Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve
The Chilkat’s unusual groundwater and channel system keeps feeding areas open late in the year, supporting a spectacular eagle gathering within Tlingit homeland.
Artwork inspired by Rie Muñoz
An unfrozen river reach concentrates salmon and thousands of wintering bald eagles. The Chilkat’s unusual groundwater and channel system keeps feeding areas open late in the year, supporting a spectacular eagle gathering within Tlingit homeland. Pullouts along the Haines Highway allow observation without entering the river flats.
Bring binoculars and move between legal pullouts, watching salmon channels and perches rather than clustering around one bird. Peak numbers are seasonal, roadside weather can be severe, and approaching eagles or trespassing on river flats undermines the preserve’s purpose. Rather than treating the stop as a backdrop, use open-water channels to understand why eagle gathering belongs here.
- Established
- 1982
- Area
- 48,000 acres
- Peak season
- Late fall
Quick guide
- Start with
- Bring binoculars and move between legal pullouts, watching salmon channels and perches rather than clustering around one bird.
- Look closely at
- Use open-water channels as evidence, then test what it reveals about eagle gathering.
Know before you go
- Start with
- Bring binoculars and move between legal pullouts, watching salmon channels and perches rather than clustering around one bird.
- Look closely at
- Use open-water channels as evidence, then test what it reveals about eagle gathering.
- Connect the story
- The Chilkat’s groundwater and channels keep feeding areas open late, supporting a spectacular eagle gathering within Tlingit homeland. Highway pullouts allow observation without entering the river flats.
- Plan around
- Allow 1½ hours–full day. Peak numbers are seasonal, roadside weather can be severe, and approaching eagles or trespassing on river flats undermines the preserve’s purpose.
Good to know
Peak numbers are seasonal, roadside weather can be severe, and approaching eagles or trespassing on river flats undermines the preserve’s purpose.
Notice these
- open-water channels
- eagle gathering
- Chilkat River