The Yukon–Charley Rivers National Preserve is located in east central 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...

 along the border with Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. It encompasses 115 miles (185 km) of the 1,800-mile (3,000 km) Yukon River

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...

 and the entire Charley River

Charley River

The Charley River is a river in Alaska. It is a major tributary of the Yukon River. The Charley River watershed is forested chiefly with Black Spruce and White Spruce. This general locus within the Yukon River catchment is the approximate westernmost limit of the Black Spruce, Picea mariana...

 basin.

Numerous rustic cabins and historic sites are located in the preserve. These are reminders of the importance of the Yukon River during the Klondike Gold Rush

Klondike Gold Rush

The Klondike Gold Rush, also called the Yukon Gold Rush, the Alaska Gold Rush and the Last Great Gold Rush, was an attempt by an estimated 100,000 people to travel to the Klondike region the Yukon in north-western Canada between 1897 and 1899 in the hope of successfully prospecting for gold...

. Paleontological

Paleontology

Paleontology "old, ancient", ὄν, ὀντ- "being, creature", and λόγος "speech, thought") is the study of prehistoric life. It includes the study of fossils to determine organisms' evolution and interactions with each other and their environments...

 and archeological

Archaeology

Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...

 sites here add much to our knowledge of this environment thousands of years ago.

Peregrine falcon

Peregrine Falcon

The Peregrine Falcon , also known as the Peregrine, and historically as the Duck Hawk in North America, is a widespread bird of prey in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-gray back, barred white underparts, and a black head and "moustache"...

s nest in the high bluffs overlooking the river, while the rolling hills that make up the preserve are home to an abundant array of wildlife. Dominant trees are the Black Spruce

Black Spruce

Picea mariana is a species of spruce native to northern North America, from Newfoundland west to Alaska, and south to northern New York, Minnesota and central British Columbia...

 and White Spruce

White Spruce

Picea glauca is a species of spruce native to boreal forests in the north of North America, from central Alaska east to Newfoundland, and south to northern Montana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, upstate New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine; there is also an isolated population in the...

. This general area of the Yukon catchment is the westernmost limit of the Black Spruce, Picea mariana.

The area was proclaimed as a United States National Monument on December 1, 1978, and was redesignated a National Preserve

National preserve

National Preserve is a designation applied by the United States Congress to protected areas that have characteristics normally associated with U.S. National Parks but where certain activities not allowed in National Parks are permitted. These activities include public hunting, trapping, and oil...

 on December 2, 1980. The Charley River has been named a National Wild River

National Wild and Scenic River

National Wild and Scenic River is a designation for certain protected areas in the United States.The National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act was an outgrowth of the recommendations of a Presidential commission, the Outdoor Recreation Resources Review Commission...

.

Because of the isolated nature of the region, few man-made structures exist within the preserve. Two of the more notable buildings are Slaven's Cabin

Slaven's Cabin

Slaven's Cabin, also called Slaven's Roadhouse and Frank Slaven Roadhouse, is a public-use facility in the Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve in Alaska...

, which is occupied by the preserve's superintendent during the winter, and Biederman's Cabin

Biederman's Cabin

Biederman's Cabin, also called Biederman's Fish Camp, is a privately owned cabin on the Yukon River in Alaska. Located within the Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve, it is maintained as a historic site representing the subsistence lifestyle employed by Interior Alaska residents during the early...

, which is one of the oldest intact buildings in the area.