Klehini River
The Klehini River is a large, glacially fed stream in the vicinity of Haines in the U.S. state of Alaska.
| Klehini River | |
|---|---|
Near mile 27 of the Haines Highway | |
Location of the mouth of the Klehini River in Alaska | |
| Location | |
| Country | Canada, United States |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | unnamed glacier |
| • location | Nadahini Mountain, British Columbia |
| Mouth | Chilkat River |
• location | opposite Klukwan, 22 miles (35 km) west of Skagway, St. Elias Mountains, Alaska |
• coordinates | 59°24′42″N 135°55′48″W |
• elevation | 112 ft (34 m) |
| Length | 42 mi (68 km) |
The Klehini River is about 42 miles (68 km) long from its source in British Columbia to its mouth at the Chilkat River, of which it is the largest tributary. The Klehini River is renowned for its salmon runs, its biannual congregation of bald eagles—the second largest in the Haines area after the Chilkat River's Council Grounds—and for the Klehini Falls. The Klehini also delineates the northern boundary of the Chilkat Range.
The name Klehini appears to be derived from the Tlingit phrase l’éiw héeni, which translates to river with sand or gravel in it. The Klehini River contains abundances of both sand and gravel.
The lower Klehini is located within the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve.
Walt Disney's 1991 rendition of White Fang was filmed along the Klehini River.