Teklanika River
Encyclopedia
The Teklanika River is a feeder stream to the Yukon River
drainage and a tributary of the Nenana River
in the central interior region of Alaska
. Flowing northward from headwaters at the Cantwell Glacier in the Alaska Range
and reaching 111 miles (179 km) to the Tanana River
, it drains an area widely visited by tourists to Denali National Park and Preserve. The park's only road crosses the river at milepost 31 and a National Park campground is located on its eastern bank at milepost 29.
On its course, the river travels north from the core Alaska Range
as a braided river
, becoming rapid and narrow as it traverses through the Primrose Ridge, braiding again through the Stampede Trail
valley, narrowing again through the Tekla Ridge before ultimately meandering through a complex series of oxbow turns and lakes across the southern Tanana River valley.
The river is crossed by the Denali Park Road and the Stampede Trail
, and was heavily prospected in the early 20th century for the many coal
, gold
and platinum
deposits found along its banks.
The name derives from Athabascan Indian words which roughly translate as "glacier
stream."
. Since then, the Teklanika River has proven an obstacle to many hikers attempting to reach the bus where Christopher McCandless
lived and died. In August of 2010, Swiss hiker, Claire Ackermann drowned in an attempt to cross during unusually high water levels.
Yukon River
The Yukon River is a major watercourse of northwestern North America. The source of the river is located in British Columbia, Canada. The next portion lies in, and gives its name to Yukon Territory. The lower half of the river lies in the U.S. state of Alaska. The river is long and empties into...
drainage and a tributary of the Nenana River
Nenana River
The Nenana River is a tributary of the Tanana River, approximately 150 mi long, in central Alaska in the United States. It drains an area on the north slope of the Alaska Range on the south edge of the Tanana Valley southwest of Fairbanks....
in the central interior region of Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
. Flowing northward from headwaters at the Cantwell Glacier in the Alaska Range
Alaska Range
The Alaska Range is a relatively narrow, 650-km-long mountain range in the southcentral region of the U.S. state of Alaska, from Lake Clark at its southwest end to the White River in Canada's Yukon Territory in the southeast...
and reaching 111 miles (179 km) to the Tanana River
Tanana River
The Tanana River is a tributary of the Yukon River in the U.S. state of Alaska. According to linguist and anthropologist William Bright, the name is from the Koyukon tene no, tenene, literally "trail river"....
, it drains an area widely visited by tourists to Denali National Park and Preserve. The park's only road crosses the river at milepost 31 and a National Park campground is located on its eastern bank at milepost 29.
On its course, the river travels north from the core Alaska Range
Alaska Range
The Alaska Range is a relatively narrow, 650-km-long mountain range in the southcentral region of the U.S. state of Alaska, from Lake Clark at its southwest end to the White River in Canada's Yukon Territory in the southeast...
as a braided river
Braided river
A braided river is one of a number of channel types and has a channel that consists of a network of small channels separated by small and often temporary islands called braid bars or, in British usage, aits or eyots. Braided streams occur in rivers with high slope and/or large sediment load...
, becoming rapid and narrow as it traverses through the Primrose Ridge, braiding again through the Stampede Trail
Stampede Trail
The Stampede Trail in Alaska was a mining trail blazed in the 1930s by Alaska miner Earl Pilgrim to access his antimony claims on Stampede Creek, above the Clearwater Fork of the Toklat River...
valley, narrowing again through the Tekla Ridge before ultimately meandering through a complex series of oxbow turns and lakes across the southern Tanana River valley.
The river is crossed by the Denali Park Road and the Stampede Trail
Stampede Trail
The Stampede Trail in Alaska was a mining trail blazed in the 1930s by Alaska miner Earl Pilgrim to access his antimony claims on Stampede Creek, above the Clearwater Fork of the Toklat River...
, and was heavily prospected in the early 20th century for the many coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
, gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
and platinum
Platinum
Platinum is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Pt and an atomic number of 78. Its name is derived from the Spanish term platina del Pinto, which is literally translated into "little silver of the Pinto River." It is a dense, malleable, ductile, precious, gray-white transition metal...
deposits found along its banks.
The name derives from Athabascan Indian words which roughly translate as "glacier
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
stream."
Popular culture
In the book Into the Wild, the Teklanika River is referred to as the Rubicon for American adventurer Christopher McCandlessChristopher McCandless
Christopher Johnson McCandless was an American hitchhiker who adopted the name Alexander Supertramp and hiked into the Alaskan wilderness in April 1992 with little food and equipment, hoping to live for a time in solitude...
. Since then, the Teklanika River has proven an obstacle to many hikers attempting to reach the bus where Christopher McCandless
Christopher McCandless
Christopher Johnson McCandless was an American hitchhiker who adopted the name Alexander Supertramp and hiked into the Alaskan wilderness in April 1992 with little food and equipment, hoping to live for a time in solitude...
lived and died. In August of 2010, Swiss hiker, Claire Ackermann drowned in an attempt to cross during unusually high water levels.
See also
- List of Alaska rivers
- Stampede TrailStampede TrailThe Stampede Trail in Alaska was a mining trail blazed in the 1930s by Alaska miner Earl Pilgrim to access his antimony claims on Stampede Creek, above the Clearwater Fork of the Toklat River...