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14-639: The river's headwaters are located at the confluence of the Chisana and Nabesna rivers just north of Northway in eastern Alaska. The Tanana flows in a northwest direction from near the border with the Yukon Territory , and laterally along the northern slope of the Alaska Range , roughly paralleled by the Alaska Highway . In central Alaska, it emerges into a lowland marsh region known as

28-583: A lottery, called the Nenana Ice Classic. Human habitation of the Yukon basin, including the Tanana watershed, began more than 12,000 years ago. Several sites in the watershed have produced evidence of occupation by Paleo-Arctic people. Later residents include people of the Tanana tribe, which has had a presence in the region for 1,200 years. In the summer of 1885, Lieutenant Henry Tureman Allen of

42-410: Is an annual guessing game about the date of the ice break-up. In October or November, after the freeze has begun, a tripod is planted in ice in the middle of the river. The tripod is connected to an on-shore clock that stops when the tripod begins to move during the spring thaw. Over the years, the break-up date has varied from April 20 to May 20. Betting on the exact time of the break-up takes the form of

56-552: Is rated Class I (easy) to Class II (medium) on the International Scale of River Difficulty . The current is swift on the stream's upper 40 miles (64 km) and slow from there to the mouth . Dangers include cold, swift, silty water, and braided channels. Glacier melt may cause flow rates to rise significantly between morning and afternoon on warm days. The Nabesna is a popular fishing site in Alaska. Species such as

70-570: The Chisana River near Northway Junction . The combined rivers form the Tanana. The Nabesna River, swift-flowing in its upper reaches, passes through a deep valley that opens into broad plain. Gradually slowing, the river enters the Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge , a region of marshes, hills, lakes, and forests of spruce and birch. The river, suited to running by rafts, hard-shelled kayaks, or decked canoes,

84-747: The Rainbow Trout , King Salmon , Red Salmon and Coho Salmon. Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge is a dynamic landscape made up of forests , wetlands , tundra , lakes, mountains and glacial rivers bounded by the snowy peaks of the Alaska Range. This upper Tanana River valley has been called the "Tetlin Passage," because it serves as a major migratory route for birds traveling to and from Canada ,

98-624: The Tanana Valley and passes south of the city of Fairbanks . In the marsh regions it is joined by several large tributaries, including the Nenana (near the city of Nenana ) and the Kantishna . It passes the village of Manley Hot Springs and empties into the Yukon near the town of Tanana . Ice on the river accumulates each winter to an average maximum thickness of 43 inches (110 cm) at Nenana. The Nenana Ice Classic, begun in 1917,

112-601: The U.S. Army undertook the first recorded exploration of the Tanana River. In 1883, Lieutenant Frederick Schwatka and his party had entered the Yukon watershed by way of Canada and floated to the mouth of the Yukon. Allen's goal was to find an all-Alaska route to the Yukon River. He and his men ascended the Copper River , crossed into Tanana River drainage, and descended the Tanana to the Yukon and down it to

126-717: The growth of plants, insects and other invertebrates , providing a ready source of rich foods for nesting birds. Tetlin Refuge also supports a variety of large mammals. Dall sheep dot the higher slopes while Alaskan moose feed upon the tender new growth that springs up in the wake of frequent lightning caused fires. Wolf packs, turkey vulture , Canadian lynx , tundra swan , red fox , peregrine falcon , coyote , beaver , golden eagle , marten , six species of owls, snowshoe hare , osprey , trumpeter swan , muskrat , bald eagle , river otter , grizzly bears and black bears and members of three different caribou herds range over

140-555: The ice went out on April 29, three lottery winners split a jackpot of $ 279,030. In 2012, the record prize was $ 350,000. Nabesna River The Nabesna River ( Naambia Niign in Upper Tanana ) is a 73-mile (117 km) tributary of the Tanana River in the U.S. state of Alaska . Beginning at Nabesna Glacier in the Alaska Range , it flows north-northeast from Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve to join

154-508: The lower 48 and both Central and South America . Many of these birds breed and nest on the refuge. Others pass through on their way to breeding and nesting grounds elsewhere in the state. Migrants, including ducks , geese , swans , cranes, raptors and songbirds , begin arriving in the valley in April, and continue into early June. An estimated 116 species breed on Tetlin during the short summer, when long days and warm temperatures accelerate

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168-521: The mouth. During the five-month trip, the Allen party mapped the courses of the Copper, Tanana, and Koyukuk rivers. In the early 21st century, the basin is largely wilderness unchanged by human activity. Fairbanks, a metropolitan area with about 100,000 residents in 2019, is a center of placer gold mining, which has continued in the basin since the mid-19th century. Limited farming also occurs in

182-465: The refuge. Two of the six known humpback whitefish spawning areas in the Yukon River drainage are located within the refuge. Along with caribou and moose, these fish are important subsistence resources for area residents. Arctic grayling , northern pike and burbot are also found in the refuge's many streams and lakes. The refuge has a surface area of 700,058 acres (2,833.03 km ), and

196-506: The valley near Fairbanks. During World War II, it was proposed to resettle Finnish refugees in areas around the Tanana River ( Operation Alaska ). Since the early 1900s, Alaskans have been gambling on when the river would melt. Each year, thousands pay $ 3.00 to guess the exact date and minute the Tanana River ice will go out in Nenana. The Nenana Ice Classic is a fundraiser for local charities and has awarded some large prizes. In 2010, after

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