Matanuska River

The Matanuska River near Palmer

The Matanuska at Palmer, shortly before it flows into Cook Inlet

The Matanuska River is a 120 km long river in southern Alaska, which flows in a southwesterly direction through the valley between the Talkeetna and Chugach Mountains.

It rises on the Matanuska Glacier, 160 km northeast of Anchorage, and empties into the Knik Arm of the Cook Inlets. The Glenn Highway runs parallel to the Matanuska.

The valley of the Matanuska is one of the most fertile regions of Alaska and one of the few areas where farming is done.

Together with the Susitna River is the Matanuska River eponymous for the Matanuska- Susitna Borough and the Matanuska- Susitna Valley ( Matanuska- Susitna Valley English, short Mat-Su ) north of Anchorage, one of the most densely populated regions of Alaska.