Alaska whitewater, Willow Creek Matanuska-Susitna county, Guardrail to Shirleytown section whitewater kayaking, rafting, and paddling information.   CLASS III-IV     5 miles   If you're coming from Anchorage it's not a long drive at all to the put-in location, please print out a copy of the road map further down the page so you won’t get lost. Whitewater rafting and kayaking in this state is often more difficult than elsewhere, so if you're visiting here do keep in mind that a lot of the rivers here are not suitable for beginners. The scenic beauty of Matanuska-Susitna Borough and the water flowing gracefully     down Willow Creek make the trip here worthwhile. There are campgrounds quite near the river where you can camp. This section of Willow Creek in Alaska is 5 miles long and it is classified as a class III-IV section by American Whitewater. This is a pretty decent length section, it's good length for a morning trip. Since you're on this site you are probably into whitewater rafting or kayaking, either way this area has a large number of paddling rivers. Getting your paddling muscles activated and just hanging out with mother nature are sure to keep you coming back for more. There are a few other stretches in this river system that can be paddled as well. 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. Briefly about the general area: Denali National Park & Preserve is a great national park. Willow Creek gets a typical amount of rain. The month with most of the rain is August while January is mostly the driest month. During the long summer days here at Willow Creek, high temperatures usually get into the 60's. For the period of the moonlight hours it's ordinarily in the 40's. For the duration of the wintertime the highs are usually in the 10's while Willow Creek nighttime low temperatures throughout the winter are in the 0's. Willow Creek, Guardrail to Shirleytown road map Printable road map with the put-in and take-out locations clearly marked.     Map Detailed Map Stats Stats for this river stretch Weather Local weather forecast These outdoors activities are available near Willow Creek.   Whitewater Near Willow Creek: Willow Creek, Matanuska-Susitna Borough, 5 miles away       Class III-IV - 5 miles long (Guardrail to Shirleytown) Willow Creek, Matanuska-Susitna Borough, 14 miles away       Class V+ - 6.75 miles long (Close to Hatcher Pass to lower Willow Creek) Whitewater Outfitter - Willow Creek Rafting, Matanuska Susitna Borough, 14 miles away       Whitewater outfitter Whitewater Outfitter - Denali View B & B, Matanuska Susitna Borough, 16 miles away       Whitewater outfitter Whitewater Outfitter - Alaska Downstream, Anchorage Borough, 18 miles away       Whitewater outfitter Whitewater Outfitter - Alaska Whitewater, Anchorage Borough, 21 miles away       Whitewater outfitter Whitewater Outfitter - Alpacka Rafts, Anchorage Borough, 25 miles away       Whitewater outfitter Eagle River, Anchorage Borough, 25 miles away       Class II-III - 4 miles long (Military Stretch) Campbell Creek, Anchorage Borough, 26 miles away       Class V - 2.5 miles long (Powerline pass to Hilltop Ski area) Eagle River, Anchorage Borough, 26 miles away       Class II(III) - 1.5 miles long (Bridge to Bridge)   Ski Areas Near Willow Creek: Hilltop, Alaska , 23 miles away, 294 foot drop, 3 lifts, 10 runs Alpenglow At Arctic Valley, Alaska , 23 miles away, 1400 foot drop, 4 lifts, 25 runs Alyeska, Alaska , 59 miles away, 2500 foot drop, 9 lifts, 68 runs   Marinas Near Willow Creek: Burkeshore Marina, Big Lake , 8 miles away Big Lake Powersports & Marine, Big Lake , 8 miles away South Port Marina, Big Lake , 10 miles away   Hotels Near Willow Creek: Comfort Inn Downtown - Ship Creek, Anchorage , 18 miles away Ramada Anchorage, Anchorage , 18 miles away Historic Anchorage Hotel, Anchorage , 18 miles away Aviator Hotel, Anchorage , 18 miles away Hilton Anchorage, Anchorage , 18 miles away   Campgrounds Near Willow Creek: Willow Island Resort, Willow, 8 miles away Riverside Camper Park, Houston, 10 miles away Sail-n-fun Resort, Big Lake, 10 miles away   Public Lands Near Willow Creek: Denali National Park & Preserve, Denali Park - AK , 13 miles away Katmai National Park & Preserve, King Salmon - AK , 19 miles away Nancy Lake State Recreation Area, Alaska , 15 miles away Denali State Park, Alaska , 30 miles away   Golf Courses Near Willow Creek: Russian Jack Springs, Anchorage , 20 miles away   Lakes Near Willow Creek Goose Lake, Anchorage , 19 miles away