Latest News from Fairbanks Paddlers
Summer Social at Tanana Lakes – June 11, 2025
Join the Fairbanks Paddlers for the first of three summer socials! We are having a family-friendly potluck at the Tanana Lakes Pavilion on Wednesday, June 11, from 6:30 -8 pm. The Fairbanks Paddlers will be grilling up hamburgers and hot dogs, along with paddling tales to share! You can bring a boat and enjoy paddling on the lake before or after the potluck, or just show up and enjoy food and camaraderie with fellow paddlers. New members are welcome.
Chena River Cleanup – June 14, 2025
For dozens of years the Fairbanks Paddlers have gotten together and helped clean up our local waterway, the Chena River. Our “adopted” section traditionally is the popular stretch from Graehl Landing to Pioneer Park.
This year we are one of the sponsors of the larger effort that includes: the Fairbanks North Star Borough, City of Fairbanks, North Pole, University of Alaska, Lions International, Tanana Valley Watershed Association, Alaska Department of Transportation, Alaska Dream Adventures, Stantec, and Shannon & Wilson, Inc.
As a club we are primary users and stewards of the Chena River, and this is an excellent opportunity to show and act on our love for water. We definitely have the skills, and a Saturday morning is not much to dedicate to our home river. Take a look at the attached flyer, and plan on joining the effort on June 10. There are lots of goodies (work gloves, trash bags, bug dope, work gloves) and a Free Lunch! Be safe, look good while doing good, and eat well. Bring a friend, bring the whole family.
Boat Swap at Beaver Sports – May 17, 2025
Find a great deal on used boats or paddling gear, or sell the boats you haven’t paddled for a while!
Fairbanks Paddlers will be working with Beaver Sports to host a Boat Swap on May 17, 2025 under the awning outside the Beaver Sports Boat Shop on 3480 College Road.
- 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. – Bring your non-motorized boats and paddling gear to sell
- 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. – Find bargains on “new to you” boats and paddlesports gear
- 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. – Find out if your gear sold and pick up your unsold items.
15% of sales will be donated to Fairbanks Paddlers. Please price your items accordingly.
If you are a Fairbanks Paddlers member and would like to volunteer to help, please contact John Schauer at (907)460-6290
Other questions? Please contact Fairbanks Paddlers at info@fairbankspaddlers.org
UAF Outdoor Adventures 2025 Swiftwater Rescue Classes
University of Alaska Fairbanks Outdoor Adventures is putting on three American Canoe Association (ACA) L3/4 Swiftwater Rescue Courses this summer. They are open to anyone to take. Sam Stone is the provider for these two-day field-based courses. The course costs $250, and you can sign up by contacting the Outdoor Adventures office. (907) 474-6027 or through the registration links on this page.
Each class is a two day intensive American Canoe Association L3/4 Swiftwater Rescue course focusing on skills utilized to safetly extract boats and individuals from moving water environments. Topics include: swimming in moving water, wading, throw ropes, mechanical advantage, mitigating foot entrapment, and both shore based and river based extraction methods.
Drysuits are available for a separate rental fee if needed. Below are the dates for the courses.
- ACA L3/4 Swiftwater Rescue #1 5/22-23, 2025 8am-6pm both days
- ACA L3/4 Swiftwater Rescue #2 6/29-30, 2025 8am-6pm both days
- ACA L3/4 Swiftwater Rescue #3 7/19-20, 2025 8am-6pm both days
Paddling Skills and Safety Class – June 7-8, 2025
Fairbanks Paddlers will sponsor a two-day paddling skills and safety class in June. The course will focus on refining or developing skills necessary to safely and efficiently enjoy your time on the water. This class will be open to participants with packrafts, river-specific kayaks, inflatable kayaks, solo canoes, and SUP’s. The class will be limited to 10 participants plus instructors. Participants need to be age 18 or older.
Dates: June 7-8, 2025
Course Description:
This 2-day skill development and safety course is designed to refine or develop skills necessary to safely and efficiently enjoy your time on the water. This training is open to all types of paddlecraft, and instruction will be both differentiated and individualized to meet personal goals. Utilizing both flatwater and Class 1 – 2 environments, this course is ideal for any boater seeking to develop foundational skills or improve upon pre-existing skillsets prior to boating more consequential water.
