Page 157 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide 2017 - Alaska

SOUTHEAST ALASK A  155

o Tatshenshini-
Alsek Rivers
Transport map E4. & 8 
Permits: mandatory, contact the Visitor
Reception Center, Haines Junction, YT.
∑ env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/
parkpgs/tatshens
The Tatshenshini River and its
tributary, the Alsek, which are
con sidered two of the world’s
best whitewater rafting and
kayaking rivers, rise in the
St. Elias Range of British Columbia
and the Yukon Territory, respec­ Floating houses in Yakutat’s harbor with Mount Augusta in the distance
tively. From there, they flow
160 miles (256 km) through mouth of the Alsek, which will (110 km) from the 18,008­ft
canyons and rapids and past require a bush flight to Haines (5,490­m) Mount St. Elias, the
numerous glaciers to the coast or Yakutat. second highest peak in the US.
at the northern end of Glacier Rafters on the Alsek should be The Russians were among the
Bay National Park (see pp146–7). aware that the 10­mile (16­km) first outsiders in Yakutat, whose
Once a vital Tlingit trade route, stretch through Turnback name means “where the canoes
the Tatshenshini supports Canyon in British Columbia rest” in the Tlingit language.
productive salmon runs, and presents serious whitewater, and In 1805, the Russian­American
visitors to Klukshu can see how must be bypassed using a pre­ Company built a fur trading post
the First Nations once caught organized helicopter portage. here, but it was destroyed by the
salmon with fish traps and dried A highlight is the paddle past Tlingit, who had been denied
them for use in the winter. the icebergs of Alsek Glacier. access to their traditional
The usual put­in site for the There are no services along the hunting and fishing lands. In
glacial Alsek is near Haines way, so river runners need to be 1886, minor gold deposits were
Junction, while Tatshenshini fully self­sufficient. discovered in the beach sands,
rafters put in at Dalton Post, but the area’s economy took off
near the Yukon Territory­British only in 1903, when a cannery,
Columbia border. Most rafters p Yakutat sawmill, and railroad were
run the rivers with com mercial 225 miles (362 km) NW of Juneau. established. Yakutat also served
operators and expe rienced Transport map E4. * 660. ~ g as a garrison and air strip during
guides. For private trips on the n Yakutat Chamber of Commerce World War II.
Alsek, rafters need a wilderness 784­3933. _ Fairweather Days (early Due to its remote location,
permit from Canada’s Kluane Aug). ∑ yakutatalaska.com modern Yakutat sees few casual
National Park. Rafters on both visitors. However, it has been
rivers must also obtain a permit Located on the Gulf of Alaska at discovered by fly­fishermen, who
for Glacier Bay National Park, the southern edge of Wrangell­ come for steelhead, and surfers
citing a pre­specified take­ St. Elias National Park (see who head to Cannon Beach, a
out time from Dry Bay at the pp192–3), Yakutat is just 70 miles popular place to surf the waves.
The town also enjoys
good views of a host of
peaks and glaciers,
including the galloping
Hubbard Glacier (see
p31) and the vast
Malaspina Glacier,
which is one of the
largest in North America.
Yakutat is a good base
for exploring the
southeast corner
of Wrangell­St. Elias
National Park, while the
Russell Fjord Wilderness,
which includes
Harlequin Lake and
Yakutat Glacier, is a
26­mile (42­km)
Rafters passing through a calm section of the Tatshenshini River drive away.
For hotels and restaurants in this area see pp243–4 and pp253–4

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