Float your worries away

By CASEY RESSLER

Mat-Su CVB

MAT-SU — Float trips provide a great way to get out and enjoy the backcountry of the Mat-Su Valley, without the hassle of filling the boat up with gas and checking the motor.

Parks Highway and Glenn Highway rivers and creeks offer recreational rafters the opportunity to get out on the water with easy accessibility. Several locations, including Willow Creek and Little Willow Creek, offer easy put-ins and take-outs for rafters.

With silver salmon entering these streams daily, now is the perfect time to take advantage of a float trip. If you don’t have a raft yourself, don’t worry — there are a number of fishing guides in the Mat-Su Valley who cater to anglers looking to float rather than use a jet boat. Visit alaskavisit.com for a complete list of fishing guides who specialize in this type of trip all the way into the fall, when trout fishing takes over.

During a recent weekend on Willow Creek, countless rafters floated by a campsite in all shapes and size. Catarafts and traditional “round” rafts are very popular, as are the single- and double-person pontoon boats sold at many sporting goods stores. Canoes and kayaks are also appropriate for float trips in the Valley.

Before heading out, make sure you have all personal safety equipment, including life vests. Also, plan your trip ahead of time to make sure your abilities match up with the water conditions you’ll encounter. If you have never piloted a raft before, you should probably not head down class IV rapids, for example.

Fishing doesn’t have to be the reason to hit the water, either. Companies such as Talkeetna River Guides and Denali Southside River Guides offer scenic float trips in the Talkeetna area, while NOVA River Runners does the same on the Matanuska River. For those who aren’t confident they can handle a raft themselves, hiring a professional guide — whether it be for a gentle scenic float or the whitewater thrill of a lifetime — is money well spent.

Casey Ressler (casey@alaskavisit.com) is the marketing and communications manager at the Mat-Su Convention & Visitors Bureau.