Gulkana River
Quick Facts:
Drive time: 3.5 hours from Fairbanks, 3 hours from Valdez
Mileage: 45 miles from Paxson Lake to Sourdough
Rating: Class I-II (III)
Activities: Rafting
Estimated time: 3 days
Complete BLM guide here
The Wild & Scenic Gulkana River is a perfect, laid-back float for a long summer weekend and has tons of fishing opportunities. We put in at Paxson Lake Campground, which requires a 3 mile lake paddle to start your trip. You’ll be grateful to see the moving water at the mouth of the river, and that’s where you can officially start your float. We printed out this detailed guide to keep track of our mileage and find the recommended campsites.
This river is pretty forested the whole time, so there aren’t necessarily mountain views (until you start to see Mt. Drum at the end), but there’s a couple pretty canyons and tons of wildlife (SO many bald eagles) that make the trip worth it! The water is warmer than most Alaska rivers I’ve experienced (and not a very splashy river), so dry suits weren’t needed.
Although there’s whitewater on the whole river, there’s only one rapid that is a concern, and that’s Canyon Rapids at river mile 18. There’s a portage option on the left side for people to walk around and line their boats. The portage trail was relatively flat and had a boardwalk built on it, so it was very well-maintained. After scouting, we noticed the rapid was no more than a class III at that current water level, so we went for it!
We made sure to camp in places that had a little bit of a breeze to try to limit the mosquitoes - gravel bars tend to be perfect for this! The bugs were pretty horrible whenever we went off into the brush, so make sure to bring your preferred repellent. We were the only people on the river not fishing, and the lower section of the river gets pretty crowded with motor boats so use caution. After a relaxing 45 miles, we took out at the established boat ramp at Sourdough Creek Campground.
