Kanektok River

Kanektok River
Country United States
State Alaska
Census Area Bethel
Source Kagati Lake
 - location Togiak National Wildlife Refuge
 - elevation 1,059 ft (323 m) [1]
 - coordinates 59°52′48″N 160°07′25″W / 59.88000°N 160.12361°W / 59.88000; -160.12361 [2]
Mouth Kuskokwim Bay
 - location 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west of Quinhagak
 - elevation 0 ft (0 m) [2]
 - coordinates 59°44′46″N 161°55′53″W / 59.74611°N 161.93139°W / 59.74611; -161.93139Coordinates: 59°44′46″N 161°55′53″W / 59.74611°N 161.93139°W / 59.74611; -161.93139 [2]
Length 75 mi (121 km) [3]
Basin 752 sq mi (1,948 km2) [4]
Location of the mouth of the Kanektok River in Alaska

The Kanektok River is a 75-mile (121 km) stream in southwestern Alaska in the United States.[3] Beginning in the Ahklun Mountains at Kagati and Pegati lakes, it flows westward into Kuskokwim Bay on the Bering Sea at the city of Quinhagak.[5] Almost all of the river's course lies within the Togiak National Wildlife Refuge.[5] The Quinhagak Village Corporation owns the land bordering the lowermost 17 miles (27 km) of the river.[6]

Recreation

The Kanektok River, varying from Class I (easy) to II (medium) on the International Scale of River Difficulty, is floatable by many kinds of watercraft. The upper reaches below Kagati Lake are sometimes too shallow for boats. Below this, swift currents, braided channels, logjams, and overhanging or submerged vegetation make the float "not a trip for beginners."[4] In high water, the difficulty along the upper 55 miles (89 km) of the river may increase to Class III (difficult).[4]

Alaska Fishing describes the river as "one of Alaska's most celebrated salmon and trout streams".[6] The main game fish are rainbow trout, char, Arctic grayling, king (Chinook), silver (Coho), chum, and red (sockeye) salmon. Anglers can floatfish down from the headwaters, hire a boat to go upriver from Quinhagak, or fish near tent camps and lodges along the lower river.[6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Derived by entering source coordinates in Google Earth.
  2. 1 2 3 "Kanektok River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. March 31, 1981. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
  3. 1 2 Orth, Donald J.; United States Geological Survey (1971) [1967]. Dictionary of Alaska Place Names: Geological Survey Professional Paper 567 (PDF). University of Alaska Fairbanks. United States Government Printing Office. p. 493. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
  4. 1 2 3 Jettmar, Karen (2008) [1993]. The Alaska River Guide: Canoeing, Kayaking, and Rafting in the Last Frontier (3rd ed.). Birmingham, Alabama: Menasha Ridge Press. pp. 187–88. ISBN 978-0-89732-957-6.
  5. 1 2 Alaska Atlas & Gazetteer (7th ed.). Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. 2010. pp. 54–55. ISBN 978-0-89933-289-5.
  6. 1 2 3 Limeres, Rene; Pedersen, Gunnar; et al. (2005). Alaska Fishing: The Ultimate Angler's Guide (3rd ed.). Roseville, California: Publishers Design Group. p. 248. ISBN 1-929170-11-4.
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