Yukon River
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Map of the Yukon River watershed |
The Yukon River is a major watercourse of northwestern North America. Over half of the river lies in Alaska, USA, with the other portion lying in and giving its name to Canada's Yukon Territory. The river is 3,185 kilometres long and empties into the Bering Sea at the Yukon Delta. Total drainage area is 840,000 square kilometres (327,600 square miles). Of that, 323,800 square kilometers (126,300 square miles) is in Canada. As a comparison, the total area is more than 25% larger than Texas or Alberta.
The longest river in Alaska and the Yukon, it was one of the principal means of transportation during the Klondike Gold Rush in 1898 to 1899. Paddle-wheel riverboats continued to ply the river until the 1950s, when the Klondike Highway was completed.
Yukon means great river in Gwich'in. The river was called Kwiguk, or large stream in Yupik.
The generally accepted source of the Yukon River is the Llewellyn Glacier at the southern end of
Atlin Lake in
British Columbia. Others suggest that the source is Lake Lindeman at the northern end of the
Chilkoot Trail. Either way, Atlin Lake flows into
Tagish Lake, as eventually does Lake Lindeman after flowing into
Lake Bennett. Tagish Lake then flows into Marsh Lake. The Yukon River proper starts at the northern end of Marsh Lake, just south of
Whitehorse. Some argue that the source of the Yukon River should really be
Teslin Lake and the
Teslin River, which has a larger flow when it reaches the Yukon at Hootalinqua. The upper end of the Yukon river was originally known as the Lewes River until it was established that it actually was the Yukon. North of Whitehorse, the Yukon River widens into
Lake Laberge, made famous by
Robert W. Service's
The Cremation of Sam McGee. Other large lakes that are part of the Yukon River system include Kusawa Lake (into the Takhini River) and
Kluane Lake (into the Kluane and then White River).
The river passes through the communities of
Whitehorse,
Carmacks, and
Dawson City in the
Yukon Territory, and into
Circle,
Fort Yukon,
Stevens Village, Alaska,
Tanana,
Ruby,
Galena,
Naruto,
Grayling,
Holy Cross,
Russian Mission, and
Ohogamut in Alaska.
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The E. L. Patton Yukon River Bridge carries the Dalton Highway over the Yukon north of Fairbanks. |
Despite its length, there are only four vehicle-carrying bridges across the river:
* the Lewes Bridge, north of Marsh Lake on the
Alaska Highway;
* the Robert Campbell Bridge, which connects the Whitehorse suburb of Riverdale to the downtown area,
* the Yukon River Bridge in Carmacks, on the
Klondike Highway; and
* the E. L. Patton Yukon River Bridge, north of
Fairbanks on the
Dalton Highway.
A car
ferry crosses the River in summer months in Dawson City; it is replaced by an ice bridge over the frozen river during the winter. Plans to build a permanent bridge were announced in March 2004, although they are currently on hold because bids came in much higher than budgeted.
There are also 2 pedestrian-only bridges in Whitehorse, as well as a dam across the river and a
hydroelectric generating station. The construction of the dam flooded the White Horse rapids, which gave the city its name, and created
Schwatka Lake.
The river flows into several parklands and refuges including:
*
Innoko National Wildlife Refuge*
Nowitna National Wildlife Refuge*
Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve*
Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge*
Yukon Flats National Wildlife RefugeYukon Territory
*
Takhini River*
Big Salmon River*
Nordenskiold River*
Teslin River*
Pelly River*
Stewart River*
White River*
Sixtymile River*
Indian River*
Klondike River*
Fortymile RiverAlaska
*
Anaconda Creek*
Beaver Creek*
Kandik river*
Charley River*
Tetlin River*
Porcupine River**
Black River***
Mountain Creek***
Bear Creek***
Wood River**
Chandalar Creek**
Sheenjek River***
Eskimo Creek***
Sheenjek River East Fork*
Chandalar River**
East Fork Chandalar River**
West Fork Chandalar River**
Marten Creek**
Christian River*
Big Salt River*
Hess Creek**
Mastodon*
Fish Creek**
Garnet Creek*
Coal Creek*
Texas Creek*
Tanana River**
Chena River**
Nenana River*
NC Creek*
Tozitna River**
Bluebell Creek**
Bandanna Creek*
Lynx Creek*
Bering Creek*
Nowitna River*
Big Creek**
Beaver Creek**
Glacier Creek*
Melozitna River**
Whakatna Creek**
Black Sand Creek**
Melozitna Creek*
Ruby Slough*
Yuki River**
East Yuki River*
Yuki River**
East Yukli River*
Kala Creek**
Kelly Creek*
Galena Creek*
Bishop Creek*
Koyukuk River**
Workyard Creek**
Gisasa River**
Houdaic River***
Huslia River****
Nulitna River****
Tom Cook Slough****
Billy Hawk Creek**
Cutoff Slouch**
Hogatza River****
Clear Creek**
Batza River**
Matthews Slough***
Little Indian River***
Indian River****
Calamity Creek***
Pocahontas River**
Kanuti River**
Alatna River***
Siruk Creek***
Discovery Creek**
South Fork Koyokouk River***
Jim Creek**
Jane Creek**
John River*
Naruto River*
Innoko River**
Iditarod River***
Flat Creek***
First Chance Creek***
Yetna River**
Tolstoi Creek***
Coffee Creek***
Madison Creek***
Hurst Creek**
Taft Creek**
Finland Creek**
Scandinavian Creek**
Nixon Creek***
North Fork Innoko River ****
Tango Creek****
West Fork Innoko River**
Colorado Creek*
Reindeer River*
Kako Creek*
Engineer Creek*
List of Alaska rivers*
List of Yukon rivers*
Canadian Council for Geographic Education page with a series of articles on the history of the Yukon River*
The Yukon River Bridge at Dawson City
