The Tlikakila River (
Dena'ina Athabascan Łiq'a Qilanhtnu, literally "salmon-are-there river") is a stream, long,
in the
U.S. state of
Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...
. The river, lying entirely within
Lake Clark National Park
Lake Clark National Park and Preserve is an American national park in southwest Alaska, about southwest of Anchorage. The park was first proclaimed a national monument in 1978, then established as a national park and preserve in 1980 by the A ...
, flows southwest from Summit Lake in the
Chigmit Mountains of the
Aleutian Range to
Lake Clark.
The Tlikakila is one of three national "wild rivers" in Lake Clark National Park.
The other two are the
Mulchatna and the
Chilikadrotna,
all added in 1980 to the
National Wild and Scenic Rivers System
The National Wild and Scenic Rivers System was created by the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968 (Public Law 90-542), enacted by the U.S. Congress to preserve certain rivers with outstanding natural, cultural, and recreational values in a free- ...
.
Boating
Varying from Class I (easy) to III (difficult) on the
International Scale of River Difficulty, the Tlikakila River is floatable by raft and kayak. ''The Alaska River Guide'' describes it as suitable for "intermediate boaters with good wilderness skills".
To reach the floatable parts of the river from Summit Lake, boaters must make a
portage
Portage or portaging (Canada: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is also called a ...
.
Dangers include Class III rapids, which may require a second portage below the confluence with the North Fork Tlikakila River. Bears pose another danger, as does
quicksand
Quicksand is a colloid
A colloid is a mixture in which one substance consisting of microscopically dispersed insoluble particles is suspended throughout another substance. Some definitions specify that the particles must be dispersed in a ...
on the lower river.
See also
*
List of rivers of Alaska
References
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Rivers of Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska
Rivers of Lake and Peninsula Borough, Alaska
Lake Clark National Park and Preserve
Rivers of Alaska
Wild and Scenic Rivers of the United States