Live wading and fishing conditions for 42 Alaska rivers
Every river below is monitored through its USGS streamflow gauges, refreshed every 15 minutes and rated in plain language for wading safety. Select a river for the live dashboard with current flow, trend, weather and community reports.
Kenai River
Alaska's most famous river - a huge, glacial-turquoise salmon and trophy-rainbow fishery running from Kenai Lake through Skilak to tidewater at Soldotna. Sockeye pour in by the millions in June-July, monster kings and silvers follow, and giant wild rainbows and Dollies gorge on eggs and flesh behind the reds in fall. This is big water fished from drift boats and crowded banks, not a wade stream - the flow is glacially silty all summer and swings with melt.
Region: Kenai Peninsula · Fish for: Sockeye (Red) Salmon, Rainbow Trout, Coho (Silver) Salmon · USGS gauges: Kenai R At Cooper Landing Ak, Kenai R Bl Skilak Lk Outlet Nr Sterling Ak, Kenai R At Soldotna Ak
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Kvichak River
The heart of Bristol Bay - the Kvichak drains Iliamna Lake to Bristol Bay and carries the largest sockeye salmon run on Earth, along with world-class wild rainbow trout, Dollies, char, and grayling. This is a remote fly-in and boat fishery of clear, powerful lake-fed water; there are no road bridges and no wade-the-whole-thing reaches, so treat conditions as boat and bank safety.
Region: Bristol Bay · Fish for: Sockeye (Red) Salmon, Rainbow Trout · USGS gauges: Kvichak R At Igiugig Ak
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Situk River
A small, world-famous coastal river near Yakutat that punches far above its size - the Situk holds one of Alaska's strongest wild steelhead runs, plus big pushes of sockeye, coho, and kings and a resident population of sea-run Dollies. It's an intimate, wadeable and float-able river through the Tongass, but it flashes and blows out fast with coastal rain and drops back in days.
Region: Southeast · Fish for: Steelhead, Sockeye (Red) Salmon, Coho (Silver) Salmon · USGS gauges: Situk R Nr Yakutat Ak
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Gulkana River
A National Wild & Scenic clearwater river in the Copper Basin - the Gulkana is a classic multi-day float for sockeye and king salmon, arctic grayling, whitefish, and rainbows, running clear over gravel out of the Alaska Range foothills. Unlike the glacial giants around it, this one actually clears and wades, making it one of the Interior-gateway's best rod fisheries.
Region: Copper Basin · Fish for: Sockeye (Red) Salmon, Chinook (King) Salmon, Arctic Grayling · USGS gauges: Gulkana R At Sourdough Ak
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Chena River
Fairbanks' home water and the Interior's grayling gem - the Chena is a clear, wadeable freestone river winding out of the Chena River State Recreation Area through town. It's a catch-and-release arctic grayling fishery of the first order, with chum and king salmon runs, whitefish, burbot, and pike in the lower sloughs. Cold, clear, and genuinely wadeable, it's the anti-glacial Alaska river.
Region: Interior · Fish for: Arctic Grayling · USGS gauges: Chena R Nr Two Rivers Ak, Chena R At Fairbanks Ak
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Taku River
A big transboundary glacial river draining British Columbia to salt water just southeast of Juneau - the Taku carries one of Southeast's largest king runs plus strong sockeye, coho, and chum, and sea-run Dollies. There's no road here: it's a boat run up from Taku Inlet or a fly-out, and the water is glacially silty and powerful, so treat the numbers as boat and bank safety, never a wading figure.
Region: Southeast · Fish for: Chinook (King) Salmon, Sockeye (Red) Salmon, Coho (Silver) Salmon · USGS gauges: Taku R Nr Juneau Ak
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Ship Creek
Downtown Anchorage's urban salmon show - Ship Creek runs hatchery-supported king and silver runs right through the city, drawing shoulder-to-shoulder 'combat fishing' crowds every summer. The lower creek is heavily tidal, with a notorious mudflat you do not walk out on; it's a bank fishery timed to the tide, not a wade stream.
