Stikine River Wilderness Tours
All Stikine river tours are by jet boat. This is an incredibly scenic & exhilarating jet boat ride up the Stikine & thru a number of small sloughs (narrow side channels) branching from the main river.
Pronounced (Stik-keen) Tlingit for (the great river).
This tour takes us thru approx 75 miles of the Stikine/LeConte Wilderness. The Stikine has a rich history of stern wheelers, fur trade, fishing, Tlingit occupation, the Cassiar gold rush & more. Its watershed encompasses about 20,000 sq miles & originates nearly 400 miles from where it spills into the ocean near Wrangell. (Naturalist) John Muir once compared the lower Stikine to Yosemite a hundred miles long. During his explorations of the Stikine he also recorded over 300 Glaciers & several natural hot springs. Chief Shakes Glacier & hot springs are just 25 miles up the Stikine from Wrangell. The hot springs includes both indoor & outdoor tubs with changing rooms & offers a great view.
Upper Stikine River
The upper Stikine river, (The Grand Canyon) in British Columbia is considered by many to be the Everest of white water paddling & actually narrows to about 7 feet at its narrowest. To date there have been less than 50 paddlers able to complete this 45 mile section. As this (great river) makes its way down thru British Columbia & into Alaska it carries with it an incredible amount of glacial silt which ultimately creates the huge Stikine River delta which spans nearly 20 miles across.
As the river flows out thru the coast range it becomes a more gentle & navigable river with huge flood planes, spectacular waterfalls, meadows, temperate rainforest, huge mountains, glaciers & hanging glaciers lining its edges. As you might imagine these features make for a very diverse ecosystem. The lower Stikine is host to Moose, brown & black bear, deer, wolf, wolverine, Mt Goat, bald eagles & spawning salmon to name a few. Although wildlife is unpredictable we often see moose, bear, Mt. Goats & depending on time of year, spawning salmon.
The river delta is yet another part of this ecosystem that supports many types of migratory waterfowl, sea birds, bald eagles, seals, sea-lions & amazing wild flowers.
During the month of April there are over 2000 bald eagles (largest fall migration) & arguably the largest gathering period, plus hundreds of seals, Sea-lions & gulls feasting on eulachon, also called (candlefish or smelt). These small fish arrive every spring to spawn in the lower Stikine river & consequently provide quite a spectacular opportunity to witness this amazing circle of life & feeding frenzy.
All 5 species of pacific salmon spawn in this river as well as cutthroat & rainbow trout, steelhead, dolly varden, whitefish & others.
Overview
The Stikine River originates some 400 miles from Wrangell, in British Columbia. It is the fastest flowing, navigable river in North America and hosts the largest springtime concentration of bald eagles in North America. Over 50 glaciers feed the Stikine, and two natural hot springs. The Stikine is also host to many types of spawning salmon as well as trout and char. The Stikine has a rich history as it served as an important trade route between what is now the United States and Canada; and later hosted many fortune-seeking miners in search of gold in the 1800’s.
If there is a date or time you do not see listed here that you would like to go on an excursion, please call or contact to inquiry with the captain.
Pronounced (Stik-keen) Tlingit for (the great river).
This tour takes us thru approx 75 miles of the Stikine/LeConte Wilderness. The Stikine has a rich history of stern wheelers, fur trade, fishing, Tlingit occupation, the Cassiar gold rush & more. Its watershed encompasses about 20,000 sq miles & originates nearly 400 miles from where it spills into the ocean near Wrangell. (Naturalist) John Muir once compared the lower Stikine to Yosemite a hundred miles long. During his explorations of the Stikine he also recorded over 300 Glaciers & several natural hot springs. Chief Shakes Glacier & hot springs are just 25 miles up the Stikine from Wrangell. The hot springs includes both indoor & outdoor tubs with changing rooms & offers a great view.
Upper Stikine River
The upper Stikine river, (The Grand Canyon) in British Columbia is considered by many to be the Everest of white water paddling & actually narrows to about 7 feet at its narrowest. To date there have been less than 50 paddlers able to complete this 45 mile section. As this (great river) makes its way down thru British Columbia & into Alaska it carries with it an incredible amount of glacial silt which ultimately creates the huge Stikine River delta which spans nearly 20 miles across.
As the river flows out thru the coast range it becomes a more gentle & navigable river with huge flood planes, spectacular waterfalls, meadows, temperate rainforest, huge mountains, glaciers & hanging glaciers lining its edges. As you might imagine these features make for a very diverse ecosystem. The lower Stikine is host to Moose, brown & black bear, deer, wolf, wolverine, Mt Goat, bald eagles & spawning salmon to name a few. Although wildlife is unpredictable we often see moose, bear, Mt. Goats & depending on time of year, spawning salmon.
The river delta is yet another part of this ecosystem that supports many types of migratory waterfowl, sea birds, bald eagles, seals, sea-lions & amazing wild flowers.
During the month of April there are over 2000 bald eagles (largest fall migration) & arguably the largest gathering period, plus hundreds of seals, Sea-lions & gulls feasting on eulachon, also called (candlefish or smelt). These small fish arrive every spring to spawn in the lower Stikine river & consequently provide quite a spectacular opportunity to witness this amazing circle of life & feeding frenzy.
All 5 species of pacific salmon spawn in this river as well as cutthroat & rainbow trout, steelhead, dolly varden, whitefish & others.
Overview
The Stikine River originates some 400 miles from Wrangell, in British Columbia. It is the fastest flowing, navigable river in North America and hosts the largest springtime concentration of bald eagles in North America. Over 50 glaciers feed the Stikine, and two natural hot springs. The Stikine is also host to many types of spawning salmon as well as trout and char. The Stikine has a rich history as it served as an important trade route between what is now the United States and Canada; and later hosted many fortune-seeking miners in search of gold in the 1800’s.
If there is a date or time you do not see listed here that you would like to go on an excursion, please call or contact to inquiry with the captain.
