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CANOE AND HIKE NAHANNI RIVER FROM ISLAND LAKE |
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Trip Itinerary |
| Day 1: Our Island Lakes canoe/hiking trip participants are required to arive in Fort Nelson or Blackstone Territorial Park on Day 1 to ensure readiness for an early morning charter flight. This will enable the guides to hold a pre-trip meeting. |
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| Day 2: Charter flight to Island Lakes. (weather
permitting) This breathtaking flight takes us west over the Nahanni Range to the First Canyon and on up over the rest of the canyons, Virginia Falls and Backbones Ranges. Turning at the
Vampire Peaks, we will follow the Nahanni Valley and
land at picturesque Island Lakes. The beautiful scenery
and inviting waters of Island Lake provide a delightful
venue for our first camp on the Nahanni River. The
lake's quiet waters provide a good location for hiking,
fishing and practicing canoeing before setting out the
next morning. |
| Day 3-4: Our
first river day will provide a visit to the Moore's
Cabin and Hot Spring. Our paddle through "The Gap" will
have everyone looking skyward to the soaring peaks of
the Sapper and Ragged Ranges towering overhead. From
here the Nahanni turns south and flows through a glacial
valley, passing Broken Skull River, the lofty Vampire
Peaks, with eerie red iron oxide stains, and on towards
Nahanni National Park. Camp will be made at Britnell
Creek - gateway to Glacier Lake. |
| Day 5-6:Today we begin an off river sojourn into Glacier Lake to begin exploring the Ragged Range and its renowned "Cirque of the Unclimbables". Our destination will be the "Fairy Meadows" within the alpine Cirques. We follow a rough trail for 10k to Glacier Lake and then paddle some stashed canoes for another 3km to the 'climber's camp' at the north end of the lake. On Day 6 we continue at lake level for another 3 km and then hike/scramble up 650m to Fairy Meadow. |
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7: will be a rest day to watch for mountain goats and soak up the alpine scenery from our base at Fairy Meadows.
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8-9: Today we begin retracing our steps back down to Glacier Lake with a midway stop at the 'climber's camp.
Following our hike out we will load our canoes and make a short paddle into Nahanni National Park and camp next to Rabbitkettle Lake.
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| DAY
10-13: This morning we will join a NNP staff person for a tour of the Rabbitkettle Tufa Mound. This intruding feature is considered to be the largest tufa mound in sub-arctic regions. Back on the Nahanni River our trip continues with a few days of easy paddling. This section of the river is dominated by U -shaped valleys which were scoured out by advancing cordilleran glaciers thousands of years ago. We paddle 120 km (72 mi.) on the smooth flowing water to Virginia Falls where we arrive on day 13.
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DAY
14: Everyone will appreciate a rest day at Virginia Falls. At over 90 m (315 ft.) Virginia Falls is twice the height of Niagara, and is the spectacular centerpiece of Nahanni National Park. The options for these days are many - you can lounge in the group camp area, explore the Falls with your camera, or strike off on an invigorating hike to the grassy summit of Sunblood Mountain. Virginia Falls is a fascinating place to discover.
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Day
15: Following our layover day, we complete the 1.25km portage around the falls and reload our canoes. For the following week we will immerse ourselves in the spectacular scenery of the lower Nahanni River. The lower Nahanni is canyon country and is often described as the 'Grand Canyon of the North'. Beginning with Painted Canyon, so named because of it's brightly coloured walls, you will experience the thrill and excitement of this whitewater section. On this night we will camp in the vicinity of the confluence with the Flat River.
 DAY 16 - DAY 22 
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