McCarthy Road at Kennicott River

Here you could rig your rafts and travel the very swift, rocky and splashy section of the Kennicott the five miles to where it then joins the Nizina River. Here the river will take on considerably more water and for the next 10 miles is swift, wide and very braided with beautiful scenic views in all directions. At this point the Nizina enters the Nizina Canyon, a sheer walled limestone canyon with blind turns but no real obstructions. However, the water is very pushy and it is wise to stay to the inside of all the blind turns and away from the walls where big hydraulics occur. It is possible to find a camp in here but the whole stretch from the road put in to the Chitina is easily done in a day. At the mouth of the Nizina are a cabin and cable crossing as well as a place where planes can land. It is a rather fast paced start to a Chitina River trip and dry suits should be used for the Nizina canyon, especially if it is high water. This trip could be done in 4 days.