Wild and scenic river corridor featuring glacier-fed waters, dramatic canyon walls, abundant wildlife, Native Alaskan heritage, and opportunities for sightseeing, boating, fishing, and wilderness exploration.
Most guided tours and sightseeing excursions operate seasonally from late spring through early fall
Commercial jet boat tours and guided excursions charge separate fees
How to Get There
From downtown Wrangell (2 mi to tour docks): Travel to the Wrangell waterfront and marina area, where most Stikine River jet boat and sightseeing tours depart for excursions into the river valley.
Overview
The Stikine River is one of North America's great wilderness waterways, flowing from northwestern British Columbia to the coastal waters near Wrangell in Southeast Alaska. Known as the "Great River" to the Tlingit people, it has served as an important transportation corridor and cultural landscape for thousands of years. The river cuts through vast wilderness areas that include towering mountains, glaciers, dense forests, and expansive wetlands. Visitors traveling upriver encounter a dramatic environment shaped by powerful geological forces, with steep canyon walls, braided channels, and some of the most remote scenery in the Pacific Northwest.
Today, the river is among Alaska's most popular destinations for jet boat excursions, wildlife viewing, photography, and wilderness exploration. Depending on the season, travelers may observe bears, bald eagles, moose, harbor seals, and numerous migratory bird species while exploring habitats rarely accessible by road. The nearby Stikine-LeConte Wilderness and Stikine River Delta add to the area's ecological significance. For visitors based in Wrangell, a journey along the river provides an unforgettable introduction to the scale, beauty, and natural diversity that define Southeast Alaska's wild landscapes.
This article uses material from the Wikipedia articles and official tourism pages for the https://www.travelwrangell.com/Stikine River, which are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.
