The river fluctuates with upstream rains. Rising water can swamp camps and falling levels can leave your boat stranded. The main water trail is periodically cleared of debris, but a wrong turn can force you to drag your canoe through a field of downed logs. Also, beware of copperheads, cottonmouth, and other venomous snakes, mosquitoes and deer flies, and poison ivy. Visiting the monument is free, although donations are accepted.
Primitive camping is also free, although a permit is required.
It can be enjoyed every month of the year. Joining hands with your paddling friends, trying to measure the girth of a giant cherrybark oak tree that somehow survived decades of logging and 1989's Hurricane Hugo. If you're the kind of paddler who has longed all your life for a true wilderness paddling experience, Yukon-Charley in interior Alaska may be your destination. It's the kind of place that requires long planning and plenty of experience, but it offers rewards that only comes from wilderness adventure. The 1,800-mile long Yukon is one of our nation's mightiest and most legendary rivers.