Koyukuk Wild & Scenic River

On the Koyukuk River

The Koyukuk River is a major tributary of the Yukon River, the last major tributary emptying into the river before the Yukon itself empties into the Bering Sea.

The North fork of the Koyukuk begins on the southern slopes of the Arctic Divide, flowing through the Endicott Mountains of the Brooks Range in wide, glacier-carved valleys. It's the North Fork that flows between Boreal Mountain and Frigid Crags, giving the name "Gates of the Arctic." That 102 miles of river are designated Wild & Scenic River. It's also in that area that the Tinayguk River joins with the North Fork.

On its journey to the Bering Sea, after leaving Gates of the Arctic National Park the Koyukuk is joined by the Alatna River and then the John River before passing by Kanuti and Koyukuk National Wildlife Refuges before merging with the Yukon River near the town of Koyukuk.