Region: Anchorage / Mat-Su · Fish for: Chinook (King) Salmon, Coho (Silver) Salmon · USGS gauges: Ship C Nr Anchorage Ak
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Copper River
A massive glacial river draining the Wrangell-St. Elias country to the Gulf of Alaska - the Copper is famous for its premium early sockeye and kings, harvested by the thousands in the Chitina personal-use dipnet fishery. This is enormous, silt-laden, dangerous water fished from boats, the bank, and dipnet perches on the canyon walls; there is no wading here, only bank and boat safety.
Region: Copper Basin · Fish for: Sockeye (Red) Salmon, Chinook (King) Salmon · USGS gauges: Copper R At Million Dollar Bridge Nr Cordova Ak
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Stikine River
One of the great glacial rivers of the North Coast, the Stikine drains the BC interior to the sea at Wrangell - a huge, silty, fast river famous for its early king run, sockeye, coho, and the spring hooligan (eulachon) surge that draws eagles and seals. It's a jet-boat river from Wrangell with no road access; the main stem is boat-and-bank water, not a wade stream.
Region: Southeast · Fish for: Chinook (King) Salmon, Sockeye (Red) Salmon, Coho (Silver) Salmon · USGS gauges: Stikine R Nr Wrangell Ak
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Talkeetna River
A big Susitna-drainage river meeting the rails and road at Talkeetna - the lower main stem is glacial, but its clearwater tributaries and side channels hold rainbows, grayling, and Dollies alongside strong king, silver, sockeye, and chum runs. A float-and-jet-boat river more than a wade stream; the clear side water fishes best as the glacial main drops.
Region: Anchorage / Mat-Su · Fish for: Coho (Silver) Salmon, Chinook (King) Salmon, Rainbow Trout · USGS gauges: Talkeetna R Nr Talkeetna Ak
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Willow Creek
A classic Mat-Su road-system salmon stream north of Wasilla - Willow Creek runs clear over gravel into the Susitna and hosts popular king, silver, pink, and chum runs plus resident rainbows and grayling. Genuinely wadeable and bank-friendly at the Willow Creek State Recreation Area, it's one of the most accessible salmon streams on the road system.
Region: Anchorage / Mat-Su · Fish for: Chinook (King) Salmon, Coho (Silver) Salmon · USGS gauges: Willow C Nr Willow Ak
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Nuyakuk River
A powerful clearwater river draining the Tikchik Lakes through Wood-Tikchik State Park toward the Nushagak, the Nuyakuk is a Bristol Bay gem of trophy rainbows, arctic char, grayling, northern pike, and huge sockeye and coho runs. This is a fly-in wilderness fishery of clear, lake-fed water reached by lodge or floatplane; there are no roads, so treat the numbers as boat and bank safety.
Region: Bristol Bay · Fish for: Rainbow Trout, Sockeye (Red) Salmon, Arctic Char · USGS gauges: Nuyakuk R Nr Dillingham Ak
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Little Susitna River
The 'Little Su' is a favorite road-accessible Mat-Su salmon river - a clearwater stream out of the Talkeetna Mountains with strong king and silver runs, plus pinks, chums, and resident rainbows. The upper reach near Palmer wades and banks well; the lower river below the public-use facility is a boat run to tidewater.
Region: Anchorage / Mat-Su · Fish for: Chinook (King) Salmon, Coho (Silver) Salmon · USGS gauges: L Susitna R Nr Palmer Ak
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Klehini River
A clearwater-to-glacial river in the Chilkat Valley near Haines, the Klehini joins the Chilkat above the famous Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve - late chum and coho runs feed the largest bald eagle gathering on Earth each fall, alongside sockeye, pinks, and sea-run Dollies. The Haines Highway parallels the river, giving rare road access to a Southeast salmon system; fish it as a bank and drift river.
