Chulitna

Flows

The Chulitna River has an inactive gauge only. However, it usually has fairly predictable flows from late May to early September. The East and Middle Forks are dependant upon snow melt and rainfall, while the West Fork is mostly glacial. Therefore, if it's been raining, the first day will have high water. If it's been sunny, the second and third days will have high water.

Put-In and Take-Out

There are several access options, depending on your time frame.

• 1. Access at the Middle Fork Chulitna Bridge at milepost 194.5 on the George Parks Highway. The Middle Fork is a little more shallow and narrow then the standard put-in on the East Fork, but adds about 7 miles to the trip.

• 2. Access at the East Fork Chulitna Bridge at milepost 185.1 on the George Parks Highway. This is the standard put-in for most trips.

• 3. Access at the Chulitna River Bridge at milepost 132.8 on the George Parks Highway. To get to the river, drive down the private driveway just upstream of the bridge. It's a good idea to clear this with the land owner first, who is usually hovering around. Don't leave your car here. Instead, there is parking up near the bridge on the downstream side, up toward the Denali Princess Lodge. Don't blame me if your car gets thrashed.

• 4. Access at the Talkeetna boat ramp. Just head into town, and ask a local where to find the boat ramp. Note that the braids don't always take you close to Talkeetna, so be prepared to continue down to the Susitna River Bridge at milepost 104.2 on the George Parks Highway, adding another 11 river miles.

Description

The Chulitna River offers a scenic three day or quick two day river trip within a Friday night's drive of both Anchorage and Fairbanks. Therfore, it tends to see a fair amount of traffic from rafters and canoers. It also has some excellent fishing in the upper sections, and

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