Tsina River runs right along the Richardson Highway on the north side of Thompson Pass. Many places to pull over and access the river.
heads in glacier, flows E 24 mi. to Tiekel River, 0.7 mi. SE of mouth of Stuart Creek and 34 mi. NE of Valdez; Chugach Mts.
Tsina River located on the northern end of Thompson Pass flows from the Tsina Glacier and a few other unnamed glaciers 24 miles to join the Tiekel River, where shortly after Tiekel River flows down to the Copper River.
Rafting/Kayaking/Floating
Tsina River flows through two canyons that can be dangerous to attempt floating. The first one begins across the Richardson Highway from Tsaina Lodge. If you manage to float down into this as some intentionally do. There is a pullout before getting into the steep rock wall portion of the canyon.
The other canyon is right before it joins the Tiekel. Both canyons can be easily found from Richardson Highway if you drive along the river and look from the road.
Ahtena Indian name meaning "bent (crooked) river (tsa i-na)" spelled "Tsaina" by F. C. Schrader, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), 1898 and as "China" by Captain W. R. Abercrombie, USA, the same year.
Naming: Ahtena native name meaning bent or crooked river. [tsa'i-na] spelled "Tsaina" by F.C. Schrader, USGS, in 1898 and as "China" by Captain W.R. Abercrombie, USA, the same year.
On July 16, 2022, 1 person died while rafting. Read More
