Aniakchak National Monument (Packraft)

The Monument:

 

River descents force travellers to think about the incredible arc of terrestrial history, and to reorient our consciousness from human to geologic time. Rivers may cut deep into the ground, or flows through a broad, U-shaped glacial valley. Either way, earth’s recent history--thousands if not millions of years--unfurls itself as boldly as blooms of wildflowers along the riverbank. Yet living as we are in Anchorage, amidst countless and picturesque glacial valleys, our landscape can be so overwhelmingly scenic that its magnificence becomes mundane.

Shaina and Ryan on the rim of Aniakchak's caldera, looking down at Surprise Lake

Aniakchak Crater’s rawness, violence, and power are shocking even if you’ve seen some of the world’s iconic landscapes or become inured to the majesty in our backyard.

Recent volcanoes have stripped away or buried miles of sod, tundra, and forest. In tearing off that floral veneer, the many volcanoes of Aniakchak open a window into the awesome forces that shaped much of Alaska’s Pacific Rim mountain ranges. Aniakchak Crater--six miles across, more than a thousand feet deep--is a remarkable formation in itself, but it is more incredible for the numerous craters and domes inside of it.

In the center of Aniakchak Crater, a whole separate massif rises from the valley floor. Vent Mountain, the tallest crater within Aniakchak Crater, rises approximately 1,500 feet above an ashen plain. It is similar in height to much of the larger crater’s rim, which is more than twenty miles in circumference.

Within that 20 plus mile circle, numerous other craters crowd Vent Mountain. A large, shallow bowl contains chocolate brown water from nearby glacial remnants that apparently survived recent volcanic cataclysms. Next to the large brown lake, a smaller crater contains shimmering azure water. Several miles away, another crater shares one high cliff wall with Aniakchak crater, while a great plume of lava emerges from what had been solid rock. That lava cooled thousands of years ago, but looks as if it still is flowing from the crater in a great molten tide.

Amidst all these craters, Surprise Lake offers a respite from the dry ash that dominates Aniakchak. At the head of the lake, lukewarm springs release ferrous orange waters. When the wind blows downstream, these orange waters trail across the teal waters of Surprise lake in translucent ribbons. Long after paddling the rapids out of the crater, the mineral waters are visible as Aniakchak River flows to the ocean.

Not so long ago, Aniakchak Crater was like a more verdant version of Eden. Bernard Hubbard, a scientist and missionary known as the “Glacier Priest” for his popular writings about Alaska, visited the crater in 1930, just before a massive eruption. He described it as a lush “world within a world,” and as “Paradise Found.” A year later, in 1931, he returned to find that the volcanic explosion had wiped out vegetation in the crater. The formerly clear waters of Aniakchak River ran dark with volcanic ash. Hubbard said “we stood awestricken on the edge [of the crater,] looking, like Dante, into a real inferno.”

1931 was just the most recent of many large volcanic eruptions from Aniakchak. Some 3,500 years ago, a cataclysmic eruption blew nearly a vertical mile of rock into the air, liquidating a huge volcanic dome and sending great lava flows and lahars as far as the ocean and Bristol Bay. Over the subsequent millennia, Aniakchak has remained one of the most seismically active sites along Alaska’s portion of the Pacific Rim.

Aniakchak Crater is a unique hiking and packrafting destination, and a subsequent article will discuss how to hike in and paddle out. The craters within craters, lava flows, and array of volcanic lakes provide a window into the earth’s geologic history, revealing a timescale that might reshape how you see the world around you.

The Packraft Trip: 

Mineral springs within a sprawling caldera. Miles of snowfields blanketing the caldera’s rim. Glacial effusions from beneath meters of volcanic ash. Crystalline springs in the depths of craters within craters.

These are the sources of the Aniakchak River, which cascades through a breach in the caldera’s wall before rushing to the Pacific Ocean. As seen from the caldera’s rim, the river’s sources appear kaleidoscopic: Orange mineral waters from iron springs, light teal waters of Surprise Lake, espresso brown currents from a glacial creek that pours out of a sub-crater within Aniakchak’s greater caldera. Some water flows underground, deep in the porous volcanic ash that fills the crater and gives much of its surface a hostile countenance.

These waters converge near the crater wall, beneath a towering promontory known as the Black Nose. Then the Aniakchak River dashes through boulder-strewn rapids known as The Gates. Tallus and cliffs rise above the rapids and frequent rockfall comes crashing into the river. Good luck finding a more dramatic place to start a paddle trip.

The crossing from Bristol Bay to the crater, and from the crater to the Pacific Ocean, was little known until recently. A few rafters would fly into Surpise Lake and float out. A few scientists would visit the crater to study its remarkable geology. Yet few Alaskans would attempt what has to be one of the most logical and spectacular sea-to-source-to-sea trips in the state. After local outdoors people popularized the route a few years ago, it has become a relatively common backcountry destination, and should be on the list for everyone who loves packrafting.

