The Alatna River is a federally designated wild and scenic river partially contained within the boundaries of

Gates of the Arctic National Park Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve is an American national park that protects portions of the Brooks Range in northern Alaska. The park is the northernmost national park in the United States, situated entirely north of the Arctic Circ ...

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U ...

. It is called one of the most beautiful rivers in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

Geography

The Alatna River stems from the central

Brooks Range The Brooks Range ( Gwich'in: ''Gwazhał'') is a mountain range in far northern North America stretching some from west to east across northern Alaska into Canada's Yukon Territory. Reaching a peak elevation of on Mount Isto, the range is b ...

flowing through the

Endicott Mountains The Endicott Mountains are a range of mountains, part of the Brooks Range in northern Alaska. They are located in the middle of the Brooks range and run some east–west. To the east are the Philip Smith Mountains and to the west are the Sc ...

, passing Circle Lake, the Arrigetch Peaks and Takahula Lake before entering the Helpmejack Hills. The last section of the river continues to flow in a SSE direction through the Alatna Hills into its confluence with the

Koyukuk River The Koyukuk River (; ''Ooghekuhno' '' in Koyukon, ''Kuuyukaq'' or ''Tagraġvik'' in Iñupiaq) is a tributary of the Yukon River, in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the last major tributary entering the Yukon before the larger river empties int ...

near the small village of Allakaket. The first of the Alatna are shallow and rocky, followed by of a continued shallow area with more rapids. The river then mellows out near Takahula and Circle Lake becoming deeper and more meandering while the scenery turns from mountain peaks into hilly boreal forest. According to ''The Alaska River Guide'', this river is long from the headwaters to Allakaket and from Circle Lake to Allakaket.

Tourism

The river is very popular for float trips due to its calm flow and wonderful scenery. Float trips usually take from four to fourteen days, depending on put-in spot and pick-up spot, and also weather/river conditions. One common place to put in is Circle Lake, a small lake which is float plane accessible and is located in a beautiful part of the valley. Another place to put in is Takahula Lake, a larger, float-plane accessible lake, further downstream from Circle Lake. Gaedeke Lake is also a possible put in spot, but according to the ''Alaska River Guide'', this upstream section near the headwaters of the river is shallow and rocky making portaging or lining necessary. Most floaters take out at the village of Allakaket.

Exploration

Bob Marshall made an exploratory mapping trip up the river in 1931, following the river drainage from Allakaket upstream, to the Kutuk River, and onwards to the

. He was following in the footsteps of Philip Smith in 1911, the Murie brothers Olas and

Adolph Adolf (also spelt Adolph or Adolphe, Adolfo and when Latinised Adolphus) is a given name used in German-speaking countries, Scandinavia, the Netherlands and Flanders, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Latin America and to a lesser extent in var ...

in 1923, and the Smith, Fitzgerald, and Mertie USGS trip of 1924.

References

*Karen Jettmar, The Alaska River Guide: Canoeing, Kayaking, and Rafting in the Last Frontier. Menasha Ridge Press: Birmingham, Alabama. 3rd edition 2008, pp. 86–89

External links

Gates Of The Arctic National Park and Preserve

Alatna River Information
from the American Whitewater organization *

National Wild and Scenic Rivers System The National Wild and Scenic Rivers System was created by the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968 (Public Law 90-542), enacted by the U.S. Congress to preserve certain rivers with outstanding natural, cultural, and recreational values in a free- ...

National Wild and Scenic Rivers System Rivers of Alaska Rivers of Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve Brooks Range Tributaries of the Yukon River Rivers of Unorganized Borough, Alaska Wild and Scenic Rivers of the United States {{Alaska-river-stub