Lake Chelatna to Yetna
Alaska – US
- Class
- I to IV-
- Length
- 58 Mile(s)
- Take-out elevation
- 150 Feet
- Typical season
- June to September
- Author
- bh5k
Current Flow
Visual or unknown
No gauge reading is available for this run — check it on site.
- Primary gauge
- VISUAL Gauge detail & alternatives
Recommended levels
| Minimum | — |
| Average | 10,000 |
| Maximum | — |
Recommended use
- Kayaking
- Rafting
- Canoeing
- SUP
- Packrafting
- Fishing
Struck-through craft are not recommended for this run.
Flow history — last 6 days
No gauge history recorded in the last 6 days.
Photos
Description
This is a minimum 5 day trip to do it right. You have the float plane drop you off at Lake Chelatna and pick you up at the Yetna.
Rapids
| # | Rapid | Class | Recommended flow | Description | Scout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Rock Garden | III | 10,000–10,000 | This is a class IV section that is pretty technical and easy to hang up on a rock. Lot's of narrow passages. I think this section would actually be easier with more water. It should be less narrow. The Rock Garden is more of a series of rapids though and will take you about 2 hours. |
At the GPS coordinate, you can get out on the left hand side and scout the narrowest part of the rapids. There is a toilet seat (I have no idea why) hanging from a branch on the side of the river that you can tie up and walk down a ways. |
Access
| Type | Name | Elevation | Camping | Water | Boat ramp | Vehicle access | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Put-In | Lake Chelatna | — | No | No | No | All Vehicles | The Lake Chelatna put-in. |
| Take-Out | Lake Creek Lodge | 150 Feet | No | No | No | All Vehicles | All the times I have done it, you take out at Lake Creek Lodge. They have a full bar there that you can get a drink at while waiting for the float plane. |
Camps
| Camp | Fee | Beach | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Camp Creek | No | Yes | One of the first great camps that you come across and a great place to start fishing. The beach is really a gravel bar, but that is about the best you are going to get on this river. |
| The Cliff Hole | Yes | Yes | The best camp on the river and quite possibly the best camp in the whole freaking world. Gorgeous beach, mature trees, awesome fishing right in front of the camp, great for all species. |
| Yenlo Camp | No | Yes | Great camp river right. Be cautious of bear activity here. Been one of the most active spots on the river for bears and nusiance bears in camp. Good fishing hole, but changes over time with ice out. Beach is a gravel bar, but it is exposed. |
| Home Creek | No | Yes | Home Creek camp. Decent hole for fishing and pretty camp. It is a pretty long haul from Chelatna for the first day, but if you don't get camp creek it is doable. It makes floating down to the Cliff hole or other camps pretty nice from there. |
Permit
No permit is required, or permit info hasn't been added yet.
Fishing
The following fish species are often found on this run.
The Arctic grayling occurs primarily in cold waters of mid-sized to large rivers and lakes, returning to rocky streams to breed. This fish is considered a sport fish and has a large sail looking dorsal fin.
The Chinook Salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, is the largest species in the Pacific (Oncorhynchus) salmon family. Other commonly used names for the species include King Salmon, Quinnat Salmon, Spring Salmon and Tyee Salmon. Chinook are anadromous fish native to the north Pacific Ocean and the river systems of western North America ranging from California to Alaska.
The rainbow trout is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America.
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