The Mendenhall River ( Lingít: ''Woosh Ilʼóox̱ʼu Héen'') is an

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 ...

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

north of

Juneau Juneau ( ; ), officially the City and Borough of Juneau, is the capital of the U.S. state of Alaska, located along the Gastineau Channel and the Alaskan panhandle. Juneau was named the capital of Alaska in 1906, when the government of wha ...

in the Mendenhall Valley. The river begins at the Mendenhall Lake, at the base of the Mendenhall Glacier.

Rafting on the river

The Mendenhall is about six miles (9 kilometers) long, one mile (1.6 km) of which is

whitewater Whitewater forms in the context of rapids, in particular, when a river's Stream gradient, gradient changes enough to generate so much turbulence that air is trapped within the water. This forms an unstable current that foam, froths, making t ...

. The most favorable months in which to

raft A raft is any flat structure for support or transportation over water. It is usually of basic design, characterized by the absence of a hull. Rafts are usually kept afloat by using any combination of buoyant materials such as wood, sealed barre ...

on the river is May through September. The most active points along the whitewater section are ''Scott's Iatola'' (or ''Iatolla'') ''Hola'', ''Tourist Trap'', and ''Pinball Alley''. The whitewater ends near the Juneau International Airport.

Flooding

Minor

flood stage Flood stage is the water level or stage at which the surface of a body of water has risen to a sufficient level to cause sufficient inundation of areas that are not normally covered by water, causing an inconvenience or a threat to life and proper ...

for the Mendenhall River is 12 feet (3.7 m), and a level of 14 feet (4.3 m) is more likely to cause extensive problems. If the Mendenhall is at minor flood stage, however, it is likely that areas such as Montana Creek, Jordan Creek, and the Mendenhall Lake are also experiencing flooding at that time.

Interesting facts

*On October 20, 1998, the river reached its then-greatest-recorded water flow of 12,400 cubic feet per second (350 m³/s). *Named in honor of

Thomas Corwin Mendenhall Thomas Corwin Mendenhall (October 4, 1841 – March 23, 1924) was an American autodidact physicist and meteorologist. He was the first professor hired at Ohio State University in 1873 and the superintendent of the United States Coast and Geodeti ...

, the superintendent of the

United States Coast and Geodetic Survey The United States Coast and Geodetic Survey ( USC&GS; known as the Survey of the Coast from 1807 to 1836, and as the United States Coast Survey from 1836 until 1878) was the first scientific agency of the Federal government of the United State ...

(1889–1894). * Since 2011, periodic glacial floods have occurred from the Suicide Basin through the Mendenhall Glacier in

Juneau, Alaska Juneau ( ; ), officially the City and Borough of Juneau, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Alaska, located along the Gastineau Channel and the Southeast Alaska, Alaskan panhandle. Juneau was named the ...

. A major release in 2023 destroyed two buildings.Historic glacial flooding in Alaska triggers evacuations
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Points of interest

* Brotherhood Bridge

References

External links

Hydrology, Geomorphology, and Flood Profiles
-- ''(full report is a PDF file)''
''Facing the "Iatolla Hola"''
��September 4, 2001 article in the on-line version of the ''

Juneau Empire The ''Juneau Empire'' is a newspaper in Juneau, Alaska, United States. It publishes Wednesdays and Saturdays. History The newspaper was founded on November 2, 1912, as the ''Alaska Daily Empire''. It was founded by John Franklin Alexander ...