Region: Southeast · Fish for: Coho (Silver) Salmon, Chum (Dog) Salmon, Sockeye (Red) Salmon · USGS gauges: Klehini R Nr Klukwan Ak
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Susitna River
The 'Big Su' is one of Southcentral's great glacial rivers, draining the Alaska Range through the Mat-Su to Cook Inlet and feeding a huge web of salmon-bearing tributaries. The main stem is enormous, braided, and silty - a jet-boat highway to the clearwater tributary mouths where kings, silvers, sockeye, chums, and grayling stage. Treat the main-stem numbers as boat and bank safety, never a wade figure.
Region: Anchorage / Mat-Su · Fish for: Chinook (King) Salmon, Coho (Silver) Salmon · USGS gauges: Susitna R At Gold Creek Ak
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Unuk River
A remote, powerful transboundary river reaching salt water in Misty Fiords near Ketchikan - the Unuk holds one of the region's strongest wild king runs plus coho, chum, pink, and sea-run steelhead and Dollies. This is a fly-in and boat wilderness fishery of glacial and clearwater reaches; there is no road, so plan around a lodge, guide, or floatplane and treat conditions as boat and bank safety.
Region: Southeast · Fish for: Chinook (King) Salmon, Steelhead, Coho (Silver) Salmon · USGS gauges: Unuk R Bl Blue R Nr Wrangell Ak
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Staney Creek
One of Prince of Wales Island's best-known road-accessible steelhead and salmon streams - Staney Creek runs clear over gravel through the Tongass logging-road network west of Thorne Bay, with spring steelhead, sea-run cutthroat and Dollies, and coho, pink, and chum runs. The forest roads make this a genuinely wadeable and bank-friendly Southeast stream, a rarity in a fly-in region.
Region: Southeast · Fish for: Steelhead, Coho (Silver) Salmon, Dolly Varden · USGS gauges: Staney C Nr Klawock Ak
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Iliamna River
A clearwater river tumbling out of the Chigmit Mountains into Iliamna Lake near Pedro Bay, the Iliamna is a classic Bristol Bay trophy-rainbow and arctic char stream that also carries a strong sockeye run and grayling. It's a fly-in and boat fishery of clear, cold water; there are no roads, so plan around a lodge or floatplane and fish it as boat and bank water.
Region: Bristol Bay · Fish for: Rainbow Trout, Arctic Char, Sockeye (Red) Salmon · USGS gauges: Iliamna R Nr Pedro Bay Ak
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Salcha River
A clear Interior river southeast of Fairbanks that rivals the Chena for grayling - the Salcha runs freestone-clear over gravel and hosts one of the region's important king and chum salmon runs, plus whitefish and burbot. Wadeable and floatable, with a state recreation site right at the highway crossing, it's a quiet Interior favorite.
Region: Interior · Fish for: Arctic Grayling, Chinook (King) Salmon · USGS gauges: Salcha R Nr Salchaket Ak
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Alsek River
A massive glacial wilderness river draining the St. Elias icefields to the Gulf of Alaska at Dry Bay near Yakutat - the Alsek is a legendary multi-day raft trip that doubles as a strong sockeye, king, and coho fishery, with sea-run Dollies in the clearwater tributary mouths. This is a remote, guided or self-supported float; the main stem is huge, cold, and silty, so treat it as boat and bank safety.
Region: Southeast · Fish for: Sockeye (Red) Salmon, Chinook (King) Salmon, Coho (Silver) Salmon · USGS gauges: Alsek R At Dry Bay Nr Yakutat Ak
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Unalakleet River
A National Wild & Scenic clearwater river reaching Norton Sound at the village of Unalakleet, this is one of western Alaska's premier sport fisheries - strong king and coho runs, pink and chum salmon, sea-run Dolly Varden, arctic char, and grayling in clear, wadeable water. It's a fly-in destination fished by lodge boat and raft; the lower river is village-accessible, the upper a wilderness float, so treat the bigger reaches as boat and bank water.
