Little Su: Prime whitewater in Hatcher Pass

Most of us who have driven up to Hatcher Pass have almost gone off the road while gazing at the alluring rapids in the Little Susitna River. The “Little Su” starts at the Mint Glacier, and cascades out of the alpine into verdant forests near Fish Hook. Along the way, it parallels Hatcher Pass Road for about 6.5 miles, providing a premier roadside whitewater run for local paddlers.

Unlike Willow Creek and Six Mile, however, most of the time the Little Su is not at good runnable levels. During late spring, it frequently runs high enough for expert kayakers, but is too pushy and continuous for packrafts or intermediate boaters. Later in the summer, it frequently lacks enough water for anyone to paddle it. The sweet spot is around 500-600 cfs on the U.S. Geological Survey gauge. At these levels, the Little Su has defined pools and drops with with enough recovery time in the event of a swim. Hard shell kayakers will prefer higher water levels of 800-900 cfs or so. Fortunately, the USGS fixed the gauge last year, and now it is reading accurately after several years of unreliable data.

Since the Little Su is roadside, paddlers can partake of as much or as little of the river as they like. Fortunately, the Little Su builds in intensity, so first time paddlers can start at or near the Gold Mint trailhead. For a couple miles, the whitewater is mostly Class III- boulder gardens (in this article, descriptions of rapid difficulty assume levels of 500-600 cfs). The whitewater picks up significantly, and when you go through a steeper slot/pourover you’ll know you’re entering Class III-IV water. Paddlers have to be on their game constantly to dodge countless holes from the bouldery creek. Pinning or foot entrapment (in the event of a swim) are the primary hazards. Despite the chaotic nature of many rapids, take time to look further downstream and make sure you have a clear path, particularly at the couple areas where the river braids around small islands and the risk of strainers increases.

Fortunately, at moderate levels conducive to packrafting, you may flip over but there are enough pools and slower sections to get back in your boat, particularly if you’re proficient at self rescue. The Little Su is not a great place for beginners or weak intermediates--Willow’s Guardrail section or the first canyon of Six Mile are better training grounds.

When the water level is right during early summer snowmelt or midsummer rain events, head out to the Little Su. It’s a delightful, frothy paddle from a mostly alpine landscape into the Mat Valley’s verdant forests, but the whitewater won’t give you much time to look at scenery.