Kantishna is an unincorporated community within the Denali Borough, Alaska, and Denali National Park and Preserve. Founded as a gold mining camp in 1905, it endured longer than similar communities in the area, constructed nearest to the source of the gold. It lies in the Kantishna Hills at the junction of Eureka Creek and Moose Creek, 3 mi (5 km) northwest of Wonder Lake and near the mouth of the Kantishna River. Although the community was once also called "Eureka," the Board on Geographic Names officially ruled in favor of "Kantishna" in 1944, the name given to the post office building at the site in 1905. Its elevation is 1,696 feet (517 m).

The Kantishna River 

The Kantishna River (Lower Tanana: Khenteethno) is a 108-mile (174 km) tributary of the Tanana River in Alaska. Formed by the confluence of the McKinley River with Birch Creek in Denali National Park and Preserve, it drains part of the north slope of the Alaska Range, including the Denali massif. The direction of flow is generally north-northeast. The Toklat River is a major tributary.

Recreation

Boaters can float the Kantishna River and some tributaries in canoes, folding canoes and kayaks, or inflatable canoes and kayaks. Some trips begin at Lake Minchumina, run about 50 miles (80 km) down the Muddy River to Birch Creek, then downstream to the Birch–McKinley confluence (the source of the Kantishna) and then down the Kantishna to the Tanana. The trip is rated Class I (easy) on the International Scale of River Difficulty. Dangers include the possibility of dangerous winds on Minchumina Lake, as well as overhanging trees, stumps, and logs along the streams.

Another tributary, Moose Creek, can be floated for about 50 miles (80 km), beginning at Wonder Lake or Kantishna and entering the Kantishna River along its middle reaches near Bearpaw. The run from there to the Tanana is the same as the Lake Minchumina float. The Moose Creek segment includes Class II (medium) rapids.