Birch Creek Wild and Scenic River

Birch Creek Wild and Scenic River flows from the windswept ridges and alpine tundra of the Steese National Conservation Area into the broad expanse of the Yukon Flats in central Alaska. The river offers one-week float trips notable not only for scenery and remoteness but for convenience -- floaters can access both ends of the Wild River segment from BLM recreation sites along the Steese Highway.

The BLM manages 110 miles of upper Birch Creek as a wild river as a component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. The river continues through state, private and Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge land for a total of 344 miles before emptying into the Yukon River about halfway between Fort Yukon and Beaver.

Birch Creek Wild and Scenic River offers outstanding recreation opportunities for float boat use for those experienced with canoe, kayak, or raft. Float trips usually take about 50 hours of actual water time to travel the 110 river miles between BLM's put-in and take-out waysides, both located on the Steese Highway. A leisurely trip requires 7 to 10 days. The water is predominately Class I, but there are some Class II and Class III areas.

Although visited primarily in summer, Birch Creek Wild and Scenic River offers many winter activities for those wanting a primitive backcountry experience. Snowmobiling along the creek is popular in March and April as the days get longer and temperatures start to rise. For a few days each February, the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race between Fairbanks and Whitehorse makes portions of Birch Creek busy with dog teams and mushers. Dog mushing, trapping, and cross-country skiing are popular winter activities along the frozen river.

Monitoring River Levels

A stream gauge near the put-in at the Upper Birch Creek Wayside at Milepost 94 Steese Highway reports water stage, water temperature, air temperature, cumulative precipitation and water turbidity at 15-minute intervals. Current observations are available on the National Weather Service's Hydrometeorological Automated Data System (HADS) website (https://hads.ncep.noaa.gov/charts/AK.shtml).

To view the data, from the station list find station BCTA2 - Birch Creek above Twelvemile Creek, select a time interval, and press "Decoded Data" to view the tables and graphs of observations. For current river stage conditions, look at the River Height (HG) data. 

• Stage of less than 1.0 feet is very low flow, meaning difficult floating, especially for rafts.

• Stage of 2 feet is moderate flow --good float conditions.

• Stage of 3 to 3.5 feet or above is considered high water; be prepared for fast current, floating logs, flooded campsites, and potentially dangerous conditions.

Hazardous river channel in upper Birch Creek

In late July 2023, a new, hazardous river channel was discovered at Latitude N 65.331462, Longitude W -145.745712, a few miles downriver from the Upper Birch Creek Wayside. At the time of discovery, during the low flow stages of late July, the entire river flowed into a log-jam and debris-choked channel, requiring a ¼ mile portage through the original, dry river channel.

At higher river stage levels, we don't know what this hazard means for boaters. Boaters should plan to scout the hazard and be prepared to portage gear around the hazard.

New river channels can take years to clear debris and become safe to float through. Visit BLM.gov to view the map for the new channel.