RIVER TRIP DESCRIPTION: Initiate
your trip by flying commercial airliner from Anchorage to
the southwestern fishing town of King Salmon. King
Salmon serves as an access hub for Katmai National Park
and Preserve including most of Alaska's Southwestern
Peninsula. It is in King Salmon that your Alaska
wilderness float trip expedition
begins.
Load your gear and board floatplanes docked on the
banks of the Naknek River. Once getting airborne,
we begin flying across barren ground tundra and texture
hill-country en route to remote Murray and Hammersly Lakes.
Cruising over American Creek you'll often take notice of
the red pathway below. Spawning Sockeye Salmon
make a scarlet and crimson trace seen from above as they
run in great line up stream. After about an hour's
flight, two beautiful, crystal clear lakes materialize on
the horizon nestled into the mountains. These two transparent lakes at the
foothills of the Aleutian Range are the headwaters of
American Creek in Katmai National Park and Preserve. On
landing approach, it is common to
see several Brown Bears foraging on Salmon near the
outlet and others wandering
the lakes shoreline. When the Red Salmon season is peaking -
frenzied, startled, swarming schools of Sockeye Salmon
dart through the water like blurred bursts alerted
by the fast-moving shadows of the aircraft. Once on the
landed and pulled up to the beach, you'll unload all the gear,
make any last minute checks, say a parting good-bye to any
sense of civilization, and start making
preparations for over 50 miles of river float trip.
American Creek presents even the veteran Alaska
wilderness adventurer with magnificent scenery, exciting
whitewater, terrific wildlife viewing (especially
Brown Bears), outstanding
sport fishing opportunities, great outdoor challenge,
and awesome camping sites. Rafting and kayaking
American Creek is the ALASKA RAFT CONNECTION'S premier Alaska
float trip experience!
Katmai National Park's
American Creek is truly an exceptional wilderness waterway
offering diverse landscape scenery, wildlife viewing,
sport fishing, and some fantastic whitewater. Alpine tundra
and mountains surround Murray and Hammersly Lakes.
The pristine setting is always spectacular so setting up
base camp with some moderate hiking around the shorelines
or to the tops of nearby hills is a good option. Shallows,
stony
riffles, and rock-dodging rapids dominate the upper half of American
Creek. The mid-section has more technical whitewater
with a canyon drop that will surely get your attention
(this should be scouted from the right side of the river).
On the lower stretches, expect tricky tree hazards with
some sticky logjams and nice pools teaming with fish.
Always keep a watchful awareness for Brown Bears!
Starting from its source at 1600 feet above sea level,
the river draws its course, dropping a total of 1500
feet. American Creek skirts several distinct ecological
zones including: Alpine tundra around the headwaters ---
mixed tundra, dwarf willows, birch bushes and tussock
grasses through the first shallow riffle sections ---
turning to cottonwood, taiga, and boreal forest just
below 1200 feet --- into dominating white spruce forest
within the sharp-walled canyon and plunge drop sections
---
then finally shifting to marshy alder and grasslands as
the river slows nearing Lake Coville. In the course of
the canyon country, the river drops as much as 60 feet
per mile carving through two distinctive and steep
constricting notches consisting of plunge drop type
whitewater that dynamically brews over both
razor-stepped bedrock and huge sharply-abrasive boulders.
American Creek is one of southwestern Alaska's most
wild of sport fisheries. The entire river lies inside
the protected boundaries of Katmai National Park.
Sport fishing is second to none here in Alaska for several species of Salmon,
trophy-sized Rainbow Trout, as well as brilliant sea-run Char.
The extraordinary
fishing also makes this fishery prime Brown Bear
habitat!!!
With an
average of 50-75 Bears per week and recent record setting
number of 117 different bear sightings throughout a 5 day
4 night float trip... Be smart, come prepared, and
stay alert at all times when floating, fishing, and
camping.
Throughout this trip, it is likely and quite typical to
have very close encounters with Brown Bear as they fish,
feed, snooze, roam the riverbanks, raise and teach their young, or are just passing trough.
This is a Brown Bear Safari!!! Brown Bear are
everywhere!!! No exaggeration… Brown Bear feeding,
Brown Bear fishing, Brown Bear eating, Brown Bear
wrestling, Brown Bear resting, Brown Bear entertaining,
Brown Bear competing, Brown Bear watching you sport fish, Brown
Bear swimming, Brown Bear cubs, Brown Bear in very close
proximity to planes, boats, and even sometimes hanging
around or walking through
camp… Even when you can't see them after dark - you'll
be hearing them!!! Try to understand though - humans are not really
the first choice on
the food chain or a side dish with the whole host of
available fish and vegetation. On American Creek, you will every so often see
Caribou, Moose, Fox, Wolf, Lynx, River Otter, Beaver, Eagles,
and Waterfowl.
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