Salcha River

The Salcha River (Lower Tanana: Sołchaget) is a 125-mile (201 km) tributary of the Tanana River in the U.S. state of Alaska.^[1] Rising in the eastern part of the Fairbanks North Star Borough east of Fort Wainwright, it flows generally west-southwest to meet the larger river at Aurora Lodge,^[4] 33 miles (53 km) southeast of Fairbanks.^[1]

Salcha River
Location of the mouth of the Salcha River in Alaska
Native name	Sołchaget (Lower Tanana)
Location
Country	United States
State	Alaska
Borough	Fairbanks North Star
Physical characteristics
Source	Tanana Hills
• location	slightly south of Steese National Conservation Area, northeastern Fairbanks North Star Borough
• coordinates	65°04′23″N 143°54′58″W[1]
• elevation	4,054 ft (1,236 m)[2]
Mouth	Tanana River[1]
• location	33 miles (53 km) southeast of Fairbanks
• coordinates	64°28′00″N 146°58′44″W[1]
• elevation	640 ft (200 m)[1]
Length	125 mi (201 km)[1]
Basin size	2,170 sq mi (5,600 km2)[3]
Discharge
• location	2 miles (3.2 km) from the mouth[3]
• average	1,601 cu ft/s (45.3 m3/s)[3]
• minimum	60 cu ft/s (1.7 m3/s)
• maximum	97,000 cu ft/s (2,700 m3/s)

The Salcha drains an area of 2,170 square miles (5,620 km²), making it the second-largest tributary of the Tanana.^[5] The Trans-Alaska Pipeline crosses under the Salcha approximately 12 miles (19 km) east of the mouth of the river.^[4]

Recreation

Accessible by boat or on foot from the Richardson Highway, which crosses the lower river near the mouth, the Salcha River is a popular sports-fishing stream. The main species are king salmon, caught mostly near the mouth, and Arctic grayling, caught mostly further upstream.^[6]

Catch and release fishing for Chinook salmon averaging 20 to 25 pounds (9 to 11 kg) can be good on this river. Summer-run chum salmon and fall-run coho salmon also frequent the Salcha, as do smaller numbers of northern pike.^[6]

The Salcha River State Recreation Site is next to the Salcha River at milepost 323.3 of the Richardson Highway. The Alaska Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation manages the 61-acre (25 ha) site, about 40 miles (64 km) southeast of Fairbanks. Amenities include six campsites, water, toilets, picnic sites, a boat launch, and a public-use cabin. Cross-country skiing and snowmobiling are among the possible winter activities near the site.^[7] The park is known to be crowded on holiday weekends.^[8]

See also

• List of rivers of Alaska
• Salcha, Alaska