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Yukon River Canoe in Yukon- Charley Rivers N.P.- Trip Itinerary

Canoe through Yukon- Charley Rivers N.P. from Eagle to Circle, Alaska

• Dates: Aug 12- 18, 2012
• Region:: Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve in the eastern interior region.

• Cost: $2,800 per person from Fairbanks

Sketch of the Yukon River Canoe trip…

The Yukon River is Alaska's largest river; a river of huge proportions. Canoeing the Yukon is a classic Alaska wilderness experience. The Yukon River starts small and gains size and speed in the thinly populated Yukon Territory. The river crosses the U.S. border just upriver from the village of Eagle, and this is where our canoe trip will begin. From Eagle Village the Yukon flows another 1,400 miles through the heart of Alaska to the Bering Sea. At its mouth the river is nearly a mile wide!

The section of river that we will paddle from Eagle to Circle City is one of the most scenic, and takes us right through Yukon Charley Rivers National Preserve. Gravel bars stretch around long sinuous bends dotted by roots and trunks of trees bleached by the hot summer sun. Beyond the gravel and sand are young willows and cottonwoods which frame the river in vibrant green. Towering above the brush are the trees of the boreal forest, where in places are stands of paper birch whose white trunks peel in papery sheets. Other areas support dark forests of spruce, long brown columns in a sea of green moss. The boreal forest can also be a forest of comically small black spruce all twisted and bent, seeming to barely survive in the frozen soil.

Along much of the river in this section are steep and rocky bluffs. Some of them are several hundred feet tall. These spectacular bluffs support an ecology all their own and provide some of the best nesting habitat for Peregrine Falcons in the State. This is lean country but king and chum salmon will be working their way upriver towards their spawning grounds in Canada. These fish will draw bears and others to the river for this seasonal feast. Moose are a common sight in the ponds and sloughs near the river.

In addition to the rich natural history, the river has an interesting human history. Gwich’in Athabascan Indians have hunted and fished this stretch of river for centuries. Starting in the late 1800’s trappers and then prospectors inhabited nearly every valley. Cabins, old mines, fish wheels and other relics of the area’s heyday can be found along the river and in the woods. There are even a few homesteaders still making a life from the Yukon's shores and we may have the opportunity to visit their homesteads and contemplate a modern life in "bush" Alaska

The pace of this trip will be leisurely. The camping on both gravel bars and in the woods is world class for both scenery and comfort. Some of our paddling days may be long but there will always be time to pull over and investigate sights along the way. Weather in the interior this time of year tends to be sunny and warm though we will be prepared for anything. Canoeing experience is not necessary. This trip is an ideal choice for the adventurous family.