Chena River

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article needs additional citations for verification.
Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2008)

This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone or spelling.
You can assist by editing it now. A how-to guide is available. (September 2007)

A paddle-wheel steamer on the Chena River near Fairbanks, Alaska. The paddle-wheelers are a popular attraction on the Chena River during the summer tourist season.

The Chena River is a 100-mile-long (160 km) river in the Interior region of the U.S. state of Alaska. It flows generally west from the White Mountains to the Tanana River near the city of Fairbanks, which is built on both sides of the river. The 2300 mile-long Yukon River flows from both the Tanana and Chena Rivers.

The river is fed by five tributaries: the North Fork, South Fork, West Fork, Middle (East) Fork, and the Little Chena River. All empty into the Middle Fork, which is the main section of the river. The Chena River is surrounded by the Chena River State Recreation Area in the upper half of the river basin. The Chena River is used for recreational fishing and boating. During the winter months the river is also travelled by snowmachines and mushers(sled dogs).

The Chena River Dam, which includes a station for counting fish populations, is located about 45 miles up the Chena River from the mouth of the Tanana River. The river is home to several species of fish and is a spawning area for king salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha).