Copper

This is a great multiday trip on a very big and fast-moving river. Most take-out at the highway
bridge outside Cordova although it is possible to continue through the Copper River Delta and out into
the Gulf of Alaska if you're prepared for sea kayaking. A railroad once ran parrallel to the river but it
has since been removed. There is continued talk of completing a road link that would connect Cordova
to the rest of Alaska's road network. The environmental issues and the signifcant cost of maintaining a
road along this river have so far kept it from being built.

For a longer journey you can begin your trip on the [Middle Copper](http://www.americanwhitewater.org/
rivers/id/2501/) or [Upper Copper](http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/River/view/river-detail/
2962/). Alternatively, you could also start your run on the [Chitina](http://
www.americanwhitewater.org/content/River/view/river-detail/9/) and it's tributaries that extend up into the St.
Elias Mountains. Don't confuse this run with the [Iliamna Copper](http://www.americanwhitewater.org/
rivers/id/12/), which is 600 miles to the West.

Additional Information

• Check out Jim Strutz's online guide to the [Copper River](http://www.kck.org/KCKWEB/RiverReports/
  JimSCopperRiver.htm) on the Knik Canoers and Kayakers [website](http://
  www.kck.org/).

• The description in Embick's guide, Fast and Cold, includes a description of the run and also some
  interesting historical background.