Aniak River
Encyclopedia
The Aniak River is a river
in Alaska
, USA. Aniak is a Yup'ik word meaning "the place where it comes out," which refers to the mouth of the Aniak River. This river played a role in the Placer Gold Rush of 1900-01, when prospectors from Nome
rushed to the Kuskokwim River
Delta after hearing of discoveries along the "Yellow River", later believed to be the Aniak River because of the yellow tint from silt
carried from headwater stream
s.
Beginning at Aniak Lake, the river generally flows due north. The upper sections flow through the Kilbuck and Kuskokwim Mountains
, and the lower portions transition to the Kuskokwim lowlands and tundra
. The river stretches 140 river miles, joining the Kuskokwim one mile east of Aniak, Alaska
.
The Aniak has excellent sports fishing opportunities, with all five species of Pacific salmon
, pike
, sheefish, arctic char
, rainbow trout
, and grayling
all present, including lake trout in Aniak Lake itself. Several sports fishing outfitters operate along the Aniak.
Navigation of the river is tricky, since it is swift flowing with multiple channels and many hazards, including debris loads, log jams and sweepers (trees hanging just above the water which "sweep" the surface as it flows by) that change position with each spring's ice breakup cycle. The lower river is more navigable with an experienced boat driver. The upper river, however, is typically only accessed by rafts which can be dropped off by airplane at Aniak Lake 100 miles upstream from the Kuskokwim confluence
. The Aniak River itself, above approximately 25 miles from the mouth, is unusable for surface travel in winter due to incomplete freeze and speed of flow. Historical winter trails parallel most of its length.
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
in Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, USA. Aniak is a Yup'ik word meaning "the place where it comes out," which refers to the mouth of the Aniak River. This river played a role in the Placer Gold Rush of 1900-01, when prospectors from Nome
Nome
Nome may refer to:A country subdivision:* Nome an administrative division within ancient Egypt.* Nome , the administrative division immediately below the peripheries of Greece Places:* Nome, Norway* Nome, Alaska, US...
rushed to the Kuskokwim River
Kuskokwim River
The Kuskokwim River or Kusko River is a river, long, in Southwest Alaska in the United States. It is the ninth largest river in the United States by average discharge volume at its mouth and seventeenth largest by basin drainage area.The river provides the principal drainage for an area of the...
Delta after hearing of discoveries along the "Yellow River", later believed to be the Aniak River because of the yellow tint from silt
Silt
Silt is granular material of a size somewhere between sand and clay whose mineral origin is quartz and feldspar. Silt may occur as a soil or as suspended sediment in a surface water body...
carried from headwater stream
Stream
A stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...
s.
Beginning at Aniak Lake, the river generally flows due north. The upper sections flow through the Kilbuck and Kuskokwim Mountains
Kuskokwim Mountains
The Kuskokwim Mountains is a range of mountains in the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, United States, west of the Alaska Range and southeast of the Yukon River, at about . The Kuskokwim Mountains begin in the interior west of Fairbanks...
, and the lower portions transition to the Kuskokwim lowlands and tundra
Tundra
In physical geography, tundra is a biome where the tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons. The term tundra comes through Russian тундра from the Kildin Sami word tūndâr "uplands," "treeless mountain tract." There are three types of tundra: Arctic tundra, alpine...
. The river stretches 140 river miles, joining the Kuskokwim one mile east of Aniak, Alaska
Aniak, Alaska
Aniak is a city in the Bethel Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska. At the 2000 census the population was 572.-Geography: ....
.
The Aniak has excellent sports fishing opportunities, with all five species of Pacific salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
, pike
Esox
Esox is a genus of freshwater fish, the only living genus in the family Esocidae — the esocids which were endemic to North America, Europe and Eurasia during the Paleogene through present.The type species is E. lucius, the northern pike...
, sheefish, arctic char
Arctic char
Arctic char or Arctic charr is both a freshwater and saltwater fish in the Salmonidae family, native to Arctic, sub-Arctic and alpine lakes and coastal waters. No other freshwater fish is found as far north. It is the only species of fish in Lake Hazen, on Ellesmere Island in the Canadian Arctic...
, rainbow trout
Rainbow trout
The rainbow trout is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead is a sea run rainbow trout usually returning to freshwater to spawn after 2 to 3 years at sea. In other words, rainbow trout and steelhead trout are the same species....
, and grayling
Grayling (genus)
Thymallus is a genus of freshwater fish in the salmon family of order Salmoniformes; it is the only genus of subfamily Thymallinae. The type species is T. thymallus, the grayling. The genus's five distinct species are generically called graylings, but without qualification this also refers...
all present, including lake trout in Aniak Lake itself. Several sports fishing outfitters operate along the Aniak.
Navigation of the river is tricky, since it is swift flowing with multiple channels and many hazards, including debris loads, log jams and sweepers (trees hanging just above the water which "sweep" the surface as it flows by) that change position with each spring's ice breakup cycle. The lower river is more navigable with an experienced boat driver. The upper river, however, is typically only accessed by rafts which can be dropped off by airplane at Aniak Lake 100 miles upstream from the Kuskokwim confluence
Confluence (geography)
In geography, a confluence is the meeting of two or more bodies of water. It usually refers to the point where two streams flow together, merging into a single stream...
. The Aniak River itself, above approximately 25 miles from the mouth, is unusable for surface travel in winter due to incomplete freeze and speed of flow. Historical winter trails parallel most of its length.