Course content includes the following:
- Appropriate equipment and gear
- River types and classes
- How to locate information about local rivers
- How to choose an appropriate river
- Introduction to hydrology
- Safety and rescue techniques
- Strokes and maneuvers
Instructor:
Sam Stone will be the lead instructor for the class. Sam is the Assistant Coordinator of Outdoor Adventures at UAF. Sam is a highly experienced whitewater and ocean paddler. His certifications include the following: American Canoe Assoication L4 Swiftwater Instructor, American Canoe Association L4 Sea Kayak Instructor, American Canoe Association L5 Whitewater Kayak Instructor, Wilderness First Responder, Alaska Avalanche School Rec 1
If there are more than five participants, Sam will bring on an assistant instructor to facilitate the training.
Venue: Lake and class I-II river features – Specific locations TBD
Required Equipment: Drysuit, PFD, paddle, helmet, appropriate paddlecraft, and any safety equipment you generally bring on the water. Also, bring water and food to sustain yourself on the water.
Cost: The course fee is $300 for Fairbanks Paddlers members, $400 per course for non-members. ( New members can join before registering at fairbankspaddlers.org/join)
Additional costs – Participants will need to either be American Canoe Association (ACA) members ($40 per year), or join ACA with an event membership ($10 per 2-day class). Rental gear is extra. Participants may need to drive to the venue or share transportation costs with others. Depending on the selected venues, there may be day-use parking fees.
Scholarships: Fairbanks Paddlers is offering up to ten stipends of $150 for club members from interior Alaska who complete paddling skills and safety courses in the summer of 2025. These scholarships can be applied to expenses for courses offered by other providers, as well as for this course. Participants may apply for the scholarships here: fairbankspaddlers.org/news/paddling-scholarships/
Cancellations: Cancellations before May 23 will receive a refund of the course fee less processing fees (approximately 3%). Cancellations after May 23 will be considered on an individual basis. If the space can be filled before the class starts, a full refund ( less processing fees ) may be issued. If the space is not filled, a partial refund will be issued ( 50% or more at board discretion).
Delta Clearwater Trips – April 26-27 and May 3, 2025
Fairbanks Paddlers annually celebrate the arrival of spring with trips on the Delta-Clearwater River near Delta Junction. This area has some of the first water to open up in the Interior each spring, so if our timing is right we may have an excellent opportunity to see many species of waterfowl (including swans) up close.
This year, there are two separate overnight trips on the same weekend of April 26-27. In addition, there will be a day trip on May 3.
Trip 1 – Clearwater State Recreation Site to Clearwater Lake Boat Ramp Overnight
Don Pendergrast will be coordinating a trip that will end at Clearwater Lake. This trip involves paddling several miles up the outlet stream from Clearwater Lake to the takeout. Though the current isn’t particularly swift, it can be challenging to paddle against in inflatables such as packrafts and inflatable kayaks. This trip will put in at the Clearwater Campground on Saturday, April 26, 2025, 11:00 AM. Take out at Clearwater Lake landing, on Sunday, April 27, 2025. Campsite availability limits this trip to 8 individuals. Lake crossing may be windy, road access to the take out may not be cleared of snow requiring boat and gear dragging half a mile. To join this trip, contact Don Pendergrast ( ranger.don46@gmail.com ). He will keep a wait list if too many people want to participate. All participants must be a member of Fairbanks Paddlers https://www.fairbankspaddlers.org/join , and sign this ACA SmartWaiver https://waiver.smartwaiver.com/e/t2wzZuTzLi667TWHKwFP8k/
Trip 2 – Clearwater State Recreation Site to Tanana River Bridge Overnight
Bruce Campbell will be coordinating a second trip that will put in at the same place, but will take out at the Tanana River bridge near Big Delta. This trip will be targeted towards packrafters, but all craft are welcome. It avoids the upstream paddle and lake crossing from the slough of the Tanana to the Clearwater Lake boat landing. Contact Bruce Campbell ( brucecanoe@gmail.com ) by April 20th, if you wish to participate in the Delta Clearwater float downstream to the Tanana River Bridge. Please let Bruce know if you are planning to be self-sufficient or if you wish to participate in group meals. Participants also must be Fairbanks Paddlers members. The ACA SmartWaiver for this trip can be signed at https://waiver.smartwaiver.com/e/ageN4CDDrKGfxpD5AZrwVN/
Please note that trip coordinators may cancel or reschedule either trip if ice conditions on the Tanana or Clearwater Lake are not suitable.
