Representative Image of a US Marine veteran hiking Alaska’s rugged Long Trail beneath spectacular mountain views (AI-generated image)
US Marine veteran Bradford Bartels, 32, became the first known person to hike the proposed Alaska Long Trail, travelling from Seward to Fairbanks in 47 days and finishing in early August 2026. Bartels served as a machine gunner in the US Marine Corps, in military occupational specialty 0331. His equipment included a one-person bivy sack, a 70-litre Dyneema roll-top pack, a closed-cell foam sleeping pad, a small isobutane stove and a Dyneema bear bag. When the load became heavy, he joked that at least he was not carrying a Mark 19, an automatic grenade launcher. The Alaska Long Trail project’s FAQ describes a route of more than 500 miles made up of completed trail segments, alternative routes, social routes, water segments and road gaps.
Because it performs better when wet, he chose synthetic insulation.
In an interview with Alaska Public Media, he described Alaska’s backcountry as arguably the greatest on earth and said that, with life being short, it was time to try. He also told Outside: “Thru-hiking needs Alaska, and Alaska needs thru-hiking. But he said it had facilitated his comfort outdoors and helped him become accustomed to discomfort. Bartels recalled her answer as “technically doable”. It also says a full thru-hike is not possible without significant stretches on roads. The Bureau of Land Management’s Alaska Long National Scenic Trail feasibility study describes the proposal as a “multi-braid trail”, combining existing and proposed routes. Its National Environmental Policy Act project page lists the project as “In Progress – Analysis & Document Preparation”. The BLM has said it is finalising the study for transmission to the Department of the Interior and Congress in the coming months. Bartels told KTUU that Alaska had seen more ambitious trips, but he did not believe anyone had travelled from Seward to Fairbanks along the proposed route before him. Jane Boer, the Alaska Long Trail program coordinator, told Outside that Bartels “just did it with his feet”.
The route is still being developed and is not yet a continuous, officially established trail. he had considered the challenge for some time Although he had never spent a night in Alaska’s backcountry. His journey showed that the proposed route could be traversed, even as the wider project remains unfinished. For Bartels, it was also a personal farewell to the life of a thru-hiker. Bartels had been thinking about attempting the route for some time. He joked that people often enjoy firing machine guns more than cleaning or carrying them. His service did not necessarily give him a desire to hike: not every veteran enjoys long marches. Carrying a heavy pack through wet and cold conditions was easier to accept when he had chosen the journey himself rather than been ordered to do it. Before setting out, Bartels contacted Mariyam Medovaya, a former Alaska Long Trail program officer, to ask whether the journey was possible. He also sought information from people familiar with different sections of the route. During resupply stops, he asked strangers and local residents, including people wearing camouflage, about trail conditions and where he might have to bushwhack. The Talkeetna Mountains became one of his favourite sections. The route offered glaciers and snow, along with moments he described as frightening. He also recalled the views of Denali from Kesugi Ridge. The journey’s changing terrain gave it a rhythm that he compared to a good song, with a well-timed crescendo. Bartels also paid attention to pack weight, explaining to Alaska Public Media that reducing each pound helped protect his knees. Bartels’s journey did not mean the Alaska Long Trail had been completed as an official, continuous route. The agency is assessing whether the route could receive National Scenic Trail designation. Establishing a National Scenic Trail requires an act of Congress. Bartels’s advice to other hikers was straightforward: “You can hike it. And you should. You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.
Bartels completed the journey using existing trails, roads and less formal connections, having previously hiked the Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail and other long-distance routes.