Canoeing the Koyukuk

It's been my goal since canoeing the North Fork of the Koyukuk River, through Gates of the Arctic National Park in 2009, to float all three forks of the Koyukuk River in the Brooks Range of Alaska. 

In 2009, I went on a patrol, while working as a Park Ranger, to float the North Fork in an Ally-Pack canoe from the actual 'Gates of the Arctic,' Boreal Mountain & Frigid Crags, named by Bob Marshall, to Bettles, the main office of the park. This past weekend, I traveled north on the Dalton Highway to the Middle Fork to float it from as high as possible on the Dietrich River, one of it's main tributaries, to Coldfoot, where my car would be waiting, thanks to Ken Ilgunas, our shuttler. The water was a little low in the region, so after checking out the upper Dietrich, we decided to take the time we'd be saving in paddling, from having to put in lower than expected, and head up to the Toolik Lake area on the Dalton Highway for some early summer Brooks Range-North Slope scenery.

After the jaunt north, we returned to the Dietrich River bridge and put in.

8.5 hrs and 40+ miles later, we were back in Coldfoot. Great float & a done-in-a-day adventure.

Here are the photos.