Region: Western / Arctic · Fish for: Chinook (King) Salmon, Coho (Silver) Salmon, Dolly Varden · USGS gauges: Unalakleet R Ab Chiroskey R Nr Unalakleet Ak
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Mendenhall River
Juneau's home river - the Mendenhall flows from the glacier-fed Mendenhall Lake through town to Gastineau Channel, carrying strong coho and sockeye runs, pinks, chums, and sea-run Dolly Varden. It's a glacial river with a serious wrinkle: the Suicide Basin above the glacier releases sudden glacial-outburst floods (jokulhlaups) that spike the river fast, so watch the flood warnings and fish it as a bank fishery.
Region: Southeast · Fish for: Coho (Silver) Salmon, Sockeye (Red) Salmon, Dolly Varden · USGS gauges: Mendenhall R Nr Auke Bay Ak
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Indian River
Sitka's home stream - the Indian River tumbles clear out of the mountains through Sitka National Historical Park to Sitka Sound, carrying pink, chum, and coho runs plus sea-run Dollies right at the edge of town. A walking trail follows the river and the road crosses it, making this an easy, wadeable urban salmon stream in the heart of Southeast.
Region: Southeast · Fish for: Pink (Humpy) Salmon, Coho (Silver) Salmon, Chum (Dog) Salmon · USGS gauges: Indian R At Sitka Ak
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Sixmile Creek
A fast, canyon-cutting creek famous for its whitewater near Hope, Sixmile Creek drains into Turnagain Arm and carries coho salmon and holds Dolly Varden in its clearer reaches. The Hope and Seward highways give road access, but the river is steep, cold, and pushy - fish the calmer bank water below the canyons and treat the numbers as bank safety.
Region: Anchorage / Mat-Su · Fish for: Coho (Silver) Salmon, Dolly Varden · USGS gauges: Sixmile C Nr Hope Ak
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Fortymile River
A National Wild & Scenic clearwater river in the eastern Interior, the Fortymile runs clear over gravel through historic gold country along the Taylor Highway, offering excellent arctic grayling and a summer king and chum run in its lower reaches near the Yukon. It's a classic road-accessible and float-in grayling fishery, wadeable and floatable, far from the glacial giants of the coast.
Region: Interior · Fish for: Arctic Grayling · USGS gauges: Fortymile R Nr Steele Creek Ak
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Taiya River
A short, glacially-tinged river flowing to salt water at the head of the Lynn Canal near Skagway, through the historic Dyea townsite at the foot of the Chilkoot Trail - the Taiya carries chum, coho, pink, and sockeye runs plus sea-run Dollies. The Dyea road and campground give easy access, making this a rare road-system Southeast salmon river; fish it from the bank and gravel bars.
Region: Southeast · Fish for: Coho (Silver) Salmon, Chum (Dog) Salmon, Pink (Humpy) Salmon · USGS gauges: Taiya R Nr Skagway Ak
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Snow River
A glacially-fed Kenai Peninsula river flowing into Kenai Lake near Seward, the Snow River carries sockeye and coho runs and holds Dolly Varden, with the Seward Highway crossing the lower reaches. It's known for periodic glacial-outburst floods from a lake behind the Snow Glacier, so the level can jump fast; fish it from the bank and gravel with the flood advisories in mind.
Region: Kenai Peninsula · Fish for: Sockeye (Red) Salmon, Coho (Silver) Salmon, Dolly Varden · USGS gauges: Snow R Nr Seward Ak
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Glacier Creek
A glacially-fed creek running through Girdwood to Turnagain Arm, Glacier Creek carries pink and coho runs and holds Dolly Varden, right off the Alyeska Highway in the heart of the resort valley. The road and trails give easy access; it's a small, pushy glacial creek best fished from the bank as the runs stage in on the tide.
