The Copper River Watershed Project

THE COPPER RIVER WATERSHED

History

Watershed Communities

Map

Contact Us

The Copper River watershed encompases 26,500 square miles of mountains, river deltas, glaciers and wetlands, and is the third largest drainage in Alaska. Bounded in the north and west by the Alaska Range and Wrangell-St. Elias Mountains, the Copper River carves a deep path through the Chugach Mountains. The river deposits its silt load that creates the braided channels of the sprawling delta, as it enters the Gulf of Alaska.

Want to learn more about the Copper River? Check out "Alaska's Copper River Delta", by Riki Ott.

Above: The Copper River watershed, (yellow outline) is located in south central Alaska.
Below: A detailed map shows the watershed communities, and uses colors to indicate bodies of water and elevation.

The Copper River Watershed

About the Watershed

This map shows the Copper River watershed region, including the basin and the delta.

***Special thanks to the Conservation GIS Support Center and the Eyak Preservation Council for the use of the map.

26,500 square miles, with headwaters draining from Copper Glacier in the Wrangell Mountains
Encompases Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, the largest National Park and Preserve in the U.S.
Includes the Copper, Gulkana, Klutina, Chitina, Tazlina, Gakona and Tonsina Rivers along with hundreds of tributaries, lakes and smaller rivers
Diverse wildlife habitat for bears, caribou, moose, mountain goats, sheep, wolves, waterfowl and many other species
One of the last intact watersheds in North America
Critical spawning habitat for three species of wild salmon that are the foundation of our ecosystem, culture and economy

The map below is an artistic rendering of the Copper River delta with its glaciers, mountains and waterways. You can see how the delta is made up of braided rivers and channels. The delta's braided rivers and channels shift constantly as the Copper River deposits its silt load. The thin black line indicates the Copper River Highway, tracing part of the former railroad route.