Chilkoot River
The Chilkoot River is a river in Southeast Alaska, United States, that extends about 20 miles (32 km) from its source and covers a watershed area of 100 square miles (260 km2). The source of the river is in the Takshanuk Mountains to the west and the Freebee glacier and unnamed mountains to the east. From its source, the upper reach of the river extends approximately 16 miles (26 km) to the point where it enters Chilkoot Lake. From the downstream end of the lake, the lower reach of the river flows for about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) until it enters the Chilkoot Inlet, a branch at the northern end of the Lynn Canal.
| Chilkoot River | |
|---|---|
Chilkooot River from the Chilkoot Lake outlet | |
Location of the mouth of the Chilkoot River in Alaska | |
| Location | |
| Country | US |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Takshanuk Mountains of Haines Borough, Alaska |
| Mouth | |
• location | Chilkoot Inlet into the Lynn Canal |
• elevation | 30 feet (9.1 m) |
| Length | 20 miles (32 km) |
| Basin size | Alaska, USA |
| Discharge | |
| • average | 59 cubic feet per second (1.7 m3/s) in February to a maximum of 2,490 cubic feet per second (71 m3/s) in August |
| Basin features | |
| River system | Chilkoot River Watershed |
At the head of the lower reach of the river, on the shore of the lake, lies a prehistoric village which was a Chilkoot Indian settlement. The names of the village — Tschilkut, Tananel, or Chilcoot — have been given to the river and also to the lake.
The river and its precincts, known as the Chilkoot River Corridor, have been brought under the monitoring of the Chilkoot River Corridor Strategic Planning Project (CRC) to preserve its ecological and historical heritage. A fishing weir has also been constructed on the river to monitor and count fish moving from the lake into the lower reaches of the Chilkoot River and the Chilkoot Inlet.