Posts Near Bethel Map Timeline

Bethel, Alaska, experienced historically low July temperatures with highs in the 40s, a rare event not seen since 1971, due to an unusual cold air outbreak from the Arctic.

Bethel Search and Rescue advises against travel on the Kuskokwim River due to dangerous conditions of open water and thin ice identified in their annual aerial survey.

Poor trail conditions have pushed the Kuskokwim 300 Season Opener race back another week.

Travelers need to stay off Straight Slough, which flows into the main Kuskokwim River near Bethel.

As record high temperatures swept Alaska, many people said that the heat was killing them. For Kuskokwim salmon, it was actually true.

The tragedy came after several days of dire warnings about the dangers of river travel due to an unusually early warm-up. Search and rescuers crawled onto weak ice, open water all around, to help retrieve the survivors.

The warm winter has made traveling on the river ice more hazardous than Bethel Search and Rescue ever remembers.

A father’s body has been recovered from the Kuskokwim River after he and his family fell through a marked, open hole the night of New Year’s Eve. Bethel