Salcha River

The Salcha River is a 125-mile (201 km) tributary of the Tanana River in the U.S. state of Alaska.[1] Rising in the eastern part of the Fairbanks North Star Borough east of Fort Wainwright, it flows generally west-southwest to meet the larger river at Aurora Lodge,[4] 33 miles (53 km) southeast of Fairbanks.[1]

Salcha River
Location of the mouth of the Salcha River in Alaska
Location
CountryUnited States
StateAlaska
BoroughFairbanks North Star
Physical characteristics
SourceTanana Hills
 • locationslightly south of Steese National Conservation Area, northeastern Fairbanks North Star Borough
 • coordinates65°04′23″N 143°54′58″W[1]
 • elevation4,054 ft (1,236 m)[2]
MouthTanana River[1]
 • location
33 miles (53 km) southeast of Fairbanks
 • coordinates
64°28′00″N 146°58′44″W[1]
 • elevation
640 ft (200 m)[1]
Length125 mi (201 km)[1]
Basin size2,170 sq mi (5,600 km2)[3]
Discharge 
 • location2 miles (3.2 km) from the mouth[3]
 • average1,601 cu ft/s (45.3 m3/s)[3]
 • minimum60 cu ft/s (1.7 m3/s)
 • maximum97,000 cu ft/s (2,700 m3/s)

The Salcha drains an area of 2,170 square miles (5,620 km2), making it the second-largest tributary of the Tanana.[5] The Trans-Alaska Pipeline crosses under the Salcha approximately 12 miles (19 km) east of the mouth of the river.[4]

Recreation

Accessible by boat or on foot from the Richardson Highway, which crosses the lower river near the mouth, the Salcha River is a popular sports-fishing stream. The main species are king salmon, caught mostly near the mouth, and Arctic grayling, caught mostly further upstream.[6]

Catch and release fishing for Chinook salmon averaging 20 to 25 pounds (9 to 11 kg) can be good on this river. Summer-run chum salmon and fall-run coho salmon also frequent the Salcha, as do smaller numbers of northern pike.[6]

The Salcha River State Recreation Site is next to the Salcha River at milepost 323.3 of the Richardson Highway. The Alaska Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation manages the 61-acre (25 ha) site, about 40 miles (64 km) southeast of Fairbanks. Amenities include six campsites, water, toilets, picnic sites, a boat launch, and a public-use cabin. Cross-country skiing and snowmobiling are among the possible winter activities near the site.[7] The park is known to be crowded on holiday weekends.[8]

See also

References
  1. "Salcha River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. January 1, 2000. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  2. Derived by entering source coordinates in Google Earth.
  3. "Water-Data Report 2012: USGS 15484000: Salcha River near Salchaket, AK" (PDF). United States Geological Survey. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  4. Alaska Atlas & Gazetteer (7th ed.). Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. 2010. pp. 116, 127–28. ISBN 978-0-89933-289-5.
  5. "Navigability of Salcha River in the Tanana River Region" (PDF). U.S. Bureau of Land Management. September 29, 2005. pp. 6–10. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  6. Limeres, Rene; Pedersen, Gunnar; et al. (2005). Alaska Fishing: The Ultimate Angler's Guide (3rd ed.). Roseville, California: Publishers Design Group. pp. 277–78. ISBN 1-929170-11-4.
  7. "Salcha River State Recreation Site". Alaska Department of Natural Resources. 2013. Retrieved October 27, 2013.
  8. The Milepost, 2018 edition, page 446 ISBN 9781892154378
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