Stikine River
A Glimpse of the Attraction
Perfect For...
Not the Best Fit For...
Top Highlights
- North America’s Wildest River: 330 miles of untamed, free-flowing transboundary water carving through the Coast Range.
- 29,000-Acre Tidal Delta: Massive Pacific Flyway wetland hosting millions of migratory shorebirds and eagles.
- Historic Gold Rush Artery: Historic route traveled by Hudson’s Bay fur traders and 19th-century gold rush paddleboats.
- Towering Glacial Canyons: Flanked by sheer granite walls, hanging icefields, and geothermal hot spring tributaries.
The Attraction
The Stikine River—known to the Tlingit as the "Great River"—is one of the fastest-flowing navigable rivers in North America, cutting a dramatic 330-mile path through the Coast Mountains from the interior plateaus of British Columbia to the ocean near Wrangell. The Stikine Delta encompasses over 29,000 acres of dynamic tidal flats, marshes, and braided channels.
This wetland serves as a critical stopover on the Pacific Flyway, hosting the largest springtime concentration of bald eagles in North America, alongside millions of migrating shorebirds. Upriver, the landscape transitions into sheer granite cliffs, cascading hanging waterfalls, massive glaciers, and thermal hot springs, making it one of Alaska's premier wild river corridors.
Historically, the Stikine was the primary trade artery between coastal Tlingits and Athabascan tribes of the interior, and later carried thousands of eager prospectors into the Cassiar gold fields aboard shallow-draft sternwheelers.
A jet boat excursion up the Stikine takes travelers past iconic landmarks like Popof Glacier, the dramatic walls of the Stikine Canyon, and hidden sloughs where moose, brown bears, and harbor seals forage in untouched wilderness.
How Do I Get Here?
Located 5 miles north of Wrangell by water across the Sumner and Stikine Straits. Accessible exclusively by boat, high-speed jet boat charter, or floatplane departing from Wrangell’s harbors and seaplane base.
Logistics & Requirements
Local Insider Note
Jonas Crabtree
– Your Guide in Wrangell
Important Things to Know
Best Timing & Season
What to Bring
Fees & Permits
Accessibility & Difficulty
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you visit the Stikine River?
The Stikine River is reached via licensed jet boat charter tours or floatplane flightseeing services departing directly from Wrangell.
What wildlife can you see on the Stikine?
Visitors frequently observe hundreds of bald eagles, harbor seals, brown and black bears along the riverbanks, moose in marsh flats, and vast flocks of migratory waterfowl.
How far up the river do day tours travel?
Most standard jet boat day tours travel 20 to 60 miles upriver, taking passengers past dramatic mountain canyons, glaciers, and thermal springs.









