[3] 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.

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 entire trip is rated Class I (easy) on the International Scale of River Difficulty.

[5] 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 Moose Creek segment includes Class II (medium) rapids.