Chandalar River
| Chandalar River | |
|---|---|
East Fork of the Chandalar River, at Arctic Village | |
| Native name | T'eedrinjik (Gwichʼin) |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Alaska |
| Census Area | Yukon–Koyukuk |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | confluence of the river's north and middle forks |
| • location | southeastern Brooks Range, 23 miles (37 km) south-southeast of Chandalar |
| • coordinates | 67°10′13″N 148°17′50″W / 67.17028°N 148.29722°W |
| • elevation | 1,203 ft (367 m) |
| Mouth | Yukon River |
• location | 20 miles (32 km) northwest of Fort Yukon, Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge |
• coordinates | 66°36′33″N 146°00′09″W / 66.60917°N 146.00250°W |
• elevation | 387 ft (118 m) |
| Length | 100 mi (160 km) |
| Basin size | 9,330 sq mi (24,200 km2) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | near Venetie |
| • average | 5,007 cu ft/s (141.8 m3/s) |
| • maximum | 62,800 cu ft/s (1,780 m3/s) |
The Chandalar River (T'eedriinjik in Gwich'in) is a 100-mile (160 km) tributary of the Yukon River in the U.S. state of Alaska. Its French name was "Gens de Large" or "nomadic people" which when written in English from its local pronunciation evolved into "Chandalar." Its peak flow, recorded by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) between 1964 and 1974 at a stream gauge at Venetie, was 62,800 cubic feet per second (1,780 m3/s) on June 9, 1968.
The Chandalar River main stem begins at the confluence of the North Fork Chandalar River and the Middle Fork Chandalar River and flows generally southeast through the state's northern interior southeast of the Philip Smith Mountains of the Brooks Range. The Chandalar enters the Yukon River 20 miles (32 km) northwest of Fort Yukon.
In 2015 the Chandalar became federally recognized by the United States Board on Geographic Names as their indigenous Gwichʼin names Teedriinjik River meaning "shimmering river" and Ch'idriinjik River meaning "heart river". The names had been in use for over a thousand years by the Athabaskans.