Alaska whitewater - Happy River, Alaska Range, Matanuska-Susitna Borough

Matanuska-Susitna county, Close to Sheep Lake to Skwentna River section whitewater kayaking, rafting, and paddling information.

 

CLASS III+     32.5 miles
  The rivers for whitewater rafting and kayaking in this state are often tougher than in other states, so keep in mind that many runs in this state are not easy. This stretch of Happy River in Alaska is 32.5 miles long and is a class III+ section of whitewater according to American Whitewater. The Alaska Range scenery is wonderful. The wonderful Alaska scenery and the playfulness of the water make the trip here worthwhile. The nearby hotels are a bit away from the river, but if you don’t have reservations you might end up sleeping in your car. Happy River
    doesn't have a lot of paddling sections, the Close to Sheep Lake to Skwentna River section is the only one. A section like this is is of course not run in a single day, so it looks like you will be camping out. There's camping available near Happy River. Getting a good workout
and a chance to spend some time outdoors are sure to keep you coming back for more.

Briefly about the general area:
Happy River gets very little rainfall; the month of September is the wettest with most of the rain, and the driest month is April. The warmest time of the year at Happy River comes with high temperatures in the 60's. Summer overnight lows fall down to the 40's. Daytime highs all through the wintertime are in the 10's, and through the dark hours in the wintertime at Happy River temperatures plunge to the-10's.
The Old Iditarod Trail is a great hiking trail near Happy River.
 

Happy River, Close to Sheep Lake to Skwentna River road map
Printable road map with the put-in and take-out locations clearly marked.

QUICK STATS
AW Class: III+
Length: 32.5 miles
Average Gradient: 52 fpm
  
Putin Location Coordinates:
Latitude: 62.1413
Longitude: -153.02781

Takeout Location Coordinates:
Latitude: 61.9803
Longitude: -152.34751

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Current weather conditions at Happy River, Alaska Range, Alaska
WXPort

Local climate location: PUNTILLA 16 miles away


RAFTING TRIP OUTFITTERS

There are no whitewater outfitters currently listed for this river.






OTHER_INFO
  Alaska Range Whitewater
Complete list of all the whitewater kayaking and rafting spots in the Alaska Range.

Alaska Range Outdoors Info
Complete outdoors info for the Alaska Range.

All Alaska Whitewater
Complete list of all the whitewater paddling spots in Alaska.
Books about whitewater paddling on Happy River, Alaska
List of books from Amazon.com that cover whitewater paddling on Happy River, Alaska.
Find a whitewater outfitter in Alaska

Whitewater Basics
If you're new to whitewater paddling please take a look at this basic whitewater info.
Outdoors Recreation Near Kodiak, Alaska
Very comprehensive list of a variety of outdoors recreation in the vicinity of Kodiak, Alaska, the metro area neareast to Happy River. Find info on campgrounds, hiking trails, ski resorts, lakes, beaches, parks, whitewater and more.
 

   

OUTDOORS
These outdoors activities are available near Happy River.
 Trails Near Happy River:
Old Iditarod Trail, Matanuska-Susitna Borough , 5 miles away

Outdoors related information copyright © Stratus-Pikpuk, Inc. - Detailed hotel information copyright © Interactive Hotel Solutions
Some content, including Reach Name, Class, and Length, comes from American Whitewater