2 days
Made a random list of options, this one got voted in and had the best potential weather. Couldn't find any info other than a facebook posting asking about Upper Nelchina and people mostly replying about the Nelchina Tazlina float only trip. Ended up being spectacular! Alaska is humbling in the way mountains so close to home can be so unknown to you.
The first morning we did a car shuttle (my first in years but felt justifiable since closer to home and we had 4 peeps). Tanner, Garth, Ian and I walked up the ATV trail from the Chickaloon-Knik-Nelchina trail system trailhead. I'd suggest from the Alascom Access road to Knob Trail to Goober Lake Trail instead. Same distance but more tundra and closer to the mountains. There was an ATV trail all the way down to the river flats, wild where they go. An old run down cabin along the way with nice water right after it, maybe around 9 miles of walking in.
After coming out onto the river beds, there was an ATV track that continued up river. We walked through the bushes over to our put in and camped at an area that had a nice fresh water spot, that we could use for water and a short paddle to a main channel. Overall the walk was 11.3 miles. I really wanted to do a little run up to the glacier, but it was 7 miles up and maybe another time. So many cool future trip ideas from being out here.
The next morning the beginning of the float was Class I and 2-4mph range, and the temperatures were chilly in the morning. The float remained Class I until the Little Nelchina came in (good non-silt water opportunity if you need it). Tanner and Garth had done the float past this point on another trip.
The current progressed in speed the whole time, and the character became Class II in some spots. We could see along the sides how the river was feet higher recently, probably when the Matanuska gauge spiked a week ago with more rain. Really cool banks along the way. The float took us 5.5 hours, a little over 22mi.
We pulled out where the Nelchina came closest to the road and walked through the bushes to Nelchina. There were huge tracks leaving the beach, but they looked like they went way around the bank, so we went right up the bank and cut through nicely spaced trees on tundra. The walk was 1.5 mi to Nelchina and only took us 50mi, the best bushes you could ask for! Really if you followed the trail around the bank, this would be an all trail endeavor.
We saw lots of cool bear and wolf tracks up river.
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