stikine river

This is a must-do. It's a popular getaway for locals with good reason -- I've been up the river three times now in a decade (each trip to Wrangell includes a river run) and I haven't become bored with it. Gorgeous, family-friendly. We recommend Breakaway Adventures.

Just completed a 12 day trip with the University of Calgary Outdoor Program on the Lower Stikine River with 6 canoes. It is considered one of the true wilderness heritage rivers in North America and although most of the reviews only comment on trips out of Wrangell as a day trip, I thought it was important to give a different perspective. We put in at Telegraph Creek just below the "Grand Canyon of the Stikine" where there are class 5 rapids. Definitely not for the faint of heart. Groups do this trip in between 8 and 12 days. We decided to take longer and to have a couple of layover days. Late August and early September was chosen as the river level is considerably lower and there seems to be less sweeper action along with less logs floating in the water to avoid. The river is considered to be the fastest flowing river in North America - no dams on it. We easily traveled between 6 and 12 kilometers an hour. The river has some tricky currents and braiding and rapids rated no higher than 2 at this time of the year. The headwinds on day 2 and tricky currents made this our most challenging day. The weather for us was also not particularly cooperative. We had lots of rain. Highlights did include Shakes Lake and the icebergs, views of glaciers, tour of the Great Glacier Fish Plant and the Hot Springs. There are cabins that can be rented once in Alaska which were wonderful. Check out the one at Shakes Slough. The Stikine River has wilderness campsites near many of the creek tributaries.

Marlin Benedict took us fishing on the Stikine River and it was a great experience. We started off in a low thick fog but the sun eventually burned it off and by the time we reached the mouth of the river visibility was excellent. Marlin took us to an ideal spot upriver, where scores of spawning salmon mixed with cutthroat trout and dolly vardens. He brought complete waders for us, and several kinds of fishing poles and lures, dry flies, and wet flies. We spent hours there and all caught fish. Marlin only does catch and release with wild fish, and the experience of landing a fighter was surpassed by the pleasure of letting it swim away.

A boat ride into the river system, the scenery, with its Glaciers and hot tap to the Canadian border is good for a whole day.

There is no doubt that the Stikine is a very attractive river but the scenery does not change greatly along its length, and it's not dissimilar to what you experience along the Inner Passage (either on a cruise liner or a ferry), so a 4-hour cruise tends to feel rather "samey". As another reviewer has said, it was remarkable how little wildlife was on show - not even small birds fluttering in the trees along the bank. We saw a kingfisher and a heron, and that was it - amazingly, not even a bald eagle (and we seem to have been surrounded by them on all previous days since we reached Alaska). It was mid-afternoon (3pm start), so perhaps all the activity had taken place earlier.Shakes Lake was the far point of our voyage. It is small lake filled with icebergs that have calved off the glacier which lies upstream. We could not go through the lake, we just manoeuvred through the most downstream of the icebergs, so we did not get a view of the glacier. The lake was certainly the highlight of the trip, but we stayed for only 5-10 minutes or so before we had to head back.If you have a choice of trips from Wrangell prioritise the AnAn bears - it's so much better.

I wasn't sure that I really wanted to go since we were traveling by ferry and would see a lot of "water" but husband convinced me to go. It was worth it as an outing, especially since there was no hiking to be had in Wrangell. The floating houses were particularly interesting and photogenic.

This was our least favorite of the 5 excursions we took during our Alaskan cruise. The scenery is nice, but monotonous. We went in the afternoon and there was virtually no wildlife. We saw one group of seals and that was it. Compared to Hubbard, this glacier was very disappointing. We would have been better off going to see the Bears.We used Breakaway Tours. The pilot of the boat was 15 minutes late while he loaded up on coffee. He was ambivalent during the trip and only really spoke to the two people who sat on either side of him.

Our cruise got into Wrangell very late so our jet boat tour was started very late, but Sylvia and the boat Captain were very accommodating and went out of their was to show us amazing scenery, a brown bear and her calf, bald eagles and a beautiful glacier!! WOW! Sylvia is very knowledgeable, kind and professional. This tour is a must!!

Visit Wrangell, Alaska, which is lucky enough to be at the mouth of the Stikine River. It is a favorite of locals, and a must see! Book a Stikine River adventure with Captain Eric of Breakaway Adventures and you will not be disappointed! His casual nature will make you feel like you are having just another day adventure out with your friends. You will enjoy his knowledge and expertise in the area and business for over 25 years. A highlight of this tour will be the Shakes Lake and Shakes Glacier. The lake will be full of icebergs that you weave in and out of to get to a viewing point of the Shakes Glacier. Do not forget your camera on this amazing adventure!

Alaska Vistas guided our tour up the Stikine River to Shakes Glacier area. Since it was early in the season we didn't get very close to the glacier but it was still an amazing experience to see and photograph the beautiful icebergs and to chip some ice to bring back for our evening drinks. The trip up the river takes you through old-growth rain forests. Along the way we were able to see seals resting on sandbars and several eagle nests. We stopped at one of the nests and one of the guides was able to call out the female sitting on the nest. That was pretty impressive! If your journey takes you to Wrangell be sure to book a trip up the Stikine with John and Sylvia at Alaska Vistas.

We took a jetboat ride from Wrangell up the Stikine River to Shakes Glacier. We used Alaska Charters and Adventures and Brenda (owner) was our guide. It was a 4 hour trip up the river where we saw sea lions and eagles everywhere. We manuvered our way through small ice bergs that had "calved" off of the glacier. It was a beautiful day and the blue color of the glacier and small ice bergs was a blue we had never seen before. Brenda was a great guide during the trip and assisted me in my overall planning of my stay in Wrangell. She is a gerat asset to anyone traveling to this area. A very safe trip and Breanda made sure of it.

Absolutely gorgeous! Stunning scenery and wildlife. Shakes glacier and its' icebergs are a sight to see!

You should have seen the smile on my oldest grandson's face when the tour boat ran up the Stikine River. He is eight and said the trip was awesome!

The jet boat up the Stikine River was relaxing and pretty. We didn't see any wildlife, but the glacier and scenery are beautiful. We lucked out with gorgeous weather. There isn't a lot to do in Wrangell, so a nice way to spend an afternoon.

Our jetboat tour up the Stikine River with Jim from Alaska Waters was great. His boat is comfortable & has a bathroom! Worth the money to experience a small slice of this wilderness area. We saw bald eagles, spawning salmon, glacially carved valleys, snow capped peaks, and icy blue Stack Glacier. The boat was able to thread its way among blue ice chunks on the lake below the glacier. The day started off foggy, but partially cleared making the lighting perfect. An unforgettable experience.