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The Chilkat River flats at the Council Grounds eagle viewing area

Viewpoint

Council Grounds Eagle Viewing Area (Haines Highway miles 18 to 21)

Chilkat River flats where more than 3,000 bald eagles gather from mid-October to January; pullouts at miles 19.5 and 20.9.

Reference 87

Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve · Alaska State Parks

View of
Chilkat River · Bald eagles · Chilkat Range
Access modes
Road
Road accessible
Yes
Parking
Yes
Best time
Mid-October to January for the eagle gathering.
Interpretive signs
Yes
Road

The Council Grounds, along the Chilkat River between miles 18 and 21 of the Haines Highway, are the main viewing area of the 48,000-acre Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. Water stored in a huge alluvial fan stays above freezing and seeps into the river all winter, keeping parts of it ice-free; late salmon runs there attract more than 3,000 eagles between mid-October and January. Pullouts at miles 19.5 and 20.9 have restrooms, a viewing platform, interpretive signs and spotting scopes, and a 2-mile riverside trail starts nearby. Stay in the designated areas. Mountain goats, moose, swans and sometimes bears are also seen.

  1. [1]Eagle count: more than 3,000 eagles (ADF&G Bald Eagle Preserve viewing page); also reported as over 3,500 (Visit Haines, Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve). All footnotes
  2. [2]Preserve area: 48,000 acres (Alaska State Parks, Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve); also reported as 49,320 acres (Wikipedia, Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve), 49,000 acres (Visit Haines). All footnotes
  3. [3]Viewing miles: Haines Highway miles 18 to 21 (Alaska State Parks, Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve); also reported as miles 18 to 24 (ADF&G Bald Eagle Preserve viewing page), miles 12 to 18 (Wikipedia, Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve). All footnotes

In pictures

The Chilkat River flats at the Council Grounds eagle viewing area
Reference 87

Wildlife viewing · Birding · Photography

Sources

Last updated 2026-11-12