Delta River

Delta River
Delta River
Location of the mouth of the Delta River in Alaska
Location
Country	United States
State	Alaska
Census Area	Copper River, Southeast Fairbanks
Physical characteristics

Source	Tangle Lakes
• location	Amphitheater Mountains, Alaska Range, Copper River Census Area
• coordinates	63°09′14″N 145°56′54″W / 63.15389°N 145.94833°W / 63.15389; -145.94833^[1]
• elevation	2,823 ft (860 m)^[2]

Mouth	Tanana River
• location	Big Delta, Southeast Fairbanks Census Area
• coordinates	64°09′19″N 145°51′35″W / 64.15528°N 145.85972°W / 64.15528; -145.85972^[1]
• elevation	984 ft (300 m)^[1]
Length	80 mi (130 km)^[1]

National Wild and Scenic River
Type	Wild, Scenic, Recreational
Designated	December 2, 1980

The Delta River is an 80-mile (130 km) tributary of the Tanana River in the U.S. state of Alaska.^[1] Its name in the Ahtna language is Saas Na’ ^{[pronunciation?]}. Fed by the Tangle Lakes of the Alaska Range, the river flows north to meet the larger river near Big Delta.^[3]

In 1980, 62 miles (100 km) of waterways in the Delta River basin, including all of the Tangle Lakes and the main stem to within 0.5 miles (0.8 km) of Black Rapids became part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Of this, 20 miles (32 km) are designated "wild", 24 miles (39 km) "scenic", and 18 miles (29 km) "recreational".^[4]

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Boating

Easily accessible from the boat launch at the Tangle Lakes campground near the Denali Highway and at many points downstream along the Richardson Highway, the river can be floated in sections that vary in difficulty from Class I (easy) to Class V (extremely difficult) on the International Scale of River Difficulty and may require portages. The upstream stretches include four lakes and their Class II (medium) connecting channels. About 2 miles (3 km) downstream of the last lake, the river enters a canyon and flows over unrunnable waterfalls. A 0.5-mile (1 km) portage leads to a 2-mile (3 km) stretch of Class III (difficult) rapids.^[5]

Below the Class III rapids, the river continues through 29 miles (47 km) of Class I and II water before entering a 20-mile (32 km) stretch between Ann Creek and One Mile Creek known as Black Rapids. Here the difficulty is Class III rising to Class IV (very difficult) or V, followed by 30 miles (48 km) of Class III and then 18 miles (29 km) of Class I.^[5]

Author Karen Jettmar warns of dangers including "sweepers, canoe fragments wrapped around rocks, bears, cold and wet weather, and high winds". She says that "only experts should attempt to run Black Rapids (Class IV–V) below Mile 229 on Richardson Highway."^[5]

Fishing

The Tangle Lakes complex, 24 miles (39 km) long, that feeds the Delta River has "some of the best road-accessible grayling fishing in Interior Alaska".^[6] In the deeper lakes of the system, lake trout are fairly abundant. Lakes and streams that are away from the highway and accessible only by canoe or trail are the least heavily fished. Arctic grayling fishing is also considered excellent on the upper river down to its confluence with Eureka Creek.^[6]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Delta River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. March 31, 1981. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
^ Derived by entering source coordinates in Google Earth.
^ Alaska Atlas & Gazetteer (7th ed.). Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. 2010. pp. 96, 106, 116. ISBN 978-0-89933-289-5.
^ "Delta River, Alaska". National Wild and Scenic Rivers. Retrieved October 27, 2013.
^ ^a ^b ^c Jettmar, Karen (2008) [1993]. The Alaska River Guide: Canoeing, Kayaking, and Rafting in the Last Frontier (3rd ed.). Birmingham, Alabama: Menasha Ridge Press. pp. 111–13. ISBN 978-0-89732-957-6.
^ ^a ^b Limeres, Rene; Pedersen, Gunnar; et al. (2005). Alaska Fishing: The Ultimate Angler's Guide (3rd ed.). Roseville, California: Publishers Design Group. pp. 275–76. ISBN 1-929170-11-4.

External links

The Delta National Wild and Scenic River – Bureau of Land Management

Protected areas of Alaska

Federal

National Parks	Denali Gates of the Arctic Glacier Bay Katmai Kenai Fjords Kobuk Valley Lake Clark Wrangell–St. Elias
National Historical Parks	Klondike Gold Rush (Chilkoot Trail) Sitka
National Monuments	Admiralty Island (USFS) Aleutian Islands World War II (FWS) Aniakchak Cape Krusenstern Misty Fjords (USFS)
National Preserves	Bering Land Bridge Noatak Yukon–Charley Rivers
National Wildlife Refuges	Alaska Maritime Alaska Peninsula Arctic Becharof Innoko Izembek Kanuti Kenai Kodiak Koyukuk Nowitna Selawik Tetlin Togiak Yukon Delta Yukon Flats
National Forests	Chugach Tongass
Forest Service units	Mendenhall Glacier
U.S. Wilderness Areas	Aleutian Islands Andreafsky Becharof Bering Sea Bogoslof Chamisso Chuck River Coronation Island Denali Endicott River Forrester Island Gates of the Arctic Glacier Bay Hazy Islands Innoko Izembek Karta River Katmai Kenai Kobuk Valley Kootznoowoo Koyukuk Kuiu Lake Clark Maurille Islands Misty Fjords Mollie Beattie Noatak Nunivak Petersburg Creek–Duncan Salt Chuck Pleasant/Lemesurier/Inian Islands Russell Fiord Saint Lazaria Selawik Semidi Simeonof South Baranof South Etolin South Prince of Wales Stikine-LeConte Tebenkof Bay Togiak Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Tuxedni Unimak Warren Island West Chichagof-Yakobi Wrangell–Saint Elias
Wild and Scenic Rivers	Alagnak Alatna Andreafsky Aniakchak Beaver Creek Birch Creek Charley Chilikadrotna Delta Fortymile Gulkana Ivishak John Kobuk North Fork Koyukuk Mulchatna Noatak Nowitna Salmon Selawik Sheenjek Tinayguk Tlikakila Unalakleet Wind
National Conservation Area	Steese

State

State Parks	Afognak Island Chilkat Chugach Denali Kachemak Bay Point Bridget Shuyak Island Wood-Tikchik
State Forests	Haines Southeast Tanana Valley

Alaska Department of Natural Resources

This page was last edited on 22 February 2024, at 21:29

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