Chickamin River Route

Route Notes:

• Initial minimum altitude: 1000 feet
• Maximum altitude necessary: 6000 feet

As you follow the Chickamin River basin, you will need to make a heading correction to port coming to a heading of 360, a slight turn to the left. Below, you are looking at the combined melt waters from the the Leduc and Chickamin glaciers. This leg is 3.9 miles long.

• You can maintain an altitude as low as 1500 feet until you reach Fix 11 where you must begin your climb to 6000 feet.

Fix 8 - The Rivers Split

Continuing to follow the basin, make a slight heading to starboard correcting heading to 010. Ahead, you will see the rivers diverging. The Leduc river is coming in from the left and the Chickamin river is coming in from the right. At our next fix, we will be taking a turn to the right to follow the Chickamin River to the Chickamin Glacier, still about 20 miles distant.

Fix 9 - Turning up the Chickamin

You will make a sharp turn to starboard to a heading of 113 for 4.4 miles. After you have made the turn, you are looking ahead at Barrier Creek, another glacier melt tributary to the Chickamin. Start looking for a break in the mountains to port, notice the river turns back into this narrow divide (a sharp turn to the left). That will be your next turn as we continue to follow the Chickamin to its source.

Fix 10 - Further up the Basin

After you have made the sharp left turn, set your heading on 348. You will be following this basin valley for about 7 miles before you need to again correct your course.

Fix 11 - Sharp turn to Starboard - Starting the Climb!

At the end of this 7 mile straight run, be ready to make a rather sharp turn to starboard coming to a of 054, continuing to follow the basin. Note the basin begins a turn to the left shortly, continue to follow the basin.

• SET YOUR ALTITUDE FOR 6000 ascending at 600 FPM.

Fix 12 - Zigzag to Follow the River

Follow the river by turning to 009 at Fix 12,

Fix 13 - Turning again to Follow the River

At Fix 13, turn to Turn to 058. You will follow this valley for 5.9 miles. The foot of the glacier is just around the next bend to the left, watch for it as you come up to the fix.

Fix 14 - Turning toward the Glacier

Fix 14, turn to 026 toward the foot of the Chickamin Glacier that you see ahead. This is the source of the Chickamin River, the melt waters of the glacier. Fly about 2.2 miles to the foot of the glacier.

Fix 15 - Up the Glacier

Turn to starboard to a heading of 83. The route will become straight for 5 miles. You should be near your designated altitude of 6000 feet. (Recheck your barometer setting) Toward the end of this leg, you will begin to see the Chickamin Glacier curve around to the left and gain altitude.

Fix 16 - Heading Toward the Glacier's Foot

Turn to port to a heading of 349 following the flow of the glacier. The summit of the Chickamin Glacier is now ahead of you. This is the "snow source" for the glacier that we have been flying over for the past 15 minutes. You will see twin peaks called "nunataks" (see below) coming up the left of our course. Across the glacier from them, you will notice a gap in the terrain that will allow you to take a sharp right turn. It looks like a downward shoot. Be ready to turn into this gap, that will be Fix 17. This is about 5.5 miles ahead. As you fly to Fix 17, you will be crossing into Canada.

• Examples of "nunataks" can be seen north of the Chickamin Glacier. Mount John Jay, Mount Upshur, and other prominent peaks over 6,500 feet high line the International Border, appearing as bare rock islands extending above the surface of the surrounding glacier.
• (So the next time someone tells you to turn right at the next nunatak, you'll know exactly what they mean!)

We now turn off this part of the glacier setting at heading of 047 to traverse the glacier. This leg is 6.6 miles long and has many places where you could land safely if you want to experience walking around on the glacier here at the top of Misty Fjords. Don't forget to put the skis "down."

At fix 18, you alter your heading to 143 turning to starboard and coming over the small Salmon Glacier. Once you make the turn, you'll see the glacier, and its foot ahead of you. The glacier melt waters flow down into the valley beyond becoming the famous Salmon River ... one of the best Salmon fishing rivers in the world. Fly this leg for 3.3 miles.

• Begin REDUCING ALTITUDE, set the altimeter for 1200 feet and descend at a rate of 800 fpm.

Fix 19 - The Headwaters of the Salmon River

Make a small heading correction to 164, you will fly this for 4.7 miles. We will be following the Salmon River Basin to its outfall into the Portland Canal, about 12 miles ahead. Continue descending at about 800 feet per minute, gliding down the Salmon River Basin. This is the source water for the beautiful Salmon River.

Fix 20 - Heading toward the Portland Canal

Adjust your heading to 154, fly this for 3.8 miles. Ahead you will see the beautiful Portland Canal. As you continue to reduce altitude, you will be flying to the outflow of the Salmon River. On your left will be the little settlement of Hyder. We will fly out over the canal and turn to port making an approach to Stewart's airport. This would be a good time to contact Stewart ATC and make sure they know you are coming to them.

Fix 21 - Flying by Hyder, AK

Adjust your heading to about 129. Fly to the right side of the basin, toward the point of land where the mountain touches the Portland Canal. Once you are at that point, near the mountain, you will swing out into the center of the Portland Canal turning to the left lining up for your approach to Stewart, BC.

At fix 22. swing to the left out over the Portland Canal and line up on the runway for Stewart, BC.

Fix 23 - Approach and Landing at Stewart

You should be lined up and on approach for Stewart airport at this fix.

Welcome to Stewart, BC and Hyder, AK

We hope you enjoyed the flight. If you have not done so yet, you can reset your FSNavigator and load the "Leduc.fsn" plan. If you do not want to fly the approach, set yourself up at Fix #6. You will again enter the Chickamin River basis at its outfall to the Behm Canal. As you fly up the basin, instead of going to the right up the Chickamin, you will go to the left for an entirely different glacier flight ... just as beautiful, but vastly different.