely get as far north as Cape Lisbourne -- but, we go with the whales. There is room for four donor participants. The contribution for this 12-day research expedition is $7,250.
DINOSAUR HUNT
September 1 - 12
North Coast, Alaska Peninsula
Dinosaurs once roamed Alaska. On this expedition, you will assist paleontologist Anthony Fiorillo PhD in his search for the bones of hadrosaurs and other dinosaurs in Herendeen Bay, on the north coast of the Alaska Peninsula. Last season with Dr. Fiorillo in another location, we found dinosaur footprints (see photo) and other fossils. You’ll also see volcanoes, bears, and whales. The contribution for this 12-day research expedition is $7,250.
TO BE DETERMINED
October 1 - 12
Kodiak Archipelago
This slot in our schedule is still open, but it is very likely we will leave and depart from Kodiak, working in the Kodiak archipelago (which includes Afognak and Shuyak Islands) or along the Katmai coast of the Alaska Peninsula. If you are interested in this date range and would like us to update you when we have an expedition confirmed, please click on Contact Us, below, and send us your particulars. No contribution details yet.
GRAY WHALE SURVEY - A
May 1 - 14
Eastern Aleutians
The gray whales are starving. Hundreds are washing up on west coast beaches, emaciated. Half of the population has died. Join us and the Alaska Whale Foundation in researching the problem. In and out of Dutch Harbor, we'll monitor the whales as they transit Unimak and other passes in the eastern Aleutians on their way up into the Arctic. We have berths for four donor participants. The contribution for this 14-day research expedition is $7,250.
DESMOSTYLIAN FOSSIL HUNT
June 15 - 30
Unalaska Island, Aleutians
Desmostylians lived along the North Pacific coast and went extinct 7 million years ago. Resembling a cross between a hippopotamus and a manatee, they show the evolutionary transition from terrestrial to aquatic life. In 2023, an Endeavour expedition recovered a desmo ankle (see photo). This season we look for more on Unalaska Island, led by Paul C. Murphey, PhD. The contribution for this 12-day research expedition is $7,250.
WHALES IN THE CHUKCHI SEA - A
July 18 - 28
Nome and Norton Sound
Leaving from and returning to Nome, the Endeavour with the Alaska Whale Foundation scientists will follow the gray whales to their feeding grounds north of the Bering Strait into the Chukchi Sea and the Arctic. Are they feeding, and what are they feeding on? How healthy are they before they make their 6,000 mile trip back to Mexico? There is room for four donor participants. The contribution for this 12-day research expedition is $7,250.
BERING SEA SOUTHBOUND
August 18 - 23
Pribilof Islands, Bering Sea
This is the Endeavour's run south from Nome to St Lawrence Island to the Pribilofs, ending in Dutch Harbor. We'll be picking up the ornithologists from Hall Island. We'll also have a whale researcher on board to be making identifications of specific whales. We will also likely stop to check on a couple of walrus haulouts along the way. We don't know yet if there are openings for donor participants, or what the contribution might be. Stay tuned.
WILDERNESS MARINER COURSE
September 15 - 27
All Women
This is our fall class, where mariners get hands-on experience running a boat far, far from any marina. Learn navigation, tides and currents, boat systems, anchoring, and the captain’s mindset. Join this 12-day fall session, an all-women’s course on the reverse of our spring route: from Dutch Harbor in the Aleutians along the Alaska Peninsula past Sand Point, Chignik, Aniakchak, and Katmai to Kodiak. The cost of the course is $5,600.
TO BE DETERMINED
October 16 - 28
Kodiak Archipelago
This slot in our schedule is also still open. As with the previous slot, it is very likely we will leave and depart from Kodiak, working in the Kodiak archipelago or along the Katmai coast of the Alaska Peninsula. If you are interested in this date range and would like us to update you when we have an expedition confirmed, please click on Contact Us, below, and send us your particulars. No contribution pricing details yet.
“This was not a cruise. We were out in the field every day—working alongside scientists and experiencing the Alaska wilderness in a way that very few people ever do.”
— Don, Participant
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WHO THESE EXPEDITIONS ARE FOR?
Alaska Endeavour expeditions are designed for people who prefer learning by doing—those with curious minds, an adventurous spirit, and a willingness to roll up their sleeves and take part in hands-on discovery.
Our team members have ranged in age from 16 to 86. What they share is an eagerness to learn, adaptability, and a willingness to pitch in—whether exploring a remote shoreline, wading upstream with spawning salmon, photographing humpback whales, or contributing to the shared work of life aboard.
What matters most is enthusiasm and a readiness to be part of the team.
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LIFE ABOARD
Life aboard Endeavour is as much a part of the expedition as the work ashore.
Each expedition sails with a small team working alongside leading scientists doing real fieldwork while sharing the daily rhythms of life aboard a small research vessel.
Evenings may include reviewing the day’s discoveries or helping scientists organize notes and samples from the field.
There is also time for doing your own thing—canoeing, fishing, crabbing, watching wildlife, or reading, writing, sketching, or simply enjoying the wildlife and landscape.
For advance notice on future expeditions, sign up for our Captain's Log.
“By the second day it felt like we were part of a real expedition team. The days were full, the conversations were fascinating, and every landing brought something new.”
— Ellie, Participant
Subscribe to our free Wilderness Mariner Log here.
Questions? Email us at Expeditions@AlaskaEndeavour.org.