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Carlo Creek - Gorge Whitewater River e-Guidebook |
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AllAboutRivers Forums for AK
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Gorge Info
Use this information at your own risk. See our legal notices. |
| Put In: |
Hike-in |
| Take Out: |
Parks Hwy |
| Difficulty: |
Class V
Only runnable at flood stages
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| Gradient: |
200ft/mile |
| Run Length: |
2 miles |
| Good Level: |
Flood |
| Streamflow Comments: |
Must be running high and brown at the Parks Hwy. bridge. |
| Season Comments: |
May, June, July, August, September
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| Primary Season: |
After heavy rains, doesn't reach runnable levels with the snow melt peak. |
| Permit: |
None required at this time |
| Hazards: |
Pinning, strainers, getting knocked over and being bashed by all the rocks. |
| Water Craft: |
kayak |
| Land Ownership: |
Private |
| Wilderness: |
Yes |
| Camping on River: |
No |
| Location: |
In the Pacific Region (AK), 224.5 miles North of Anchorage |
| Area Name: |
Denali National Park |
| Shuttle Logistics: |
Park out of the way at the gravel pit about a half mile north of the highway bridge; cross the highway to the first driveway to the south and ask the residents if you can access the trail which leads out the back yard. The trail will lead along the creek until the really steep part and scouting everything along the way is critical. When the trail leads away from the creek continue up and eventually back down to water level and the put-in. Drop your boats and scout down from here |
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| Gorge on the Carlo Creek |
Carlo Creek is only suitable for kayakers with extreme reactionary skills who are looking to scare themselves. This creek is only runnable at flood when the water is not merely in the bushes, but over them. Add to this the total lack of eddies, the tight nature of the creek bed, the near infinite amount of rocks and many sweeping turns and you are left with an extremely dangerous endeavor for any whitewater enthusiast. The creek has not really determined its path down from its high alpine origins in the Alaska Range and each new flood creates a new channel so wood is a constant threat. After cleaning out 5 fallen trees in the spring of '06 the creek came up to a runnable level the following August and a new lethal strainer was encountered about half-way up the hike rendering the upper section unrunnable. Because of the amount of work that needs to be done to maintain the runnability, plus the total lack of fun factor for anyone but the best paddlers, this run will be seldom done. That being said, it is a beautiful creek with two miles of continuous whitewater and the hike is only an hour and a half with scouting along a good trail. Moose, bear, caribou, sheep and even wolves have been seen in the Carlo Creek drainage and if the creek is unrunnable a two day backpacking trip up to the headwaters, a small lake above the 4000 foot level, is an excellent fall back option.
For guided expedition trips or kayak lessons visit Kayak Alaska. |
Last Edited by allanwarren on 10/1/2007
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