Birch Creek is a 150 mi tributary of the Yukon River in the U.S. state of Alaska. Beginning at the confluence of Ptarmigan and Eagle creeks near Porcupine Dome, it flows southwest, then south under the Steese Highway and into the Steese National Conservation Area. It then turns east, then north, again passing under the Steese Highway and entering the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge. Turning northwest, it ends where it splits into two distributaries, Lower Mouth Birch Creek and Upper Mouth Birch Creek, near Birch Creek, Alaska. The distributaries flow into the Yukon River at separate locations downstream of Fort Yukon.

History

The first human inhabitants of the region were probably Gwich'in people who hunted and fished along the creek. Gold was found along the creek in 1893. Circle City sprang up as the Alaska Interior's first gold town, governed democratically by traditional miners' meetings. Old mining and trapping cabins are part of the Birch Creek landscape, and mining continues in the 21st century.

Distributaries

Upper Mouth Birch Creek flows 35 mi northwest from Birch Creek to enter the Yukon River 25 mi southwest (downstream) of Fort Yukon. The coordinates of the mouth of the Upper Mouth are 66.52083°N, -146.1525°W. Lower Mouth Birch Creek flows 50 mi southwest from Birch Creek to enter Lower Birch Creek Slough 39 mi southwest of Fort Yukon. An anabranch of the Yukon River, the slough flows southwest roughly parallel to the main stem for 15 mi. The coordinates for the mouth of Lower Mouth Birch Creek are 66.44611°N, -146.63833°W.

Recreation

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) oversees 126 mi of Birch Creek declared "wild" in 1980 as part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. People floating the stream in canoes, kayaks, or rafts can put in at a BLM wayside and take out at another BLM wayside 110 mi further downstream. Both are along the Steese Highway. Between these two points, the creek is rated mostly Class I on the International Scale of River Difficulty, but some segments are rated Class II (medium) or III (difficult). Sports fishing for northern pike and Arctic grayling along Birch Creek can be "outstanding", according to Alaska Fishing. The larger pike frequent the lower reaches of the creek as well as sloughs, ponds, and oxbow lakes in the Yukon Flats. Grayling prefer the headwaters. The stream corridor has no developed camping sites. Gravel bars in the creek are sometimes used for camping. In February, the creek serves as a part of the trail for the Yukon Quest 1000 mi sled dog race. Other winter activities along the stream include dog mushing, trapping, and cross-country skiing.