Trip 3 – Clearwater State Recreation Site to Clearwater Lake Boat Ramp Day Trip
Gail Davidson is coordinating a day trip the weekend after the two overnight trips. It will put in at the Clearwater State Park Campground on Saturday, May 3, 2025, 11:00 AM, and take out at Clearwater Lake boat landing late that afternoon. Contact Gail at akmtngrl@gmail.com by May 1 if you want to join. The ACA SmartWaiver for this trip can be signed at: https://waiver.smartwaiver.com/e/JwkKSgybEAUoWpZiwqh8yX/
Parking at Put-in
The put in for both trips is at the Clearwater State Recreation Site This can be accessed by turning onto Jack Warren Road at mile 268 of the Richardson Highway and driving 11 miles, or by turn from Mile 1415 of the Alaska Highway onto Clearwater Road and driving 8-1/2 mile. Parking at the put-in requires either a $5 parking fee to Alaska State Parks, or a State Parks parking sticker on your car’s windshield. These cost $60 and can be ordered online at https://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/passes .
River Description
The trip taking out at Clearwater Lake is a flat-water trip that moves from the crystal clear Delta-Clearwater River onto a slough of the Tanana, then a short paddle up a creek to Clearwater Lake and across the lake to the take-out. From the Clearwater State Recreation Site to Clearwater Lake is about 12 miles and takes 4-8 hours depending on the wind direction and water conditions. Occasionally, depending on water level, the initial turn up the creek requires some strategy. In some years the current was strong enough here that most paddlers had to drag canoes or kayaks for a few hundred feet. If this is necessary, it may require wading in cold water (calf deep or knee deep) to do this. A map and further river information is available at the State Parks web site (http://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/aspunits/northern/pdfs/clearwaterfloatguide.pdf). The Clearwater River itself has a gentle current and no serious obstacles. The slough of the Tanana has a strong current that must be respected, but no serious obstacles other than an occasional sweeper that must be avoided. The Clearwater Lake outflow has a sluggish current that is not too hard to paddle against, except sometimes at the mouth as noted above. Paddlers should have basic boating skills, be able to avoid sweepers and be able to paddle in a straight line well enough to make progress upstream. The water is extremely cold so plan accordingly.
The packraft-led trip taking out at the Tanana bridge near Big Delta continues approximately 13 miles down the Tanana River beyond the mouth of the outlet stream from Clearwater Lake. The main Tanana can have swift currents, strong eddy lines, sweepers, multiple braided channels, and there is often shelf ice in places along banks at this time of year. Winds can be quite strong.
What to Bring
All participants must bring and wear a personal flotation device (life jacket).Please communicate with the trip coordinator about any group meal planning and shared group gear. Appropriate camp and cooking gear may depend on your choice of watercraft. Temperatures can easily drop below freezing at night. Good rain gear and a dry change of clothes in a water proof bag is a must. Bring a variety of layers so you are prepared for temperature changes. The Delta Junction area can be distinctly cooler or warmer than Fairbanks, and strong winds are common. River boots or waterproof knee boots could be useful if you have to drag boats. It’s early for mosquitos, but if it’s warm enough, they could be out. Migrating ducks, geese and swans commonly make the lake their first stop in the interior, so bring your binoculars.
Paddling Film Festival – May 1, 2025
The 2025 Paddling Film Festival World Tour comes to Fairbanks on Thursday, May 1. The event will be held at the Centennial Center Theater in Pioneer Park ( AKA Alaskaland ), 2300 Airport Way, Fairbanks, Alaska. Doors open at 5:30 pm. and the program begins at 6:30 p.m. HooDoo Brewing will be selling beer at the event to those of legal age with proper identification.
Tickets Available at the Door – $15
ONLINE TICKET SALES ENDED AT 2 p.m. on May 1.
Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. In addition to online ticket sales at https://fairbankspaddlers.org/tickets, in-person ticket sales will be available at Beaver Sports until 3 p.m. on May 1. At several past festivals, all tickets were sold out before the day of the event.
The Paddling Film Festival World Tour brings award-winning films to communities around the globe. Fairbanks Paddlers and sponsors select a full program of inspiring paddling films from the 26 films shortlisted for the 20th Annual World Tour. These feature wild whitewater action, sea kayaking, wilderness expeditions, canoeing, rafting, environmental documentaries, fly fishing, and short films capturing the paddling lifestyle.
