Put-In
There are three options for the put-in.
- 1\. Fly with Dave King at Last Frontier Air Ventures (907-745-5701) in his A3 helicopter out of Chickaloon. Put in wherever it looks like you have enough water up to 30 Mile Airstrip. Above this strip, the river is much smaller and braided. The helicopter will fit rafts and broken down frames, as well as kayaks. The shuttle from the Last Frontier Ranch to the Chickaloon take-out takes 15 minutes roundtrip.
- 2\. Fly with Dave Glenn of Grasshopper Air (907-373-6923) fixed wing from the Wasilla Airport to 30 Mile Airstrip. While this is a cheaper option, there is limited room for equipment. No hardshell kayaks or large rafts. The shuttle from the Wasilla Airport to the Chickaloon take-out takes 1.5 hours roundtrip.
- 3\. Driving east on the Glen Highway from Palmer, turn left heading north on the Chickaloon Road before the Chickaloon Bridge. Drive 2 miles up the road, and walk down the wooden steps the river. Please bring a shuttle driver; the locals have problems with people leaving cars here.
Take-Out
Take out at the Chickaloon Bridge on the Glenn Highway at mile 77.7 east of Anchorage. Alternately, continue down to several choices of take-outs on the
Matanuska River.
Description
The Chickaloon is a superb 2 day trip, with moderate and continuous whitewater and excellent scenery. The hiking in the upper stretches up side canyons is worth taking an extra day at the put-in. At 30-Mile airstrip there is an active hunting camp for spring bear and caribou. From the Airstrip, expect 10 miles of braided river. Note that if flying in the helicopter, you can drop in at the bottom of the braids, and start the whitewater straight off. The action starts with a blind right turn into a rock garden. The rapids are more or less continuous class II-III from here until the take-out. There are several play spots for kayakers due to the rounded granite boulders that make up the river bed. Rafters will be kept very busy. There are three rapids to note. The first is Hotel Rocks, about 2 miles past the beginning of the whitewater, identified by the huge landslide above it on river left. Scout from the right side all the way down - the meat of the drop cannot be seen from the initial stance, and there are several sieves that tend to collect wood. The second notable section is the Narrows, where the river pinches between large walls and two large boulders guard the exit. Note that the slot between the exit boulders collects wood. There is usually a clean exit from the Narrows to the left. The third drop of note is large river wide pourover two miles from the take-out. Scout from the right, or find the tongue on the left.
The Chickaloon River valley is a u-shaped valley carved by the receding Chickaloon Glacier, which is about 12 miles up river from the 30-Mile Airstrip. Towering mountains with blocky cliffs hem the valley in, with waterfalls coursing the walls. Several hunting and trapping cabins are located in the valley, in various states of decay. Bear and moose will be seen throughout the valley. The camping is very good on gravel bars, but be careful of the diurnal tides of glacial rivers - make sure to tie your boat up tight. There is an unused trail on river right to the Glenn Highway, but expect rough traveling.
Also, the bottom section from Eightmile down to the confluence is an excellent Class III option for packrafters or those wanting to haul their boats.