The Chena River (;
Tanana Athabascan: Ch'eno' "river of something (game)") is a tributary of the
Tanana River in the
Interior region of the
U.S. state of
Alaska
Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...
. It flows generally west from the
White Mountains to the
Tanana River near the city of
Fairbanks, which is built on both sides of the river.
The Tanana empties into the long
Yukon River.
Named tributaries of the Chena River include the North Fork, South Fork, West Fork, Middle (East) Fork and the Little Chena River.
The
Chena River State Recreation Area surrounds much of the upper half of the
main stem.
The Chena River is used for recreational fishing and boating.
During the winter months, it is also traveled by snowmachines and mushers (sled dogs).
The
Chena River Lakes Flood Control Project dam is about up the Chena River from
Fairbanks. The dam was built in response to the
1967 Fairbanks flood, which inundated much of the city. When closed, the dam impounds water and, when the inflow is high enough, diverts it about to the Tanana River near
North Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's rotation, Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True North Pole to distingu ...
, upstream of Fairbanks and the natural
mouth
A mouth also referred to as the oral is the body orifice through which many animals ingest food and animal communication#Auditory, vocalize. The body cavity immediately behind the mouth opening, known as the oral cavity (or in Latin), is also t ...
of the Chena.
Fish
The Chena River supports populations of many fish species, including
Arctic grayling,
burbot,
chum salmon,
humpback whitefish,
king salmon,
least cisco,
longnose suckers,
northern pike,
round whitefish, and
sheefish. Easily accessible from Fairbanks, the Chena is the most popular sport-fishing river in interior Alaska.
Overfishing for grayling reduced their number in the Chena to "dangerous levels" by the mid-1980s. In the 21st century, sport fishing for grayling, which grow in length to in the upper river, is limited to
catch and release.
Boating
Easy access to the river from Chena Hot Springs Road, the Chena River Recreation Area, four bridges, and elsewhere make a wide variety of float trips possible. Most of the river is rated Class I (easy) on the
International Scale of River Difficulty; however, the upper reaches along the North Fork near
Chena Hot Springs are "extremely swift" with few safe
eddies and are rated Class II (medium). High water increases these difficulty ratings.
Dangers on the North Fork include a much narrower channel than that of the main stem, possible logjams, overhanging vegetation, and shallows, any of which may require a
portage. Dangers below that include possible overhangs, logjams, and channel braiding. In the early season (June), boaters may encounter ice jams anywhere along the river.
See also
*
List of rivers of Alaska
References
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Rivers of Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska
Rivers of Alaska
Tributaries of the Yukon River
Tanana Athabaskans