Region: Anchorage / Mat-Su · Fish for: Coho (Silver) Salmon, Pink (Humpy) Salmon, Dolly Varden · USGS gauges: Glacier C At Alyeska Highway At Girdwood, Ak
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Birch Creek
A National Wild & Scenic clearwater river north of Fairbanks, Birch Creek loops through the White Mountains and is reached by the Steese Highway at both ends near Central and Circle - a superb arctic grayling float with whitefish and burbot in the deeper holes. Clear, gravelly, and genuinely wadeable, it's one of the Interior's best multi-day grayling floats.
Region: Interior · Fish for: Arctic Grayling · USGS gauges: Birch C Nr Circle Ak
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Salmon River
The Salmon River drains the Coast Mountains to the head of the Portland Canal at Hyder, Alaska's southeasternmost outpost, reached by road through Stewart, BC - it carries chum, pink, and coho runs, with the adjacent Fish Creek bear-viewing site drawing grizzlies and black bears to the spawning salmon each summer. Fish it from the bank and gravel with an eye on the bears and the tide.
Region: Southeast · Fish for: Chum (Dog) Salmon, Pink (Humpy) Salmon, Coho (Silver) Salmon · USGS gauges: Salmon R Nr Hyder Ak
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Fish Creek
A productive Revillagigedo Island salmon stream reached by the road and forest-road network out of Ketchikan - Fish Creek near Thorne Arm carries sockeye, coho, pink, and chum runs plus sea-run Dollies. It's one of the more accessible salmon streams around Ketchikan, fished from the bank and gravel as the runs stage in from salt water.
Region: Southeast · Fish for: Coho (Silver) Salmon, Sockeye (Red) Salmon, Pink (Humpy) Salmon · USGS gauges: Fish C Nr Ketchikan Ak
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Campbell Creek
A clearwater creek winding through the middle of Anchorage, Campbell Creek supports a hatchery-supported king and coho fishery plus resident rainbows and Dollies, threaded by a paved greenbelt and parks. It's the city's most accessible wade-and-bank salmon stream, popular with fly and spin anglers walking in from the trail system.
Region: Anchorage / Mat-Su · Fish for: Coho (Silver) Salmon, Chinook (King) Salmon · USGS gauges: Campbell C Nr Spenard Ak
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Yukon River
The Yukon is the great river of the North - draining a third of Alaska past Eagle, Circle, and on to the Bering Sea, it historically carried one of the world's longest king salmon migrations along with summer and fall chum, sheefish, whitefish, and pike. King runs have collapsed and are closed to fishing on much of the river, but the chum, sheefish, and resident species remain; access at Eagle is by the Taylor Highway, and the rest is boat and remote. Treat the main stem as boat and bank safety.
Region: Interior · Fish for: Chum (Dog) Salmon, Whitefish · USGS gauges: Yukon R At Eagle Ak
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Niukluk River
A clearwater river of the Seward Peninsula reached by the Nome-Council Road at the village of Council, the Niukluk offers a rare road-accessible western-Alaska fishery - arctic grayling, Dolly Varden, arctic char, pink and chum salmon, and a summer king and coho presence. Clear and gravelly, it's a wadeable and floatable gem at the end of one of Nome's three roads.
Region: Western / Arctic · Fish for: Arctic Grayling, Dolly Varden, Coho (Silver) Salmon · USGS gauges: Niukluk R Ab Melsing C At Council Ak
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Kobuk River
A great river of the Arctic Northwest, the Kobuk drains the Brooks Range and Kobuk Valley National Park to Kotzebue Sound - it's the storied home of trophy sheefish, the 'tarpon of the north,' along with chum salmon, arctic char, grayling, and pike. This is a fly-in wilderness and village fishery reached by air to Kiana or Ambler; the main stem is big and remote, so treat the numbers as boat and bank safety.
