Nahanni National Park Reserve

Nahanni was among the first places anywhere inscribed on the World Heritage list, in 1978, and it protects the South Nahanni river as it cuts through the Mackenzie Mountains. Virginia Falls, called Nailicho by the Dehcho whose land this is, drops around ninety metres, roughly twice the height of Niagara, split by a rock spire in the middle. Below it the river runs through four canyons whose walls rise more than a kilometre, past hot springs, tufa mounds and a landscape the last ice age never covered. The classic way to experience it is a paddling expedition of one to two weeks, flying in above the falls and taking out downstream; those with less time fly in for a day at the falls and the boardwalk above them.

History

The Dene have used these lands for thousands of years, and the first human occupation is put at 9,000-10,000 years ago, with traces found at Yohin Lake; local oral history tells of the Naha, a mountain people who raided the lowlands and then vanished. Fur traders arrived in the 18th century, and in the late 19th century the Mountain Dene came down the river each spring in boats of six to ten moose hides stretched over spruce frames, up to 20 metres long, to trade their furs. Prospectors drawn by the Klondike gold rush gave the valley its darker names: after the headless bodies of the Métis prospectors Willie and Frank McLeod were found around 1908, it became known as Headless Valley and Deadmen Valley, and legends of a lost McLeod mine grew (Wikipedia, Nahanni National Park Reserve).

What's there

• Virginia Falls - the ninety-metre fall split by its rock spire.
• The canyons - kilometre-deep walls along the river below the falls.
• Rabbitkettle tufa mounds - the terraced mineral formations upstream.
• The paddling expedition - one to two weeks on the South Nahanni.

When to go

June to September is the only practical window, with the river running and floatplanes flying; the season is short and the weather can close flights for days. Expeditions book many months ahead and require experience or a licensed outfitter.

Things to know

There is no road, so everything comes by floatplane and the cost reflects that; even a day trip to the falls is expensive, and a full river expedition is a serious financial and physical commitment. Weather cancels flights routinely. This is Dehcho land, co-managed, and visitors are expected to arrive briefed and respectful.

Nearby

Fort Simpson is the air base; the Mackenzie river and Wood Buffalo lie east and south.

Key facts