Talkeetna
Stephan Lake to Susitna River at Talkeetna Village
| Difficulty | III-IV |
| Length | 63.8 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 21 fpm |
| Gauge | Talkeetna R Nr Talkeetna Ak |
| Flow Rate as of 1 hour | 5390 cfsrunnable |
| Reach Info Last Updated | October 6, 2014 |
River Description
Embick notes that one might call this run the 'best all-around whitewater river in Alaska'. It's a multiday trip but the logistics are relatively easy and it's a great wilderness experience. The best whitewater is a relatively short percentage of the total run, but it's a great overall river trip with opportunities for hiking, fishing, and wildlife viewing.
There are two basic options for starting this trip. You can either fly on floats up to Murder Lake (the small lake just downstream of Stephan Lake) and paddle down Prairie Creek or land a wheel plane on one of the backcountry airstrips upstream of the Prairie Creek confluence along the Talkeetna. There is no fixed-wing access to the river downstream of the Prairie Creek confluence. For hard shell kayakers you will most likely fly in on floats as most pilots are reluctant to secure boats to the outside of their aircraft (although it has been done). You can get a couple of kayaks in a Cessna 206. Those with inflatables often charter a Cessna 185 to one of the gravel strips along the Talkeetna. Big rafts can be a pain on Prairie Creek especially if flows are low later in the summer.
If starting out at Yellowjacket Creek Airstrip it's a 22 mile run down to the Prairie Creek confluence. The low gradient means you won't find much in the way of whitewater but it's a scenic float and there are hiking opportunities for those who want to explore the area. If you start out on Prairie Creek, it's an 8 mile float down to the Talkeetna confluence. The creek has a consistent gradient but no rapids exceed class II. Wood can be a hazard so use caution as you approach blind corners and bear encounters when the salmon are running are common.
From the confluence with Prairie Creek the river starts to become a bit more constrained and the current picks up. You will pass a couple of islands and there are a few good camping sites in this section of about 7 miles in length that proceeds the start of the significant
...River Features
Put In
Murder Lake
Kayakers can fly in on floats to Murder Lake as one access for the Talkeetna River.
Take Out
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportA friend and I paddled from Murder Lake down in early August 2018. Prairie Creek had some wood hazards but did not require portaging. The Talkeetna flow was dropping from a major spike due to heavy rainfall and was 13-14,000 by the time we entered the canyon. Scouting Toilet Bowl is advisable at that flow, but everything else was read-and-run big water class III-IV.
We were unable to fit our two creekboats (a large Dagger Mamba and a Waka Tuna) into a Cessna 206 with Alaska Bush Float Plane, and the pilots were rather reluctant to try in fear of damaging their planes. The width seemed to be more of an issue than the length. Smaller creekboats might work better, but don't count on it, despite what the float plane company might tell you over the phone. As of August 2018, K2 Aviation has a DHC-2 Beaver on floats with an Alaska door that can easily fit two creekboats. They are also based at Fish Lake and can fly you to Murder Lake. Talkeetna Air and Taxi has a wheeled Beaver that can fly into the Yellowjacket Airstrip for a similar price. The Beaver is more expensive than the 206 since it's a larger plane. Most pilots won't strap kayaks to floats and also take passengers due to FAA regulations.
Late August self-support kayak trip on the Talkeetna.
Murder Lake is a small lake just downstream of Stephan Lake. Prairie Creek starts at the outlet for this lake. A Cessna 206, shown here, should fit two paddlers with their boats (inside the plane) and gear.
The water was relatively low, but it was still a blast.
Looking down on the toilet bowl from above