Alaska
Adventure Paddling at it’s Best
Words and photos by Alan Warren (denali kayak school)
Kayaking in Alaska is an experience that cannot be equaled anywhere in the world.
Whether you are just learning or the staunchiest expert, Alaska is a world-class destination. If you like playboating, steep creeking or running some of the biggest whitewater on the planet, Alaska has it all. Combine amazing rivers with breathtaking vistas and the likelihood of seeing wildlife on any river at anytime and an Alaskan whitewater adventure is one that will never be forgotten.
Alaska is a remote place, exotic even for Americans living in the Lower 48 States. The draw of this wild land attracts visitors from all around the world, making tourism one Alaska’s primary industries. Yet tourism mimics every other major industry up here and extracts more from the environment than is sustainable. Whether it’s sport fishermen, hunters, or the mass amounts of blue haired retired cruise ship travelers, almost every tourist that comes up here takes something away from this land. Paddlers, on the other hand scour the globe for rivers and places that leave them humbled, respectful and filled with gratitude, and take nothing from the rivers and lands that they visit. However, kayakers are a rare sight in this mecca of outdoor activities.
Our rivers are remote, carving their way through one of the world’s last bastions of true wilderness. While most paddlers are accustomed to road access river trips in otherwise domesticated areas, up here you have to be a little more creative. While our road access runs are all gems, the best of what Alaska has to offer takes a little bit more effort. Hike-ins through bear country are more common up here than stashing some cold beers at the take-out and driving up to the put-in. Many rivers require flying in with small bush planes to land on headwater lakes, crude gravel bar landing strips, or best of all, the glaciers that give the rivers their fast and cold nature.
Alaska is also a huge place. Despite it appearing offset, miniature, and somehow below Hawaii on many maps, Alaska is in fact 1/5 the size of the rest of the United States. To come up here for a short trip during the summer and try to “do” Alaska is not a realistic goal. Destinations up here are simply too spread out to try to see it all. For the kayaker, it is most useful to focus on two general areas: Denali National Park, and the Anchorage Bowl south to Girdwood; with a stopover in Talkeetna for North America’s best remote river trip.
Countless visitors come to Alaska every summer and almost all of them come to Denali National Park to tour the park by bus, foot or bicycle. Of those, about 50,000 take the time to join Denali Outdoor Center or one of the other local raft companies to ply the waters of the Nenana River along the park’s eastern boundary. For the adventurous paddler, who wants to see the park in a different manner, the reward is an indelible mark left by this great land that only a handful of people in the world can share.
The Nenana River is the epitome of big, fast and cold Alaskan whitewater and the centerpiece of Denali paddling. Starting from its glacial headwaters high in the Alaska Range, the Nenana cuts north through the mountains alongside the park and creates a 40 mile corridor of amazing scenery and whitewater. The difficulty ranges from Class I calm water to huge Class IV whitewater with summer flows between 5000 and 30,000 cubic feet per second. Numerous waves and holes of all sizes and powerful eddy lines make for a wonderful playboating run. The Nenana is one of the road access gems, but hike-in and fly-in options abound for wilderness trips on some of the other nearby creeks and rivers. While the hordes are busy jamming themselves on tour busses and into visitor’s centers, kayakers can be out in the park in a way that none of them could even comprehend. This is also the place to go if you want to learn to kayak or sharpen your skills. Denali Outdoor Center offers four day beginning and intermediate courses and day trips for beginners in inflatable kayaks. Denali is a good introduction to both Alaska, and Alaskan rivers, a powerful yet forgiving place. It is also a place where you can organize a trip on the River of Plenty with Too-loo-uk River Guides.
The Talkeetna River is one of the premier remote wilderness river trips in North America. It’s a 70-mile fly-in adventure with a 14-mile canyon of continuous Class IV whitewater, one of the longest stretches of continuous whitewater on the continent. A professionally guided raft assisted kayak trip with Too-loo-uk River Guides will begin at the Talkeetna Airport and a flight with Doug Geeting of K2 Aviation. 45 minutes of flying over the ominous granite spires of the Talkeetna Mountains and you’ll be bouncing down on the gravelly banks at Yellowjacket Creek.
