The Aniakchak River is a wild and thrilling adventure in an untamed and unpredictable land. The Aniakchak River is located within Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve and drains Surprise Lake located within the six-mile wide active volcano known as Aniakchak Caldera. Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve is the least visited National Monument in the nation, protecting 586,000 acres of the Alaskan Peninsula, accessible only by floatplane or bush plane.

The Aniakchak River flows from Surprise Lake through a weakness in the Aniakchak Caldera wall. The Aniakchak courses through treeless tundra, cascading through ‘The Gate’, a section of advanced level whitewater where sharp basalt boulders choke the channel and create holes, big waves and lots of technical maneuvering. The Aniakchak River mellows through riffle sections before yet again plummeting through another advanced boulder choked section known as Hidden Creek. After the second technical section the river flows peacefully down to its confluence with the ocean at Aniakchak Bay.

The Aniakchak River offers excellent wildlife viewing opportunity, with one of the largest concentrations of Grizzly Bears in the state of Alaska. In addition visitors can often see Barren Ground Caribou, Moose and at the rivers confluence with the ocean seals, sea lions and bald eagles are commonly sighted. Fishing on the Aniakchak River is world class with excellent opportunity to hook into Silver Salmon, Sockeye Salmon, King Salmon, Rainbow Trout and Arctic Char.

The Aniakchak River is run as a 3-4 day long multi-day trip and is extremely remote and known for foul weather and ferocious storms. The Aniakchak River area is accessible from Anchorage via King Salmon by floatplane or bush plane and flights to or from the Monument may be delayed or cancelled due to adverse weather conditions. Visitors should have previous whitewater experience and an open mind on an Aniakchak River trip as this is a true wilderness experience.

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