I just got a Yukon Yak w/ spray deck this summer and have been shooting the lower section of the Mendenhall with a rag-tag bunch of crafts ( open canoe, 10 foot kayak, and a 1 man fishing pontoon boat!) I Have yet to float the main section of rapids but I have played around in the last two sets of rapids just before the river mellows out, very fun, water is flowing very strong in these sections right now. Most of the time just floating the calm current and swells with obstacles to negotiate and fishing the mouth of Montana Creek. I’m not sure but I think I might have the only packraft in town? I have not often seen anyone recreationally paddling whitewater around Juneau, Only the tourist raft trips down the Mendenhall. I have heard of paddlers in upper lemon creek and parts of gold creek. Mendenhall is fun and I would like to shoot the whole river but I don’t have a dry-suit yet. I am also looking into floating from windfall lake back to the road system via Herbert river. Any input?
nope, i just did windfall lk back to the trailhead, it was very fun. i have run montana cr from backloop br to carrs but that was not as fun due to all of logs in the river. did the lower situk yesterday. now i would like to try the whole mendenhall r, lemon cr, salmon resivior to fish, cowee cr and maybe eagle or herbert rivers.
T
huh… Sounds cool, how long did it take to float windfall lake to the road? My raft is packed up for the rest of this year but we should get together on the mendenhall next summer… Tbag?
it took ~45min. there is still a month of floating left. i have a few trips left.
I’m heading back to town soon and hope to have a new dry-suit this year, The question goes out again… Who else is packrafing Juneau? I’m Interested in floating: Mendenhall, Herbert River (from windfall lake), Lemon Creek, Gold Creek, Eagle River(?), Cowee Creek (?), … I’ve only had my pack-raft for one season and I don’t have to much WhiteWater Experience but I want to get out there this summer! Most of my friends just want to go fishing when we hit the water. I need someone too paddle with so I can get to know some more of the local watershed…
You’re in good country for marine packrafting too…
It’d be worth contacting Joseph Reeves. He’s into sea kayaking, but he might know packrafters in Juneau. And maybe you can seduce him into getting a packraft…
I won’t post his contact info here, but if you need it drop me an email (find it here: http://www.groundtruthtrekking.org/Contact.php)