The
Matanuska River is a river, approximately 75 miles (120 km) long, in Southcentral
AlaskaAlaska is the largest state of the United States of America 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...
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It drains a broad valley south of the
Alaska RangeThe Alaska Range is a relatively narrow, 650-km-long mountain range in the southcentral region of the U.S. state of Alaska, from Lake Clark at its southwest end to the White River in Canada's Yukon Territory in the southeast...
known as the
Matanuska-Susitna ValleyMatanuska-Susitna Valley is an area in Southcentral Alaska south of the Alaska Range about 25 air miles north northeast of Anchorage, Alaska known for producing huge vegetables during a 100-day growing season. It includes the valleys of the Matanuska, the Knik to the southeast, and the Susitna...
.
Its headwaters are at
Matanuska GlacierMatanuska Glacier is a valley glacier in the U.S. state of Alaska. At 27 miles long by four miles wide, it is the largest glacier accessible by car in the United States. Its terminus is the source of the Matanuska River. It lies near the Glenn Highway about 100 miles northeast of Anchorage...
in the northern
Chugach MountainsThe Chugach Mountains of southern Alaska are the northernmost of the several mountain ranges that make up the Pacific Coast Ranges of the western edge of North America. The range is about 500 km long, running generally east-west. Its highest point is Mount Marcus Baker, at , but most of its...
, approximately 100 miles (160 km) northeast of
AnchorageAnchorage is a consolidated city-borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. With an estimated 279,243 municipal residents in 2008 , it is Alaska's largest city and constitutes more than 40 percent of the state's total population; only New York has a higher percentage...
. It flows generally west-southwest through the Mat-Su Valley, between the Chugach range to the south and the
Talkeetna Mountainsthumb | right | 300px | Talkeetna Mountains, from the [[Parks Highway]] The Talkeetna Mountains are a mountain range in Alaska. The Matanuska and Susitna River valleys, with towns such as Trapper Creek, Talkeetna, Wasilla, Palmer, Sutton, and Chickaloon, roughly bound the Talkeetnas in the...
to the north.
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The
Matanuska River is a river, approximately 75 miles (120 km) long, in Southcentral
AlaskaAlaska is the largest state of the United States of America 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...
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It drains a broad valley south of the
Alaska RangeThe Alaska Range is a relatively narrow, 650-km-long mountain range in the southcentral region of the U.S. state of Alaska, from Lake Clark at its southwest end to the White River in Canada's Yukon Territory in the southeast...
known as the
Matanuska-Susitna ValleyMatanuska-Susitna Valley is an area in Southcentral Alaska south of the Alaska Range about 25 air miles north northeast of Anchorage, Alaska known for producing huge vegetables during a 100-day growing season. It includes the valleys of the Matanuska, the Knik to the southeast, and the Susitna...
.
Its headwaters are at
Matanuska GlacierMatanuska Glacier is a valley glacier in the U.S. state of Alaska. At 27 miles long by four miles wide, it is the largest glacier accessible by car in the United States. Its terminus is the source of the Matanuska River. It lies near the Glenn Highway about 100 miles northeast of Anchorage...
in the northern
Chugach MountainsThe Chugach Mountains of southern Alaska are the northernmost of the several mountain ranges that make up the Pacific Coast Ranges of the western edge of North America. The range is about 500 km long, running generally east-west. Its highest point is Mount Marcus Baker, at , but most of its...
, approximately 100 miles (160 km) northeast of
AnchorageAnchorage is a consolidated city-borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. With an estimated 279,243 municipal residents in 2008 , it is Alaska's largest city and constitutes more than 40 percent of the state's total population; only New York has a higher percentage...
. It flows generally west-southwest through the Mat-Su Valley, between the Chugach range to the south and the
Talkeetna Mountainsthumb | right | 300px | Talkeetna Mountains, from the [[Parks Highway]] The Talkeetna Mountains are a mountain range in Alaska. The Matanuska and Susitna River valleys, with towns such as Trapper Creek, Talkeetna, Wasilla, Palmer, Sutton, and Chickaloon, roughly bound the Talkeetnas in the...
to the north. It flows past
PalmerPalmer is a city in and the borough seat of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is part of the Anchorage Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city was 4,533...
and enters the Knik Arm of
Cook InletCook Inlet stretches from the Gulf of Alaska to Anchorage in south-central Alaska. Cook Inlet branches into the Knik Arm and Turnagain Arm at its northern end, almost surrounding Anchorage....
from the northeast approximately 25 mi (40 km) northeast of Anchorage.
The Mat-Su Valley is one of the most settled regions of Alaska and one of the few areas in the state to support
agricultureAgriculture is the production of food and goods through farming and forestry. Agriculture was the key development that led to the rise of human civilization, with the husbandry of domesticated animals and plants creating food surpluses that enabled the development of more densely populated and...
. The river is a popular destination for whitewater rafting.
See also