Alaska's parks
Rafting the Nenana reveals Denali's wet side
Gray, cold water rushes through canyon in park
By Leon Unruh / Alaska.com
The Nenana River, rolling along the Denali Highway and then splashing through the canyon at Denali National Park, is the Interior's most popular rafting stream. Thousands of customers spending a day or two at Denali sign on with one of the half-dozen companies headquartered near the park entrance. They get a dry suit or other protective and warm clothing, a bus ride to the put-in point if necessary, and then a brisk trip of several hours down the milky-gray, glacial water of the Nenana.
Kayakers and rafters sometimes put in where the Nenana brushes against the Denali Highway. There the water is rated Class I and II, or of easy and medium difficulty. The high-volume Nenana passes through birch and spruce forests where moose and bears feed, then it rolls through the canyon at the park entrance, nearly under the balconies of hotels.
Many boaters put in at McKinley Village, where the Nenana crosses the Parks Highway at Denali's southern boundary. For 23 miles -- through Denali and past the town of Healy -- it's Class III or IV white water. Dry suits are recommended.
Karen Jettmar's "Alaska River Guide" describes the river: "Flowing through an incised canyon with big holes, major hydraulics and up to 10-foot standing waves, it is suitable only for expert boaters."
After the canyon, the water returns to Class II and becomes a braided stream in places.
Rates for a ride range from about $60 for two easy hours to $150 for a full day's full-blown experience. Dry suits or insulating Mustang suits are provided. Children are welcome on some excursions.
Injuries and fatalities have been rare on the Nenana. The rafting companies, which have a good safety record, made further improvements after an accident took two lives in 1999.
Two elderly women were thrown from a raft after it got stuck in a hole, or whirlpool-like eddy, in a stretch known as the Scenic Wilderness or Scenic Float. They developed hypothermia in the glacial water and drowned. No one else was thrown out. The previous rafting death on the Nenana occurred 10 years earlier.
The area where the accident happened is moderately easy, rated Class II or easy Class III white water. White water is classified in six classes of difficulty, with Class II rated ''medium'' and Class III designated as "difficult."
Rafting and kayaking are also possible but less frequently done on other rivers in the park, such as the Teklanika and McKinley. Wonder Lake, north of Mount McKinley, is a good lake for canoeing. Lodges in the area have canoes for their guests.
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Reserve campsite, bus ticket early for Denali trip
Flightseeing at Denali
Denali Institute ecosystem courses
Tundra wildlife and natural history tours
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Driving to Denali
Limited offer: Drive Denali for free
Hiking and backcountry camping at Denali
Driving Denali in autumn
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