On Tuesday, June 15 the National Park Service rescued a group of three boaters from Birch Creek, in the far western region of Denali National Park and Preserve, using the park’s A-Star B3 helicopter and GPS coordinates provided by the party. Pam Subjects were dumped in the water when their boat collided with a snag in the stream around 3:00 p.m. on Monday, June 14.

They got to the east shore but most of their belongings and all of the food floated away. There were no injuries. They used a satellite phone to contact a relative, who then called the Alaska State Troopers. The park was notified of the accident shortly after 7:00 a.m. on the 15th.

The three friends left Manley Hot Springs on Monday, June 7 in a 24-foot river skiff for a trip to Lake Minchumina, which is just outside the western boundary of Denali National Preserve. They planned to travel from the Tanana River to the Kantishna River, enter the preserve and travel the Muddy River to Lake Minchumina. The boat was equipped with an Evinrude 75 hp motor with an engine lift. None of the three had ever been on the route before.

The group traveled up the Kantishna River and then turned into Birch Creek, mistaking it for the Muddy River. Birch Creek is considered to be very difficult to navigate as it is relatively shallow much of the year. The boaters managed to travel approximately 40 miles south into the park before the engine failed. At that point they realized their mistake and began to float downstream, but had difficulty maneuvering  due to the swift current and tight turns.

The boat remains completely submerged in moving water at the accident scene pending a possible recovery later in the summer when water levels drop.
Manley Hot Springs            