- elevation 4,054 ft (1,236 m) Length 201 km Mouth Tanana River | - elevation 640 ft (195 m) Basin area 5,620 km² Country United States of America | |
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- location slightly south of Steese National Conservation Area, northeastern Fairbanks North Star Borough - location 33 miles (53 km) southeast of Fairbanks - average 1,601 cu ft/s (45.3 m/s) - max 97,000 cu ft/s (2,746.7 m/s) Borough Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska | ||
The Salcha River is a 125-mile (201 km) tributary of the Tanana River in the U.S. state of Alaska. 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, 33 miles (53 km) southeast of Fairbanks.
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Map of Salcha River, Alaska, USA
The Salcha drains an area of 2,170 square miles (5,620 km2), making it the second-largest tributary of the Tanana. The Trans-Alaska Pipeline crosses under the Salcha approximately 12 miles (19 km) east of the mouth of the river.
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.
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.
The Salcha State Recreation Site is next to the Salcha River at milepost 323.3 of the Richardson Highway. The Alaska Division of Outdoor Parks and 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.