Nahanni National Park Reserve is one of the most beautiful and wild places left on earth. Like many Yellowknifers, you may have the dream of exploring this spectacular place. If that is true, here is some advice to help your Nahanni dreams come true.
First, quit postponing it to SA国际影视传媒渘ext summerSA国际影视传媒� or itSA国际影视传媒檒l probably never happen.
Next, consider that the canoe is the best way to explore the Nahanni River. For those whom this is an impossibility, you can float plane charter directly into Virginia Falls from Fort Simpson, or buy a seat on a day-tour from Simpson Air.
The falls are breathtaking, but a canoe allows you to travel the river back towards Fort Simpson and also experience everything else, such as the spectacular limestone canyons and world-class hikes en route.
The thing about canoeing the Nahanni is that itSA国际影视传媒檚 a highly regulated environment for canoe tour operators, by Parks Canada. The park actually hasnSA国际影视传媒檛 issued new canoe tour operator permits for three decades, offering the exclusive right to operate canoe tours to an association of three southern companies. The freeze on new competition, plus the high expensive of operating tours, results in a cost of about $7,000 (per person) for a 12-day canoe tour, excluding transportation to Fort Simpson.
You can cut that cost in half by organizing your own self-guided canoe trip, if you donSA国际影视传媒檛 mind cooking for yourself and have your own equipment. In order to do this safely, you should have proficient canoe skills, as well as backcountry camping experience and training in wilderness first aid. Once you get on the river, you are alone in the bush with few amenities and no road access.
From the falls down, the Nahanni River is a perfect whitewater trip to solidify your skills as an intermediate canoeist. Overall, itSA国际影视传媒檚 not as challenging as most make it out to be. The sandy river bottom makes for smooth paddling through most of the canyons and a flood in 2012 shifted boulders and washed out the technical features of the SA国际影视传媒淔igure 8SA国际影视传媒� rapids.
How good is an SA国际影视传媒渋ntermediate canoeistSA国际影视传媒�? At a minimum you should be able to control your canoe on a lake, even in occasional, strong gusty winds. It also shouldnSA国际影视传媒檛 be your first time paddling on a river. You should have some experience paddling in current and be able to hop between eddies, use an upstream ferry, and avoid ledges, holes and boils. You should be able to put your canoe SA国际影视传媒渙n edgeSA国际影视传媒� and use river features to your advantage, instead of working against them. In case of a capsize, you should have a practiced plan to rescue yourself, or another canoe. If youSA国际影视传媒檇 like to learn these skills, or fine-tune ones you have already, there is no quicker way to train yourself to be your own guide than enrolling in a local paddling course this spring.
