Alaska whitewater - Matanuska River, Talkeetna Mountains, Matanuska-Susitna Borough Matanuska-Susitna county, Lions Head section whitewater kayaking, rafting, and paddling information.   CLASS III+     5.2 miles   The beautiful scenery of Alaska and the playfulness of the water will make you feel great. The Lions Head stretch of Matanuska River in Alaska is 5.2 miles long and has been rated as a class III+ section by American Whitewater. Great exercise and just hanging out with mother nature have a lot of people coming here. When you're paddling down a Talkeetna Mountains river like this one you always get great scenery along the way too. This is one of a small number of paddling sections in this river system, there are a few others too. If you're a camper you can     camp at one of the great campgrounds nearby. Since you're on this site you are probably into whitewater rafting or kayaking, either way there are not so many other good rivers for that around here. This section is long enough to enjoy a good non stop paddle, good for a one day paddling trip. If you've been whitewater rafting and kayaking outside this state you might find the rivers here a bit more challenging, so don't forget that many runs in this state are not easy. You might have to settle for a hotel a bit away from the river if you want to stay the night, but if you don’t have reservations you might end up sleeping in your car. Briefly about the general area: Matanuska River is pretty arid commonly; all through July this area sees the most rain while April is generally the driest month. During the summer months   here at Matanuska River, high temperatures mostly reach the 60's. For the period of the moonlight hours it's ordinarily in the 40's. The cold days of the winter come with highs in the 10's, and winter nights come with lows in the-10's to Matanuska River. You simply should stop at Matanuska Glacier since you're here at Matanuska River. Matanuska River, Lions Head road map Printable road map with the put-in and take-out locations clearly marked. QUICK STATS AW Class: III+ Length: 5.2 miles Average Gradient: 38 fpm    Putin Location Coordinates: Latitude: 61.80329 Longitude: -147.6816 Takeout Location Coordinates: Latitude: 61.79589 Longitude: -147.7994 Paddler input for Matanuska River, Alaska: Submit Input: Your Name: Write or Paste Input here: Upload picture:      Input Submission Guidelines Current weather conditions at Matanuska River, Talkeetna Mountains, Alaska Local climate location: MC KINLEY PARK 78 miles away RAFTING TRIP OUTFITTERS There are no whitewater outfitters currently listed for this river.   Talkeetna Mountains Whitewater Complete list of all the whitewater kayaking and rafting spots in the Talkeetna Mountains. Talkeetna Mountains Outdoors Info Complete outdoors info for the Talkeetna Mountains. All Alaska Whitewater Complete list of all the whitewater paddling spots in Alaska. Books about whitewater paddling on Matanuska River, Alaska List of books from Amazon.com that cover whitewater paddling on Matanuska 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 Fairbanks, Alaska Very comprehensive list of a variety of outdoors recreation in the vicinity of Fairbanks, Alaska, the metro area neareast to Matanuska River. Find info on campgrounds, hiking trails, ski resorts, lakes, beaches, parks, whitewater and more.       These outdoors activities are available near Matanuska River.   Whitewater Near Matanuska River: Caribou Creek, -blank- Borough , 7 miles away, Class V - 9 miles long (Squaw Creek to Glenn Highway Bridge) Hicks Creek, Matanuska-Susitna Borough , 8 miles away, Class V+ - 11 miles long (Hicks Lake to Matanuska River) Matanuska River - East Fork and Main Stem, Matanuska-Susitna Borough , 17 miles away, Class II+ - 17.5 miles long (Close to Hunter Lake to Caribou Creek) Gravel Creek, Matanuska-Susitna Borough , 17 miles away, Class IV+ - 11.5 miles long (Gravel Creek Glacier to Matanuska River)   Ski Areas Near Matanuska River: Alyeska, Alaska , 99 miles away, 2500 vertical feet Moose Mountain, Alaska , 104 miles away, 1300 vertical feet Mt Aurora Skiland, Alaska , 109 miles away, 1057 vertical feet Alpenglow At Arctic Valley, Alaska , 134 miles away, 1400 vertical feet Hilltop, Alaska , 140 miles away, 294 vertical feet   Camp Grounds Near Matanuska River: Grand View Cafe Campground, Palmer, 20 miles away