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Trip Report    

John River

From a tiny native village in the tundra at the northernmost pass in Alaska, through the Brooks Range, to the mighty Koyukuk River, the John has a blend of personalities along the way. Plenty of down time to read and meditate with Arctic nature. While this is not intended as a complete TR, here are a few observations of mine.

Logan DeGrand Logan DeGrand
August 25, 2025
  • Fri, Aug 8, 2025 — Sun, Aug 17, 2025
  • John River
  • Packrafting
  • Successful
  • Road suitable for all vehicles

  • No freezing temps. Out of 9 days on the river, we had 3 sunny and dry days, 3 rainy days, and 3 mostly dry overcast days. The current moved along at a good clip the entire way, from 3-5 mph. 

We had a lot of sedentary time. We were on the river usually 3-4 hours per day, covering 17 miles on average, and arriving to camp between 1:00 - 2:00 most days. Hiking opportunities are scarce due to the dense foliage and tussock fields. We had lots of reading and sleeping time. Virtually all of the whitewater is between river mile 12 and 28, mostly class II but several class III drops. Other than one Caribou, the animals eluded us. The mountains give way to vast flatlands at mile 72 just past Gunsight Mountain. 

I would prefer to do this trip in 6 paddling-floating days with an optional layover day, something along these lines:

DAY 1: Fly Bettles to Anaktuvuk, hike 1-2 miles, paddle 10 miles, to river mile 12

DAY 2: Paddle 25 miles, all whitewater, ~4-5 hours of paddling, to river mile 37

DAY 3: Paddle-float 25 miles, to mile 62, all class II, lots of scraping down cobble bars

DAY 4: Layover day in the mountains

DAY 5: Well rested, paddle-float 30 miles to mile 92, class I current 3-4 mph

DAY 6: Paddle-drift 25 miles to river mile 117

DAY 7: Paddle-drift 20 miles to the confluence, river mile 137. PM get boat taxi to Bettles.  

This would mean averaging 22.5 miles per day, a casual pace of 4-5 hours on the river each day. Make sure to do layover day and any hiking before exiting the mountains at mile 72. If you encounter bad weather or any problems, skip the layover day to keep moving.