Honolulu Creek

Mid August Brad Meiklejohn and I went to Honolulu Creek. The Honolulu is a clear stream in the Northern Talkeetna Mountains, and one of the most beautiful and challenging rivers to packraft in Southcentral Alaska. With Brad's local knowledge there was no bush whacking and little route finding despite the low cloud ceiling. The very scenic hike starts at an ATV trail north of the Hurricane Bridge and goes across tundra plateaus with views of the Alaska Range and granite walls of the Talkeetnas. Framed by rugged peaks, we camped at Goat Lake below Honolulu Pass and the next morning put in where a small creek draining Goat Lake joins the Honolulu. The 12 mile paddle feels like Canyon Creek on steroids with many drops and blind corners and small eddies. Especially the first 4 miles of the "upper" canyon, is a solid class IV paddle, followed by 4 miles of class III with the occasional class IV drop. After the put in we paddled for about 15 min then portaged a 9 footer with a narrow slot, probably a class V drop.
Not gauged it is difficult to check whether the 175 mile drive from Anchorage on the Parks Highway is worth it. Once on the bridge crossing the creek, visually check two large boulders on looker's right upriver. If the water touches the bottom of the boulders there is probably approximately 400 cfs of water to float on, enough for the canyon sections and a bit boney for the last 4 miles of rocky boulder gardens. Special Thanks to Brad for suggesting this awesome run. For additional info see Roman's blog.