Nahanni National Park Reserve

Nahanni National Park Reserve [1] is in the Northwest Territories of Canada. It has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site to protect the South Nahanni River, one of the most spectacular wild rivers in North America.

Understand

Nahanni National Park Reserve Headquarters, Box 348, Fort Simpson, NWT, Canada X0E 0N0, Phone: 867-695-3151 (Fax: 867-695-2446, Email:[email protected]). Hours: Winter (September 15 - June 15) M-F 8:30AM-noon, 1PM-5PM. Closed weekends. Summer (June 15 - September 15) Daily 8AM-noon, 1PM-5PM.

Flora and fauna

The park is mostly boreal forest, with a variety of ecosystems ranging from lowland wet areas to alpine tundra. The main tree species are white and black spruce, lodgepole pine, jackpine, subalpine fir, larch, balsam poplar, trembling aspen and white birch. The varied ecosystems resulting from varied altitudes, hot and cold springs, and river influence results in a diversity of vegetation.

The park is home to a variety of wildlife including Dall's sheep, mountain goats, woodland caribou, wolves, black bears, grizzly bears and trumpeter swans.

Climate

The climate is cold and highly variable and visitors should be prepared for extremes. July and August are generally warmest with temperatures between 0°C to 30°C, with frost possible at night toward the end of the period. The river begins icing in September.

Get in

To actually get to the river, a floatplane is necessary. There are a number of charter companies providing service to the Nahanni.

Companies operating from Fort Simpson:

• Simpson Air [2]

• South Nahanni Airways [3]

• Wolverine Air [4]

Other regional airlines:

• Air Tindi [5]

• Alpine Aviation (Yukon) [6]

• Kluane Airways-Liard Tours [7]

Complete list of operators can be found on the Parks Canada website[8].

Get around

One can travel down the river via canoe or kayak.

See

• Rabbitkettle Hotsprings, source of the largest known tufa mounds in Canada.
• Virginia Falls, with a vertical drop twice that of Niagara Falls.
• Several river canyons up to 1200 meters in depth.
• Caves such as Grotte Valerie which contains ancient skeletons of nearly a hundred Dall's sheep.

Do

• The park offers whitewater canoeing, kayaking and rafting trips ranging from ten days to three weeks. Make reservations well in advance through the Park Office.

• While there are no developed trails, route descriptions are available for a few of the more popular hikes.

• Flight-seeing day trips are available by air charter to Virginia Falls. Day visitors to Virginia Falls can enjoy a picnic as well as a short walk to the viewpoint. A longer portage trail, of moderate difficulty, descends to the base of the falls. Allow two hours return for the hike.

Licensed Outfitting Companies

• Blackfeather the Wilderness Adventure Company, 250 McNaught's Road, RR #3, Parry Sound, Ontario, Canada, P2A 2W9, Phone: (705) 746-1372, Toll Free: (888) 849-7668, (Fax: (705) 746-7048, E-mail: [email protected]).

• Nahanni River Adventures, P.O. Box 31203, Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada, Y1A 5P7, Phone: (867) 668-3180, Toll free: 1-800-297-6927, (Fax: (867) 668-3056, E-mail: [email protected]).

• Nahanni Wilderness Adventures, 96 9B Lawrence Grassi Rd., Canmore, Alberta, Canada. T1W 3C3, Phone: (403) 678-3374, Toll free: 1-888-897-5223, (Fax: (403) 609-2042, E-mail: [email protected]).

Stay safe

Use a licensed commercial outfitter for whitewater trips.

Get out

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