Eagle, AK

Upper Eagle River

Upper Eagle River
Photo of Eric Suoja by Todd Kelsey taken November 2002 @ Low

River Description

Put-In

The put-in for the Echo Bend section of Eagle River is reached by driving up Eagle River Road 12 miles until the road ends at the Eagle River Nature Center. There is a parking fee of $5 per day. Either shoulder your boat, or get it ready to drag, and walk 3 miles (about 1 hour) up the good trails to Echo Bend and the put-in. For a map of the trails, visit The Eagle River Nature Center.

Take-Out

Take out at Rapids Camp. This can be difficult to see from the river level. Look for the Rapids Camp yurt high on the right bank and a steep trail leading to the river. If you do miss the Rapids Camp take-out, continue 1.5 miles downstream to the River Trail yurt. Both take-outs require a 1.5 mile drag back out to the Nature Center, taking about 30 minutes. Alternately, continue another 15 miles down the class I Upper Eagle River to the Hiland Road Bridge take-out.

Description

The Echo Bend to Rapids camp section of Eagle River offers a good class IV whitewater run coupled with a nice hike. Eagle River has its source at the Eagle Glacier, and is correspondingly glacial gray with silt for most of the season, and very cold. Eagle River Echo Bend is normally first runnable in early to mid May at very low flows. The peak tends to come with hot weather in July and August, and drops quickly in September. Low water runs have continued on Echo Bend into December during warm years. At high water, this section is a pushy, constricted slalom course of big holes and waves that doesn’t let up until the take-out. At low water, the character completely changes, and boulder dodging and narrow chutes give it a creek feel. The setting is beautiful, with stunning Chugach peaks towering over the river.