27 reasons why paddling in the Northwest Territories is a splash
Paddling and the Northwest Territories. They go hand in hand. This is the epic liquid realm where Alexander Mackenzie canoed to the Arctic Sea. Where expeditioners trace the fabled Nahanni. Where world-class kayakers frolic in the house-high waves of the Slave. And where paddleboarders explore the rocky shores of Yellowknife Bay.
So what are you waiting for? Here’s 27 reasons you need to get up here and grab life by the paddle.
What a rush! Everyone loves it when they run a wave-train and their bow goes airborne …
Don’t you wish you were here? Nothing beats being out on the water during the dusky overnight hours, when our Northern world is orange, silent and still.
Not only does it cool you off, it also cleans you up. No more campfire smell!
Up here, any fisherman with a motorboat can catch a 40-pound Pike. But landing a lunker while you’re in a canoe, kayak or paddleboard? That takes true skill.
Like Virginia Falls, shown here. That’s a four-acre surface of thundering current. You don’t want to float too close.
… and you realize you’re all alone. It’s like the weight of the modern world lifts from your shoulders, setting you truly free.
Paddling in the Northwest Territories takes you places you could never reach any other way. It puts you in the midst of vistas that are out of this world. It transports you – physically, and spiritually.
But only when the distance is short, the trail is smooth and there’s lots of hands to help.
It’s on Little Doctor Lake, in the foothills of the Mackenzie Mountains.
… on Great Slave Lake’s fabled East Arm.
… on Pine Lake in Wood Buffalo National Park.
Like Fort Smith‘s Paddlefest, where there’s tons of …
Don’t worry. Even if you can’t do a “donkey flip,” it’s still fun to watch.
Including these talented young lads in Wekweeti.
… because getting there is half the fun.
Alexander Mackenzie canoed here. So did John Franklin. And Samuel Hearne. Hood and Back. Thomas Simpson. The list goes on.
These muskoxen live around the rocky shores and red cliffs of Great Slave Lake’s fabled East Arm.
And then running the route exactly as you’d planned.
… in a clear, fast-flowing stream.
Give your arms a break and trot up to the nearest overlook. It’s always great to get a new perspective on things.
When you land your own meal, it tastes twice as good.
Think of it as a spa in the wilderness. You earned it. Bask as long as you’d like.
Paddling along the foot of plunging shore-cliffs and sheer-sided gorges is a special sort of thrill.
But only when they’re in the distance and they stay in the distance.
and a few chills, but no spills.
and then using it at the moment when it counts.
Because paddling doesn’t have to cramp your style.
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