Denali National Park and Preserve in Denali Borough, Alaska — Northwest (North America)
Carried Away
These Swift Rivers Move Mountains, One Fine Grain at a Time
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 19, 2024
1. Carried Away Marker
The Nenana River, below you, joins up with the Tanana River 60 miles downstream. The waters of the Nenana and Tanana are part of the enormous Yukon River watershed, which ultimately empties into the Bering Sea. The Yukon River drainage encompasses an area larger than the state of Texas!
An interesting feature of many Alaskan rivers is the presence of glacial silt. Glacial silt is formed when massive glaciers move down mountainsides grinding rock and ice against bedrock. As glaciers melt, silt-laden water enters rivers and streams. This very fine sediment turns the water a cloudy gray, or milky white.
Nenana Ice Classic
In the nearby community of Nenana, locals celebrate the end of long, cold winters by placing a bet (or two) on the ice break-up on the Tanana River. The ice is typically over 30 inches thick during the winter. A large wooden "tripod" is placed on the ice with a 300-foot rope connected to a clock on shore. As the weather warms in the spring, the ice melts, the tripod tipples, and the clock stops. Since 1917, locals and visitors place a bet with a prediction of the date and time, down to the second.
[Photo captions, left to right, read]
The Nenana River freezes during the winter and retains chilly temperatures throughout the year. In summer, the waters of the river rarely exceed 38 degrees Fahrenheit (3.3 Celsius).
Despite the significant amount of glacial silt in the Nenana, the river and its tributaries still support populations of salmon, Arctic grayling (left), Dolly Varden trout (above), and other interior Alaska fish.
Large sediment loads in Interior Alaskan rivers create fanciful "braided" rivers, such as the Tanana River.
The jackpot for the 2015 Nenana Ice Classic was $330,330 and was split 28 ways! About 294,000 guesses were submitted. The record number of winners was 58 in 1973, each of whom walked away with a little over $2,000.
Erected by Holland
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Environment • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1917.
Location. 63° 45.016′ N, 148° 54.288′ W. Marker is in Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska, in Denali Borough. It can be reached from Raft Road. Marker is at the Tanana River overlook, on the Holland America McKinley Chalet Resort grounds. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 238.9 Parks Highway (Alaska Hwy 3), Denali National Park AK 99755, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Alaska Railroad Corridor, in the Athabascan Region, and in Interior Alaska. It is also on the American Pacific Coast. Globally, it is in North America, the Pacific Rim, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Russian Empire.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: The Road More Traveled (approx. 1.3 miles away); Park and Railroad: A Shared Story (approx.
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 19, 2024
2. Nenana River View from the Carried Away Marker
Also see . . . Nenana River Information. (Submitted on September 26, 2024, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
Credits. This page was last revised on February 16, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 26, 2024, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 187 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 26, 2024, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
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