Region: Western / Arctic · Fish for: Whitefish, Chum (Dog) Salmon, Arctic Char · USGS gauges: Kobuk R Nr Kiana Ak
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Cooper Creek
A clearwater tributary meeting the upper Kenai at Cooper Landing, Cooper Creek drains Cooper Lake and offers Dolly Varden, rainbows, and a modest sockeye and coho presence in a small, wadeable setting right off the Sterling Highway. With a USFS campground on the creek, it's an easy, low-key change of pace from the crowded main Kenai.
Region: Kenai Peninsula · Fish for: Dolly Varden, Rainbow Trout · USGS gauges: Cooper C At Mouth Nr Cooper Landing Ak
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Knik River
A big, braided glacial river draining the Knik Glacier to Cook Inlet near Palmer, the Knik is silty summer meltwater famous for its spring hooligan (eulachon) dip-net run and holds Dolly Varden and some coho in the clearwater sloughs and tributary mouths. The Knik River Public Use Area and bridge give road access; the main stem is fast and silty, so treat it as boat and bank safety.
Region: Anchorage / Mat-Su · Fish for: Dolly Varden, Coho (Silver) Salmon · USGS gauges: Knik R Nr Palmer Ak
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Goodpaster River
A clearwater river joining the Tanana near Big Delta southeast of Fairbanks, the Goodpaster is a prized arctic grayling stream with a summer king salmon run and whitefish, reached by boat up from the Tanana or by float. Clear and gravelly, it's a quiet Interior favorite for grayling on the dry fly away from the road crowds.
Region: Interior · Fish for: Arctic Grayling, Chinook (King) Salmon · USGS gauges: Goodpaster R Nr Big Delta Ak
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Kuskokwim River
The Kuskokwim is one of Alaska's great river systems, draining the western Interior past McGrath and Aniak to the Bering Sea - a vast, remote river carrying king, chum, coho, and sockeye runs plus sheefish, whitefish, pike, and grayling in its clearwater tributaries. This is subsistence and village country reached by boat and air; the main stem is big, silty, and remote, so treat the numbers as boat and bank safety.
Region: Bristol Bay · Fish for: Chum (Dog) Salmon, Coho (Silver) Salmon, Whitefish · USGS gauges: Kuskokwim R At Mcgrath Ak, Kuskokwim R At Crooked Creek Ak
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Tanana River
The Tanana is the Interior's glacial main-stem highway of water, draining the Alaska Range past Fairbanks and Nenana to the Yukon - big, silty, and fast, it's more a boat river than a rod fishery, but it carries a huge summer chum and king run and holds whitefish, burbot, sheefish, and pike in its sloughs and clearwater tributary mouths. Treat the main-stem numbers as boat and bank safety, never a wade figure.
Region: Interior · Fish for: Chum (Dog) Salmon, Chinook (King) Salmon, Whitefish · USGS gauges: Tanana R At Fairbanks Ak, Tanana R At Nenana Ak
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Matanuska River
The Matanuska drains its namesake glacier down the Glenn Highway corridor to join the Knik near Palmer - a big, silty glacial river more famous for scenery and rafting than for fishing, but its clearwater tributaries and sloughs hold Dolly Varden and draw the spring hooligan run and some coho. Road-accessible the whole way, it's a boat-and-bank glacial river, not a wade stream.
Region: Anchorage / Mat-Su · Fish for: Dolly Varden, Coho (Silver) Salmon · USGS gauges: Matanuska R At Palmer Ak
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Little Chena River
A clearwater tributary of the Chena northwest of Fairbanks, the Little Chena offers the same arctic grayling and whitefish fishing as its bigger sister in a smaller, quieter setting, with road access off the Chena Hot Springs and Elliott highway corridor. Wadeable and clear, it's an easy Interior grayling stream close to town.
Region: Interior · Fish for: Arctic Grayling · USGS gauges: L Chena R Nr Fairbanks Ak
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