Salcha River
River in Alaska, United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Salcha River (Lower Tanana: Sołchaget) 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 | |
|---|---|
Salcha River in 1973 | |
  Location of the mouth of the Salcha River in Alaska | |
| Native name | Sołchaget (Lower Tanana) |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Alaska |
| Borough | Fairbanks North Star |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Tanana Hills |
| • location | slightly south of Steese National Conservation Area, northeastern Fairbanks North Star Borough |
| • coordinates | 65°04′23″N 143°54′58″W[1] |
| • elevation | 4,054 ft (1,236 m)[2] |
| Mouth | Tanana 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] |
| Length | 125 mi (201 km)[1] |
| Basin size | 2,170 sq mi (5,600 km2)[3] |
| Discharge | |
| • location | 2 miles (3.2 km) from the mouth[3] |
| • average | 1,601 cu ft/s (45.3 m3/s)[3] |
| • minimum | 60 cu ft/s (1.7 m3/s) |
| • maximum | 97,000 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]