other points along the Glenn Highway, the Matanuska varies from Class II (medium) to III (difficult) on the International Scale of River Difficulty. Expert paddlers sometimes run a tributary, Caribou Creek, that flows past Matanuska Glacier and is rated Class II to IV (very difficult). Hazards along the main stem include swift, cold water; big standing waves and holes along some sections; overhanging or submerged vegetation on the lower reaches, and upriver winds. Etymology The indigenous Dena'ina Athabascan name for the river is Ch'atanhtnu, based on the root -tanh "trail extends out", meaning literally "trail comes out river". The English place name Matanuska derives from a Russian term spelled in various ways, including "Matanooski" and "Mednoviska", and meaning "copper river people", perhaps referring to an implied route from Cook Inlet to the Copper River. See also List of rivers of Alaska Matanuska Formation References Further reading Kari, James M., et al. (2003) [1987]. Shem Pete's Alaska: The Territory of the Upper Cook Inlet Dena'ina, 2nd ed. Fairbanks, Alaska: University of Alaska Press. External links Rivers of Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska Rivers of Alaska