The Slana River, also known as Slahna, Slakna, or Sla River, is a tributary of the

Copper River Copper River may refer to several places: *Copper River (Alaska), in the United States * Copper River (British Columbia), a tributary of the Skeena River The Skeena River is the second-longest river entirely within British Columbia, Canada (afte ...

in southern

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 ...

in the United States. It begins near

Mount Kimball Mount Kimball is the highest mountain in the Delta Range, a subrange of the Alaska Range between Isabel Pass and Mentasta Pass, about 30 miles from Paxson. It is one of the twenty most topographically prominent peaks in Alaska. Mount Kimball is ...

in the

Alaska Range The Alaska Range is a relatively narrow, mountain range in the Southcentral Alaska, southcentral region of the U.S. state of Alaska, from Lake Clark at its southwest endSources differ as to the exact delineation of the Alaska Range. ThBoard on G ...

and flows generally south to meet the larger river near Slana. Its Native American name was first recorded in 1885 by

Henry Tureman Allen Major General Henry Tureman Allen (April 13, 1859 – August 29, 1930) was a senior United States Army officer known for exploring the Copper River in Alaska in 1885 along with the Tanana and Koyukuk rivers by transversing of wilderness, a ...

. Tributaries of the Slana River include the Athell Creek, Rufus Creek, Porcupine Creek, Natat Creek, Suslota Creek, Carlson Creek, Suslotina Creek, Slana Slough, Mabel Creek, Granite Creek, Jack Creek, and Alteration Creek. The first miles of the river are through a narrow valley, but nearer to the mouth it becomes wider and meanders a lot. Between Slana River and Little Tok River lies Mentasta Lake and the

Mentasta Pass Mentasta Pass is a major mountain pass in Alaska, separating the Alaska Range on the west from the Mentasta Mountains on the east. Alaska Route 1 (the Glenn Highway) runs through the pass, connecting the Copper River Valley with the Alaska High ...

. Other passes near the Slana are Gillett Pass towards the Dry Tok River, and Sikonsina Pass, towards

Burnt Lake Burnt Lake is a lake in the Mount Hood National Forest in Oregon, United States. It is in the Sandy River watershed. See also * List of lakes in Oregon This is a list of the lakes and reservoirs of Oregon. Swimming, fishing, and/or boatin ...

and the Big Tok River.

References

Rivers of Alaska Rivers of Copper River Census Area, Alaska Rivers of Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska Rivers of Unorganized Borough, Alaska {{CopperRiverAK-geo-stub