Based in Haines, Alaska, Chilkat River Guides provides an easy raft float trip down the Chilkat River through the Bald Eagle Preserve. We signed up for one of the trips which costs $130/person for a 4 hour adventure.
Float rafting the Chilkat River
We were picked up from our Haines Hitch-up RV Park and transported to the raft launching area. They provide rubber boots to keep your feet dry and personal flotation devices. They store your shoes for you during the trip. Each raft held up to 8 guests and the tour guide/ helmsman. There were 21 guests among 3 rafts in our group. After the float, they provided a lunch (sandwich, chips, carrots, cookies, hot beverages & water) and transportation back to our RV Park.
Launching site
Bald Eagle
The float lasted about 1.5 hours. This trip is designed to provide eagle viewing opportunities and is not a white-water rafting trip. It would be difficult to fall out of the raft, other than not balancing well on the edge or not leaning in when warned we would be hitting something and to lean in. The float travels through the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. We saw numerous nests and about 10 bald eagles. We learned that the highest concentration of eagles occurs in October/November when large numbers migrate south for the winter. We had one stop on a sand bar where we were able to look at tracks from bears, moose, otters, and eagles.
Bald Eagle nest visible in the center tree
Bald Eagle
A grizzly bear track
Eagle tracks
Soaring eagle
Chilkat River view
While it was fun to float down the river, neither of us felt it was very exciting. For the price, we would not recommend this as a way to view the eagles. The eagles can be viewed from the Haines Highway or several other areas such as the Chilkoot River, the small boat harbor or hikes in Chilkat State Recreation Area. Our guides were good and provided information and made the trip as easy and enjoyable as it could be, but it did not compare to other activities such as the flight-seeing trip over Glacier Bay National Park. If you want a real rafting trip, you may want to look at some of Chilkat River Guides other multi-day rafting trips.
NOTE: We did not receive any compensation, services, or discounts for writing this review.
