Eagle River (Cook Inlet)

Course

Beginning at Eagle Glacier in Chugach State Park, the river soon intersects the Iditarod National Historic Trail, which follows the Eagle River Valley from near Crow Pass in Chugach National Forest to the community of Eagle River. Downstream of the trail crossing, the river flows by, but at considerable distance from, the Eagle River Nature Center, the visitor center for the park. The nature center lies along the North Fork Eagle River, which runs roughly parallel to the main stem for several miles. Eagle River Road, like the North Fork, lies to the right of the main stem, facing downstream. Eagle River Road links the visitor center to the Eagle River community 12 miles (19 km) away.

After receiving the North Fork from the right, the Eagle River receives the South Fork Eagle River from the left before passing under Eagle River Loop Road. On its lower reaches, the river flows by the Eagle River community, which is on the right, and Eagle River Campground, on the left, before leaving the state park. It then passes under Glenn Highway and flows through Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, a military reservation, to Eagle Bay on Cook Inlet.