Why is the Nahanni River so Famous?
* Perhaps the most visually diverse river on the planet.
* The world’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site.
* Fabled in 1908 by the disappearance of two prospecting brothers and the subsequent finding of their headless bodies. Headless Creek, Deadmen Valley, Funeral Range, Somber Range and Thundercloud Range were resulting place names and the presence of hot springs encouraged a legend of tropical banana growth.
* Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau paddled the river in 1970, a time when Heads of State were not known for river expeditions while in Office.
* One of Canada’s most famous National Parks and soon to be enlarged. It will become one of the largest Parks in the world, nearly the size of Switzerland.
* Virginia Falls is nearly twice the height of Niagara, the canyons are Canada’s deepest. The area was not glaciated during the last ice age and the resulting refugeum has retained an ancient antecedent river, pre-dating the surrounding mountain landscape.
* The small First Nations village at the mouth of the river is not accessible by road and is one of the few remaining as such.
* “Greatest river trip in the world” – Bill Mason, film maker, naturalist and environmentalist, author of Path of the Paddle and the film series of the same name.
* Subject of the eloquent 1950 account by Englishman, Raymond Patterson entitled “Dangerous River”, which went on to sell thousands of copies in many languages.
Nahanni River Info
Departing from Virgina Falls (twice as high as Niagara Falls!), this rafting trip is the experience of a lifetime. The best times to go are June through August and the whole trip takes about 1 week.
"Over the course of this 150 mile journey from Virgina Falls to Blackstone Landing, this fast flowing river drops a heart pumping 1300 feet. Each section of this epic voyage takes you through canyons, over rapids and past some of the most stunning scenery on Earth.
Even the names conjure up images of danger and excitement as you tumble through Hell's Gate, pass Headless Creek and camp out in Deadmen Valley. So remote is this region of North-Western Canada that the only practical way to arrive is by air. This start to the voyage could not be more spectacular, as you land alongside the towering Virgina Falls [pictured above].
...Towards the end of this epic voyage you pass Kraus' Hotsprings where you can soothe your aching limbs, rejoice in nature and congratulate yourself on nearly completing this most exhilarating of journeys..."
*501 Must-Take Journeys. London: Octopus Publishing Group Lmtd, 2008.
The pictures show such a remote place in wilderness that would be amazing to witness the nature at it's untouched best. I can only dream about being hurtled down a river for hours a day and stopping to get a well needed rest each night; camping out under the stars.
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