Enormous numbers of all five varieties of Pacific Salmon make their way from Cook Inlet up the Susitna River and into the Talkeetna to spawn in its crystal clear tributary streams. Countless bald eagles flock to the drainage in search of the salmon and seem to be everywhere, soaring above the river or perched high in trees. A large concentration of grizzly and black bears also roam the valley and surrounding mountains, feeding intermittently on the differently timed runs of salmon and the numerous varieties of wild berries in the forest and on the tundra carpeted mountain sides. A 4-5 day trip is best, providing time for layovers to hike, fish, and enjoy the majestic scenery. After the canyon it’s a mild float back to the town of Talkeenta at the confluence with the Susitna River, and perhaps the best view anywhere of North America’s tallest mountain, Denali .
Continuing south through Anchorage to the town of Girdwood, the center of creeker’s paradise. More than ten creeks of varying character are within an hour’s drive and Girdwood has a season that lasts six months. Add to this some of the best scenery and wildlife viewing in the state, and what you have is one of the greatest expert paddling destinations in the world. Situated deep in the Chugach Mountains, Girdwood is a great jumping off point to Bird, Ingram, Sixmile, Campbell, and Tincan Creeks, to name a few. Good trails provide easy access to runs of tight, technical and steep character. Run The Inner Sanctum: three Class V rapids from Mushroom Drop down to 30 foot Bird Creek Falls in the morning, then Gilligan’s and The Green Room on Ingram Creek that afternoon. Salmon spawn in all these creeks, attracting thick numbers of combat fishermen who line the banks downstream, at times ass-to-elbow. Grizzly and black bears are more common below the rapids as well, gathering to catch their own fish or to feed on the scraps carelessly left behind by fishermen.
Whether you are looking for big and powerful, fast and technical or just splashy and fun whitewater, Alaska has it all. Add to these beautiful rivers and creeks the epic scenery and unsurpassed wildlife viewing and Alaska is truly one of the world’s best destinations to paddle. Go to challenge yourself, go to play or go to learn; no matter which you’ll leave with a new perspective because paddling in Alaska is an experience that cannot be had anywhere else in the world.
Words and photos by Alan Warren (denali kayak school)
In addition to Denali Outdoor Center’s Denali Kayak School and raft company, they also have a full campground and cabins for rent. For more information call 1-888-303-1925, visit www.denalioutdoorcenter.com.
Rafting or raft assisted kayak trips on the Talkeetna River can be arranged with Too-loo-uk River guides, www.akrivers.com, the most experienced outfitter guiding epic adventures down Alaska’s river of plenty
Adventure Paddling at it’s Best
Words and photos by Alan Warren (denali kayak school)
Kayaking in Alaska is an experience that cannot be equaled anywhere in the world.
Whether you are just learning or the staunchiest expert, Alaska is a world-class destination. If you like playboating, steep creeking or running some of the biggest whitewater on the planet, Alaska has it all. Combine amazing rivers with breathtaking vistas and the likelihood of seeing wildlife on any river at anytime and an Alaskan whitewater adventure is one that will never be forgotten.
Alaska is a remote place, exotic even for Americans living in the Lower 48 States. The draw of this wild land attracts visitors from all around the world, making tourism one Alaska’s primary industries. Yet tourism mimics every other major industry up here and extracts more from the environment than is sustainable. Whether it’s sport fishermen, hunters, or the mass amounts of blue haired retired cruise ship travelers, almost every tourist that comes up here takes something away from this land. Paddlers, on the other hand scour the globe for rivers and places that leave them humbled, respectful and filled with gratitude, and take nothing from the rivers and lands that they visit. However, kayakers are a rare sight in this mecca of outdoor activities.
