Fairbanks Paddlers

UPDATE: Because of the access problems at Clearwater Campground and especially the access problems at Clearwater Lake, the Delta-Clearwater day trip is rescheduled from May 1 to Sunday, May 8th. 

Break-up is proceeding apace and we can see patches of flowing water in most interior riverways. Fairbanks Paddlers annually celebrate the arrival of spring with a trip 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 the day trip will be on May 1 May 8 (Sunday) coordinated by Alan Batten. Interested paddlers should contact the coordinator, who will send out details early next week. Note that I’ll need to contact you via email so if you contact me via text or voice be sure to give me your email address.

Please note that all participants must be current members of Fairbanks Paddlers. Memberships can be renewed at https://www.fairbankspaddlers.org/join/ or at the put-in. Liability insurance for our trips is arranged through the American Canoe Association (ACA). This takes a big worry off the minds of those of us who volunteer to coordinate trips, and we hope it will lead to having more volunteers step forward. However, this does add another level of bureaucracy to our trips, so we hope you will all be patient with that. Each participant will need to be a member of the ACA, either an annual member or a member for a day. Everyone, both annual ACA members and daily members will have to sign an ACA waiver, and annual members will need their ACA numbers. I’ll send more info about ACA membership next week to people who express interest in the trip.

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, or purchased at the Alaska Public Lands Information Center in the Morris Thompson Center or at the DNR Information Center in the woods off of University Avenue and Airport Way. State Parks are in serious financial trouble these days (especially the Delta Junction-area State Parks) and need our support.

Even though we are all tired of thinking about it we are still in the midst of a pandemic. People riding in other people’s cars will need to wear masks. I am hoping that we can dispense with masks when we are outdoors, but if anyone is uncomfortable with that then we should all wear masks whenever we are in close proximity (put-in, lunch stop, and take-out). Also we need to know whether individual drivers are comfortable having other people in their car or not. We have to get car-pooling and shuttle drivers sorted out before leaving on the trip. We don’t want anyone to be forced into making a last-minute decision about accepting a ride, or a rider, under conditions that they aren’t comfortable with. People might consider doing a bicycle shuttle. It is only 9 miles between the take-out and the put-in. The route is level or with a gentle grade, and all but about a mile of it is paved.

People interested in the trip should contact Alan Batten before Thursday, April 28 May 5:  alanbatten@acsalaska.net, H: 907-488-3205, C: 907-378-6384. Please do not “just show up” for this trip. I’d really like to know who is coming ahead of time.

Here’s a description of the river and the trip: This is a flat-water trip that moves from the crystal clear Delta-Clearwater River onto a slough of the Tanana, followed by a 1.5-mile 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 but there will be many of us there to help if this area turns out to be a problem. In recent years the current was strong enough there that most of us had to drag our canoes for a few hundred feet. You pretty much have to get into the water (calf deep or knee deep) to do this. If you are lucky you can find gravel in the streambed to walk on, but where the gravel stops there is thick organic muck so be psychologically prepared. 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. Rain gear and extra clothes in a dry bag are a must. If one paddles straight through the trip can be done in 4 hours or a little more. We’ll stop for an hour for lunch and will probably lolligag a bit beyond that, so I would estimate something like 6 hours for the trip.

What to bring: Canoes and hard-shell kayaks are the most common boats on this trip; going up the creek with a raft could be challenging and even IK’s have to struggle. All participants must bring and wear a personal flotation device (life jacket). Migrating ducks, geese and swans commonly make the lake their first stop in the interior, so bring your binoculars. Bring a dry change of clothes in a water proof bag and a variety of layers so you are prepared for temperature changes. The Delta Junction area can be distinctly cooler or warmer than Fairbanks. River boots or waterproof knee boots could be useful if we have to drag the boats a ways. It could rain so bring a raincoat. There may be a few mosquitoes out. Also bring lunch and drinks. We will stop for lunch on a gravel bar.

Slough of the Tanana River, April 8 2016

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 7, 2022 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 2 p.m. – Find bargains on “new to you” boats and paddlesports gear
• 2 p.m. to 3 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

Celebrate the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge at the 25th Run for the Refuge. The Northern Alaska Environmental Center is taking the event virtual once again in 2021. People can participate by running, walking, hiking, biking, or paddling a 5K or 10K route of their own choosing, or can choose a route sponsored by local organizations. Participants can choose any time between July 16 -18 to do their route

Fairbanks Paddlers is sponsoring two paddling routes on the Chena through Fairbanks:

10 K – Barnette Bridge to Pikes Landing

The 10 km route starts at the end of Turner Street just downstream of the Barnette Street bridge on the north side of the Chena. It finishes at Pikes Landing. (Be aware of construction activity on the University Bridge. It may require careful maneuvering and closures of up to 20 minutes are possible.)

5 K – Graehl Landing to Pioneer Park

To make this popular float an honest 5 km, put in at the boat landing at Graehl Park near Front Street and Forty Mile Ave. Paddle upstream to the upstream side of Steese Highway Bridge, then turn your boat around and paddle downstream to Pioneer Park just upstream of the Peger Road bridge. You could get creative and turn this into a 10k paddle & pedal route if you pick a 5 k bike shuttle route back to the put-in.

Sign Up Online – Get Great Swag!

Register Online for the 25th Annual Run for the Refuge on RunSignup.
Deadline to sign up is July 18.

Regardless of location registrants will receive Run for the Refuge t-shirts with our 2021 artwork by Sara Tabbert – there is a limited quantity so first come first serve.  Details for race packet pick up and mailing are forthcoming.

We will do our best to mail out tees in advance of the event weekend, but we cannot guarantee this.

$30 for Adults, $15 for 12 & under.  Includes a t-shirt.  Registrants 12 & under will receive t-shirts.

Run Packets will be mailed for all outside of Fairbanks registrants. For those in Fairbanks, we will arrange a socially distant pick up day, or we can mail your packet.

$25 for Adults, $15 for 12 & under.  Includes choice of t-shirt or hat, or long sleeved t-shirt for an extra $7 (this adds $0.50 to the race fee as it is calculated by RunSignup as a percentage.)  All registrants 12 & under will receive t-shirts.

Run Packets will be mailed for all outside of Fairbanks registrants. For those in Fairbanks, we will arrange a socially distant pick up day, or we can mail your packet.

Support the conservation of Alaska’s largest refuge by participating in this fun, family-friendly event!

For any questions, comments, or concerns, please contact the Race Director @ intern@northern.org.