It is not difficult to get to the start of the trip: Fy to King Salmon using airline miles on Pen Air, and then take Grant Air to Port Heiden ($250). Alternatively, fly directly from Merrill Field to Port Heiden on Lake Clark Air ($575). Port Heiden is a widely dispersed community, and it is a five mile walk out of town on dirt roads, unless a local gives you a ride (which is very common). The easiest place to start walking is an obvious ATV trail that originates near “The Natural,” which is what Port Heiden residents call a large, relatively flat gravel area that can be used as a natural landing strip. The road ends and the ATV trail begins at a creek crossing, after which the ATV trail winds around through head-high brush, passing by a cabin on a small knoll after a couple miles. Eventually, the ATV trail begins to parallel Barabara Creek (that’s how it’s labeled on the map, but is not known that way locally). A couple more miles of climbing leads to tundra, so it isn’t a problem when the trail disappears thereafter.

From brushline, it is an easy walk of ten miles or so up to the caldera’s rim, past or along a couple streams that have comfortable campsites. The tundra and volcanic ash bench has so little slope that navigating in fog could be disorienting, so don’t forget a compass and GPS. On the rare clear day, volcanoes and snowcapped peaks are visible in the distance.

Even if the weather is clear, it can be hard to pinpoint the best spot to enter the caldera. From Port Heiden and the tundra plateau, a low pass to the left seems to be the most direct route, but in fact does not lead to the crater at all. Just keep checking the map and GPS, aiming to cross the crater river to looker’s left of the Barabara Creek headwaters. From the rim, there are several routes down, but the easiest is to trace the shoulder of a sub-crater that was formed by the 1931 eruption. In descending, look before leaping, as there are cliff bands at numerous points along the caldera walls.

Collect water, perhaps by melting snow from near the rim, before descending. It is a dry five to six mile walk across the caldera floor to Surprise Lake. There are numerous camping options around Surprise Lake, including sheltered coves or the broad, grassy plain toward the lake’s outlet. Be aware that incredibly powerful winds often sweep through The Gates, so shelter is preferable. Within the caldera, there are numerous hiking options. An obvious destination is Vent Mountain, the prominent crater that rises some 1,500 feet from within Aniakchak’s caldera. Vent Mountain’s north and south ridgelines are fairly easy scrambles, and the rim is traversable. Other caldera destinations could include multiple other craters, old lava flows, and the two lakes within calderas.

The Gates rapids are another good destination. The rapids begin where the river flows through crater walls. Pull out on river right at a gravel bar, and walk packs about a mile downstream on river right along a rough trail. Along the way, you can scout the rapids and decide either to paddle them or to carry around them. At decent water levels and with proficient paddlers, it is fun to lap the rapids, which are fairly tight Class III for solo boats. They would be much more challenging even for small rafts. Bring a patch kit either way, since the young rock is extremely sharp.

Below the Gates, several miles of good camping provides another good basecamp location to hike up Aniakchak Peak or Black Nose. Both peaks, which share much of an ascent route and can be climbed in the same day, are most accessible by climbing the outside of the caldera’s rim rather than scaling the steep interior walls. The ascent route follows a small ridge that begins just to the south of Hidden Creek’s headwaters. Ascend this ridge to the rim, then hike to Black Nose to the right and/or Aniakchak Peak to the left. Hiking both peaks in a day from shortly downstream of The Gates rapids is a roughly 14 mile walk.

A full week is a good trip length to cross the peninsula and explore Aniakchak crater. Most groups will take one (long) to two days to walk from Port Heiden to the crater, and it is worth spending at least three days hiking in the crater, paddling The Gates, and hiking to Black Nose and Aniakchak Peak. From below The Gates, it is roughly 30 miles of paddling to the ocean, which works out well as a two day paddle. There are many campsites along the way.

The rapids don’t end below The Gates, though they do moderate for a few miles. As the river approaches its confluence with Hidden Creek, it drops through a couple steeper, more technical ledgy rapids that are great fun (Class III). Hidden Creek enters as at least three subchannels and, apparently, much subsurface flow. After the river nearly doubles in volume, it continues to rush downstream through Class II and perhaps Class III rapids for several miles before flattening out. All these rapids and the shallow river mean it’s a very good idea to bring a helmet for the trip. Since the rapids can be fairly long in places, it is a good idea to be comfortable paddling Class III, or be really good at self-rescue.

Aniakchak River loses steam in the broad valley below a prominent mountain called The Pinnacle, which also looks like a worthy hiking destination. The water braids out for a few miles through willows, then channelizes before continuing at a moderate pace toward the ocean. If the tide is coming in, the last couple miles of the trip could be a lot of work. Fortunately, the coast is as magical as the crater, with seals and sea otters greeting you as you paddle out through rock gates into the ocean. There is good walking around Aniakchak Bay and fishing potential at the river’s mouth if you have an extra day at the coast.

Some people walk the coast to Port Heiden, and others charter a float plane back to King Salmon. Float plane costs range from $350 to much higher per person, depending on how efficiently you can pack the plane. It is essential to bring a satellite phone to report weather to the pilot if you are getting picked up by a float plane.

Paddling from a river’s source to to the ocean is a transcendent experience that allows the paddler to trace the veins of whole watersheds. Aniakchak crater and the river born within it should be on every paddler’s itinerary. This traverse of the Alaska peninsula offers incredible geology, scenery, wildlife, whitewater, and the least brush you’ll find hiking anywhere.