Fairbanks Paddlers is co-hosting the 2025 Paddling Film Festival with the following generous sponsors:
- Alaska Dream Adventures
- Arctic Alaska Packrafting Instruction
- Beaver Sports
- Canoe Alaska
- Epic Kayak Ultimate
- HooDoo Brewing
- University of Alaska Outdoor Adventures
Tickets Available at the Door – $15
Kayaking in Ecuador Presentation at Silver Gulch – March 18, 2025
The final presentation in Fairbanks Paddlers Slideshow/Movie Night winter/spring series will be on Tuesday, March 18 at Silver Gulch Brewing and Bottling Company in Fox, Alaska. Silver Gulch is opening especially for Fairbanks Paddlers’ Tuesday evening presentations. Doors will open at 5:30 pm with a limited menu plus beverages available from the bar. Food service will end when the presentation starts at 7 p.m. Come early and enjoy good food, beverages and meet up with old friends and new ones from the paddling community. The presentation is free and open to the public.
Silver Gulch is located at 2195 Old Steese Highway North in Fox, Alaska.
Whitewater Kayaking in Ecuador
Sam Stone will be sharing images and stories from his whitewater kayaking adventures in Ecuador during the winter of 2023-24.
Ecuador might be the center of the universe for Northern Hemisphere boaters seeking to escape the winter months and head to the promised land of boulder gardens, massive boofs, and warm water. For years, Sam and his crew had heard about welcoming locals and more runs than one could possibly paddle in a few weeks. Sam says, “We weren’t disappointed. The first week and a half of our Ecuadorian mission was exactly what was promised to us, however, after returning to civilization after a few days of jungle paddling, we found ourselves squarely situated in a violent coup. Despite the political strife, a mass prison escape, and numerous guns pointed in our direction, we will always consider Ecuador as one of the best winter paddling grounds in the world.”
Sam Stone
Sam is Fairbanks Paddlers’ Vice President and the Assistant Coordinator for University of Alaska’s Outdoor Adventures. Hailing from Maine, Sam is a passionate waterman with a love for all types of paddle sports. When not cruising down whitewater rivers or playing in ocean swells, Sam can be found in the mountains with his skis or fat biking Alaskan winter trails.
A Fairbanks Paddlers Origin Story
Vera Campbell wrote an account of the beginnings of the Fairbanks Paddlers club as an assignment for her Native Literature English class at North Pole High School in February, 2025. The story was reviewed by Brad Snow. Bruce Campbell shared the included photos. Cam Leonard shared the scanned PDF of original Fairbanks Whitewater Association charter that is linked in the story.
Read “A Fairbanks Paddlers Origin Story”
by Vera Campbell
Noatak River Presentation at Silver Gulch – February 18, 2025
The second presentation in Fairbanks Paddlers Slideshow/Movie Night winter/spring series will be on Tuesday, February 18 at Silver Gulch Brewing and Bottling Company in Fox, Alaska. Silver Gulch is opening especially for Fairbanks Paddlers’ Tuesday evening presentations. Doors will open at 5:30 pm with a limited menu plus beverages available from the bar. Food service will end when the presentation starts at 7 p.m. Come early and enjoy good food, beverages and meet up with old friends and new ones from the paddling community. The presentation is free and open to the public.
Silver Gulch is located at 2195 Old Steese Highway North in Fox, Alaska.
Paddling the Noatak River
John Morack has created a video collage of stills, moving images, and music from a trip on the upper Noatak River during the summer of 2024. Tom Paragi and John will be sharing their experiences from this wilderness float trip.
“As one of North America’s largest mountain-ringed river basins with an intact ecosystem, the Noatak River environs feature some of the Arctic’s finest arrays of plants and animals. The river is classified as a National Wild and Scenic River. It offers stunning wilderness float-trip opportunities.*” (*from NPS.gov website – Noatak National Preserve)
Upcoming Presentation
On March 18, Sam Stone will be sharing his experiences whitewater kayaking in Ecuador last winter.
Join Fairbanks Paddlers
Memberships run from
April 1 through March 31
$10 Individual
$15 Household
$150 Business
$100 Lifetime
Upcoming Events
Nothing from October 5, 2026 to January 5, 2027.