Talkeetna Canyon Jet Boat Adventure

Explore different rivers on this 3.5-hour, ~50-mile jet boat adventure, which features the Chulitna River Gorge and a unique braided river – one of few such extensive systems in the world! Travel in the comfort of our fully enclosed jet boats. This tour is an extension of our 2-hour wilderness excursion including a ¼-mile nature stroll to an authentic trapper’s cabin and Dena’ina Indian encampment.

Your 3½-hour exciting trip will begin aboard the “McKinley Queen” as it whisks you into the heart of the wilderness in comfort. These are the most technologically advanced jet boats in Alaska designed to safely navigate rivers that were previously inaccessible.

The trip will show you our three rivers: the Talkeetna, Chulitna, and Susitna. You will travel through the Chulitna River Gorge and experience an Alaska braided river, with a number of channels separated by small and often temporary islands. If Denali is out, you will be afforded one of the best views in the State, as she is framed by the very picturesque Tokosha Mountains.

As you travel ~fifty miles of river you may see nesting bald eagles and beaver activity or an occasional black bear or grizzly bear roaming the shore. Of course, there are no guarantees for siting wildlife as we have no control over nature.

During the ¼-mile leisurely nature walk, you will see an Indian Encampment of the Dena’ina, the earliest native settlers in the area, and visit an authentic cabin of a trapper, who was the earliest white man settler in the area. You will see its rustic furnishings and see how the trapper lived in the “Bush” at the turn of the century.

Naturalists will acquaint you with the wildflowers and plants that grow in abundance along the river system and you will learn about the edible plants that were used by the Native Indians for cooking and medicines and what we still eat today.