Alaska is also a huge place. Despite it appearing offset, miniature, and somehow below Hawaii on many maps, Alaska is in fact 1/5 the size of the rest of the United States. To come up here for a short trip during the summer and try to “do” Alaska is not a realistic goal. Destinations up here are simply too spread out to try to see it all. For the kayaker, it is most useful to focus on two general areas: Denali National Park, and the Anchorage Bowl south to Girdwood; with a stopover in Talkeetna for North America’s best remote river trip.
Countless visitors come to Alaska every summer and almost all of them come to Denali National Park to tour the park by bus, foot or bicycle. Of those, about 50,000 take the time to join Denali Outdoor Center or one of the other local raft companies to ply the waters of the Nenana River along the park’s eastern boundary. For the adventurous paddler, who wants to see the park in a different manner, the reward is an indelible mark left by this great land that only a handful of people in the world can share.
The Nenana River is the epitome of big, fast and cold Alaskan whitewater and the centerpiece of Denali paddling. Starting from its glacial headwaters high in the Alaska Range, the Nenana cuts north through the mountains alongside the park and creates a 40 mile corridor of amazing scenery and whitewater. The difficulty ranges from Class I calm water to huge Class IV whitewater with summer flows between 5000 and 30,000 cubic feet per second. Numerous waves and holes of all sizes and powerful eddy lines make for a wonderful playboating run. The Nenana is one of the road access gems, but hike-in and fly-in options abound for wilderness trips on some of the other nearby creeks and rivers. While the hordes are busy jamming themselves on tour busses and into visitor’s centers, kayakers can be out in the park in a way that none of them could even comprehend. This is also the place to go if you want to learn to kayak or sharpen your skills. Denali Outdoor Center offers four day beginning and intermediate courses and day trips for beginners in inflatable kayaks. Denali is a good introduction to both Alaska, and Alaskan rivers, a powerful yet forgiving place. It is also a place where you can organize a trip on the River of Plenty with Too-loo-uk River Guides.
The Talkeetna River is one of the premier remote wilderness river trips in North America. It’s a 70-mile fly-in adventure with a 14-mile canyon of continuous Class IV whitewater, one of the longest stretches of continuous whitewater on the continent. A professionally guided raft assisted kayak trip with Too-loo-uk River Guides will begin at the Talkeetna Airport and a flight with Doug Geeting of K2 Aviation. 45 minutes of flying over the ominous granite spires of the Talkeetna Mountains and you’ll be bouncing down on the gravelly banks at Yellowjacket Creek.
Enormous numbers of all five varieties of Pacific Salmon make their way from Cook Inlet up the Susitna River and into the Talkeetna to spawn in its crystal clear tributary streams. Countless bald eagles flock to the drainage in search of the salmon and seem to be everywhere, soaring above the river or perched high in trees. A large concentration of grizzly and black bears also roam the valley and surrounding mountains, feeding intermittently on the differently timed runs of salmon and the numerous varieties of wild berries in the forest and on the tundra carpeted mountain sides. A 4-5 day trip is best, providing time for layovers to hike, fish, and enjoy the majestic scenery. After the canyon it’s a mild float back to the town of Talkeenta at the confluence with the Susitna River, and perhaps the best view anywhere of North America’s tallest mountain, Denali .
Whether you are looking for big and powerful, fast and technical or just splashy and fun whitewater, Alaska has it all. Add to these beautiful rivers and creeks the epic scenery and unsurpassed wildlife viewing and Alaska is truly one of the world’s best destinations to paddle. Go to challenge yourself, go to play or go to learn; no matter which you’ll leave with a new perspective because paddling in Alaska is an experience that cannot be had anywhere else in the world.
Words and photos by Alan Warren (denali kayak school)
In addition to Denali Outdoor Center’s Denali Kayak School and raft company, they also have a full campground and cabins for rent. For more information call 1-888-303-1925, visit www.denalioutdoorcenter.com.
Rafting or raft assisted kayak trips on the Talkeetna River can be arranged with Too-loo-uk River guides, www.akrivers.com, the most experienced outfitter guiding epic adventures down Alaska’s river of plenty
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