On July 5th, 2023, at 1:06 PM, Alaska State Troopers received a report of an emergency activation of a Garmin device. A party of 5 rafters, in two separate rafts, reported that one of the rafts had capsized in the Chulitna River and a 70 year old occupant was reported to be missing after falling into the water. Alaska State Troopers and Alaska Wildlife Troopers responded on foot from approximately mile 182 of the Parks Highway. Helo 2 responded from Fairbanks and was able to locate 4 of the rafters. The victim remains missing; search efforts are continuing. All persons on board were wearing PFDs.

Update: On July 16, 2023, at approximately 3:00 PM, a group of rafters on the Chulitna River discovered the body of the victim approximately 7.5 air miles down river from the original search location. A Fairbanks Alaska Wildlife Trooper and Helo-2 responded and recovered the remains, which were then transported back to Fairbanks and released to a funeral home.

(Description adapted from an AST dispatch report.)


Upon further investigation, a witness statement, made by an occupant of the second raft, was found on the American Whitewater accident database. The witness stated that a "huge log jam" was on a blind corner just below the confluence with Antimony Creek and about a 1/4 mile upstream of the railroad bridge that crosses above the Middle Fork confluence. The raft that the victim and their partner were in did not capsize, as was reported in the Trooper dispatch. 

According to the witness, the victim was knocked out of their raft by a sweeper while trying to avoid the log jam. The victim was seen to be attempting to re-board the raft before they were swept into the log jam and the raft became pinned. 

The witness's cata-raft stopped on the mid-stream gravel bar on which the log jam had formed. The witness and other occupant(s) then activated the emergency signal from their inReach device before attempting to free the pinned raft that was still being occupied by the victim's partner. Their efforts were unsuccessful, prior to the arrival of Alaska State Troopers. The witness also stated that the group was experienced on that river; most of them having run the same section about a month prior to the incident.

Chulitna River
Cantwell                      