Werner J . Becker | Article and Photos

River rafting is a great way to experience our northern rivers . It is hard to surpass the majesty of Canada ’ s northern wilderness . Combine this with a river trip , and you have the makings of an unforgettable adventure . Our three trips were all very different , but each one was spectacular .

The Firth

The Nahanni

The float plane from Fort Simpson dropped our small group off on a placid stretch of river just above thundering Virginia Falls . Over the next twelve days we drifted through the four legendary canyons of the Nahanni , starting with Fourth Canyon just below Virginia Falls , and ending with the spectacular cliffs of First Canyon far down the river . Along the way we passed through the “ Gate ” with its sheer cliffs , swam in pristine pools after a long hike up Lafferty Creek , walked up Sunblood Mountain , and relaxed in the Kraus Hot Springs . We were frequently reminded of the many myths and legends of the Nahanni by place names like the Funeral Range , the Headless Range , and Deadmen Valley . And always there was the river , sometimes with rapids , but mostly smooth and swift .

The Firth River , high in the northern Yukon , took us through the British Mountains and the tundra before reaching the Arctic Ocean . It was a fast river , with too many rapids to count , but in large river rafts manned by expert guides , we went through most of them quite comfortably . Only once were the guests asked to walk around a particularly difficult rapid while the guides took the rafts through .

After impressive canyons , we reached the flatter tundra , where we hiked to the top of enigmatic Engigstciak . This isolated low rocky peak on the flat Arctic coastal plain has been used by Indigenous hunters for millenniums as a place from which to spot game . Ancient campsites at its base have revealed the bones of now extinct mammals and stone tools , some dated to over 10,000 years ago . Our trip ended on driftwood-covered Nunaluk Spit , which juts twelve kilometres into the Arctic Ocean . Here we explored the ruins of a solitary cabin built many years ago by explorer Vilhjalmur Stefansson . It was teetering on the edge of the Beaufort Sea , and a few years later was taken by Arctic storms . On the flight back to Inuvik , we flew over the spectacular watery world that is the Mackenzie Delta .

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