Southwest and Aleutians Alaska Float Trips

Overview Locat­ed in south­west­ern Alas­ka, in one of the rich­est fish­eries in the world, the Wood-Tikchik State Park has a great, easy to mod­er­ate float trip that is per­fect for fam­i­lies with wilder­ness camp­ing expe­ri­ence and for diehard fish­ing enthu­si­asts. From the fur­thest inland lake to Dilling­ham, Alas­ka is a 130-mile trip that involves pad­dling your way the length of 4 large lakes and down the three rivers that con­nect the lakes and then…  ...more

The Tlikak­i­la Riv­er flows through Lake Clark Nation­al Park, where the Alas­ka and Aleut­ian Ranges meet. Its 51-mile route fea­tures glac­i­ers, cliffs, caves, water­falls, and deep gorges. Though most­ly Class I‑II, one sec­tion reach­es Class III+. The river’s source has shift­ed due to glacial changes, but it remains a stun­ning wilder­ness float, tak­ing 3 – 6 days to complete.

Overview Begin­ning far up into the moun­tains of Lake Clark Nation­al Park, the Stony Riv­er is a lit­tle known but beau­ti­ful glacial riv­er that flows south away from the Rev­e­la­tion Moun­tains and out of Sled Pass to a point where it then flows north­west through the rolling foothills to where it even­tu­al­ly joins the Kuskok­wim Riv­er near the vil­lage of Stony Riv­er. The upper 50 miles of riv­er are inac­ces­si­ble and rarely see sum­mer­time traffic.…  ...more

This trip is best start­ed from Dilling­ham, which can be reached by reg­u­lar­ly sched­uled air ser­vice from Anchor­age. From there, a char­tered plane on wheels can take you to one of sev­er­al grav­el bar land­ing areas near the con­flu­ences with the Chi­chit­nok River.

The Nusha­gak Riv­er flows 275 miles through south­west Alas­ka, offer­ing top-tier fish­ery habi­tat with salmon, trout, char, and grayling. A Class I riv­er, it’s ide­al for fam­i­lies with wilder­ness skills, pass­ing native vil­lages, tun­dra, and scenic bluffs. Pop­u­lar for raft­ing, fish­ing, and hik­ing, it joins key rivers like the Mulchat­na. Trips range from 5 days to 2 weeks, with log­jams and sweep­ers as main hazards.

The Kanek­tok Riv­er in South­west Alas­ka flows 85 miles from Pegati Lake to the Bering Sea. Start­ing in the Ahk­lun Moun­tains, it winds through the Kuskok­wim low­lands, offer­ing world-class fly fish­ing. Lodges and camps line the riv­er, with motor­boats com­mon mid-July to mid-August. Its gen­tle Class I‑II flow is usu­al­ly clear, though sweep­ers pose haz­ards. Plan 4 – 7 days for a trip ide­al for anglers and campers.

The Holit­na Riv­er is a 200-mile, 8 – 10 day Class I float in south­west Alas­ka, flow­ing through vast wilder­ness from the Tay­lor Moun­tains. It’s the largest riv­er in the low­er Kuskok­wim basin, offer­ing a scenic trip with a chance to meet locals in Kashegelok. A major fish­ing des­ti­na­tion, it hosts all five salmon species, Arc­tic Char, North­ern Pike, and Sheefish. The jour­ney starts at the Kogruk­luk Riv­er and Shot­gun Creek confluence.

The Hoholit­na Riv­er is a remote, rarely trav­eled 180-mile float (Class I & II) with world-class fish­ing. Begin­ning at White­fish Lake, it winds through tun­dra, spruce, and poplar forests before meet­ing the Holit­na and Kuskok­wim Rivers. The trip takes 5 – 10 days, cov­er­ing 165 miles on the Hoholit­na and 20 more on the Holit­na to Sleet­mute. Expect soli­tude, slow turns, and stun­ning Alaskan wilderness.

The North Fork of the Good­news Riv­er in Alas­ka offers a 60-mile, 5‑day float trip through Togiak Refuge, sur­round­ed by tun­dra moun­tains. The riv­er is rich in fish, with good cur­rent in the upper reach­es and tidal influ­ences at its mouth. Togiak Refuge spans 4.7 mil­lion road­less acres, fea­tur­ing moun­tains, rivers, lakes, and estu­ar­ies. Pri­ma­ry access is by air or water, mak­ing it a true remote wilder­ness adventure.

The Mulchat­na Riv­er flows from Alaska’s Chig­mit Moun­tains through rugged ter­rain with swift cur­rents, rocky shal­lows, Class III drops, and log jams. Ide­al for skilled adven­tur­ers, it offers soli­tude, mul­ti-day trips, great fish­ing, and camp­ing along sandy banks. Though less dra­mat­ic than near­by rivers, it promis­es a chal­leng­ing, reward­ing jour­ney from June to September.

The Chi­likadrot­na Riv­er, a Wild and Scenic Riv­er, flows 60 miles through Lake Clark Nation­al Park to the Mulchat­na Riv­er. Aver­ag­ing 5 mph, it runs through birch and spruce forests with jagged peaks above. The trip takes 4 – 8 days, fea­tur­ing swift water, rapids, and occa­sion­al sweep­ers. A pop­u­lar fly-in fish­ing spot, it offers thrilling white­wa­ter for expe­ri­enced boaters in an 82-mile journey.

The Andreaf­sky and East Fork Rivers are remote, Wild and Scenic water­ways in Alas­ka, flow­ing 105 – 122 miles through tun­dra and for­est. This Class I riv­er is ide­al for a 5 – 7 day float, best suit­ed for inflat­able kayaks or small rafts. The East Fork fea­tures more trees and bogs, while the area is home to diverse wildlife, includ­ing the rare Bris­tle-thigh­ed Curlew. Few trav­el here out­side of local groups and fish­ing parties.

The Alagnak riv­er, a fed­er­al­ly des­ig­nat­ed Wild and Scenic Riv­er that orig­i­nates in Kat­mai Nation­al Park and Pre­serve, is a fish­er­man’s par­adise and the most pop­u­lar fish­ing float trip in the Bris­tol Bay region. From it’s head­wa­ters at Kukak­lek or Non­vianuk Lake, it is a 75 mile Class I and II riv­er with one Class III canyon that is a mile long and has a short falls, not eas­i­ly portaged or lined due to the steep walls. The riv­er is a good…  ...more