Koyukuk River

Koyukuk River
Flowing through the Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge
Koyukuk River is located in Alaska
Koyukuk River
Location of the mouth of the Koyukuk River in Alaska
EtymologyKoyukon people
Native name
Location
CountryUnited States
StateAlaska
Census AreaYukon-Koyukuk
CitiesEvansville, Bettles, Allakaket, Hughes, Huslia
Physical characteristics
Sourceconfluence of North and Middle forks
 • locationBrooks Range
 • coordinates67°02′49″N 151°04′26″W / 67.04694°N 151.07389°W / 67.04694; -151.07389[1]
 • elevation715 ft (218 m)[2]
MouthYukon River
 • location
Koyukuk
 • coordinates
64°55′24″N 157°33′14″W / 64.92333°N 157.55389°W / 64.92333; -157.55389[1]
 • elevation
115 ft (35 m)
Length425 mi (684 km)[3]
Basin size32,000 sq mi (83,000 km2)[4]
Discharge 
 • locationHughes[5]
 • average14,250 cu ft/s (404 m3/s)[5]
 • minimum280 cu ft/s (7.9 m3/s)
 • maximum330,000 cu ft/s (9,300 m3/s)

The Koyukuk River (/ˈkaɪəkʊk/;[6] Ooghekuhno' [pronunciation?] in Koyukon, Kuuyukaq or Tagraġvik in Iñupiaq) is a 425-mile (684 km) tributary of the Yukon River, in the U.S. state of Alaska.[3] It is the last major tributary entering the Yukon before the larger river empties into the Bering Sea.[7]

Rising at the confluence of the North Fork Koyukuk River with the Middle Fork Koyukuk River, it flows generally southwest to meet the larger Yukon River at Koyukuk.[8] The river, with headwaters above the Arctic Circle in the Endicott Mountains of the Brooks Range, drains an area north of the Yukon River that includes part of the Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, as well as Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge and Koyukuk National Wildlife Refuge.[8]

The main stem of the river is lined by the communities of Evansville, Bettles, Alatna, Allakaket, Hughes, and Huslia before reaching Koyukuk.[8] Its headwaters tributaries include the Koyukuk's south, middle, and north forks, the Alatna River, and the John River.[9] Major tributaries further downstream include the Kanuti, Batzu, Hogatza, Huslia, Dulbi, Kateel, and Gisasa rivers.[9] Of these, the Alatna, John, and North Fork are National Wild and Scenic Rivers, as is the Tinayguk River, a tributary of the North Fork.[10]

  1. ^ a b "Koyukuk River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. 1981-03-31. Retrieved 2011-07-11.
  2. ^ Derived by entering source coordinates in Google Earth.
  3. ^ a b Orth, Donald J.; United States Geological Survey (1971) [1967]. Dictionary of Alaska Place Names: Geological Survey Professional Paper 567 (PDF). United States Government Printing Office. p. 544. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 17, 2013. Retrieved October 3, 2013.
  4. ^ "Boundary Descriptions and Names of Regions, Subregions, Accounting Units and Cataloging Units". U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 2011-07-11.
  5. ^ a b "USGS Gage #15564900 on the Koyukuk River at Hughes, Alaska". National Water Information System. U.S. Geological Survey. 1960–1982. Retrieved 2011-07-11.
  6. ^ Koyukuk Culture & Wellness Camp (September 17, 2019).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Benke 790 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ a b c Alaska Atlas & Gazetteer (7th ed.). Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. 2010. pp. 134, 136. ISBN 978-0-89933-289-5.
  9. ^ a b Benke and Cushing, pp. 789–90
  10. ^ Benke and Cushing, p. 791