Fort Smith is a friendly little town full of big adventure. Perched on the Slave River, right at the NWT-Alberta border, it was long the gateway to the Northwest Territories. Now, it’s your entrance to Canada’s biggest national park and is home to some of the best whitewater paddling around. Speaking of whitewater, your first stop in Fort Smith should be down to the river to watch the Slave River Rapids. Chances are, you won’t be alone: a colony of American White Pelicans nest, feed, and generally go about their pelican lives around the rapids. These majestic seabirds rival the Trumpeter Swan in length and have a wingspan second only to the California Condor among North American birds.
