Chitina River

The Chitina River (Ahtna Athabascan Tsedi Na’ [tʃɛ.diː.näʔ] < tsedi "copper" + na’ "river")^[3] is a 274 km (170 mi) tributary of the Copper River in the U.S. state of Alaska.^[1] It begins in the Saint Elias Mountains at the base of Chitina Glacier and flows generally northwest through the Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve to meet the smaller river^[4] near Chitina.^[5] The watershed was once a major copper mining region.^[6]

Chitina River
Chitina River below the confluences of the Nizina and Chakina Rivers
Location of the mouth of the Chitina River in Alaska
Location
Country	United States
State	Alaska
Census Area	Copper River
Physical characteristics
Source	Chitina Glacier
• location	Saint Elias Mountains, Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve
• coordinates	60°51′40″N 141°24′01″W[1]
• elevation	3,507 ft (1,069 m)[2]
Mouth	Copper River
• location	1.2 miles (1.9 km) east of Chitina; 66 miles (106 km) northeast of Valdez, Chugach Mountains
• coordinates	61°29′50″N 144°25′10″W[1]
• elevation	466 ft (142 m)[1]
Length	274 km (170 mi)[1]
Basin size	21,800 km2 (8,400 sq mi)
Basin features
Tributaries
• left	Kiagna River, Tana River, Chakina River, Tebay River
• right	Short River, Clear Stream, Nizina River, Lakina River, Gilahina River, Kuskulana River

Recreation

The Chitina River is suitable for floating in rafts, kayaks, and decked canoes by boaters with sufficient wilderness and whitewater skills.^[6] From a put-in place near Hubert's Landing, slightly downstream of Chitina Glacier, the river is Class II (medium) on the International Scale of River Difficulty all the way to the mouth at Chitina.^[6]

Boaters starting from Hubert's Landing will have to make a difficult 2.5-mile (4.0 km) portage to reach the main river channel.^[6] It is also possible to put in at Jake's Bar, about halfway between the glacier and the river mouth. The shorter trip requires no portage.^[6]

Hazards include cold silty water, bad weather, and the remote location.^[6] Grizzlies pose a danger to boaters, especially near the mouths of clear tributaries, where the bears tend to congregate.^[6] A variety of salmon, attractive to bears, migrate to and from these tributaries.^[6]

Tributaries

The most important tributaries of the Chitina are from the north and emanate principally from the south slope of the Wrangell Mountains; in order downstream they are Nizina, Lakina, Gilahina, and Kuskulana rivers.^[7] From the south the main affluents are the Tana, Chakina, and Tebay rivers, which rise in the Chugach Mountains.^[7] Kiagna River is also a southern tributary of Chitina River.^[8]

The Tebay River, and an associated set of lakes and smaller streams in the Tebay watershed, offer "the potential for some of the finest wilderness angling experiences to be had in Southcentral Alaska", according to Alaska Fishing.^[9] The main game fish in the Tebay system are rainbow trout, lake trout, and Arctic grayling.^[9]

Gallery

• 
  Map of the Chitina River
• 
  Chitina River from McCarthy Road, east of Chitina, Alaska, USA (28 June 2009)

See also

• List of rivers of Alaska