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Snaking Down the Mountains
A remote Arctic mountain river…a
thrilling wilderness ride…spectacular
hiking and superb vistas…the brochures
and websites of the Yukon’s Snake River
guides and outfitters speak the spine-tingling
language of adventure travel. Adrenaline
and awe dominate the logs and diaries of
successful river runners, veterans of the
twists and turns of a river geography that
lives up to its undulating name.
Canoeing the Snake has become a
popular midsummer challenge for wilderness
enthusiasts. Two-week guided trips from
tiny Duo Lakes, near the headwaters, to
the junction with the Peel, 300 kilometres
north, take paddlers on an eye-popping,
fast-flowing path that descends 800 metres
down the mountains, from barren slopes above
the tree line to the forested banks of the
Peel Plateau. An optional further ride of
220 kilometres along the Peel leads north
to Fort McPherson, just beyond the border
of the Northwest Territories.
Float planes–from Mayo, Yukon, 350
kilometres to the south–drop Snake
trippers at Duo Lakes. All food and gear
must be packed in–except for an occasional
hunting or fishing cabin, there’s little
human habitation. Binoculars and cameras
are essential: wildlife viewing opportunities
abound.
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No-Trace Camping
Contemplating a wilderness
trip? Keep the “No-Trace
Checklist” in mind. Even
though only a few hundred people
visit the remote Snake River
each year, there are signs of
human wear and tear on the pristine
environment.
- Plan ahead to leave no trace.
- Camp and travel on durable
surfaces. - Pack in, pack out.
- Properly dispose of what you
can’t pack out.
- Leave what you find.
- Use stoves and keep small
camp-fires.
- Be considerate. |
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Paddling prowess, with solid Class II training,
is an asset on the Snake’s downward
run. Except for the lower reaches, water
is often fast, turns are sharp, and boulder
gardens must be navigated. While less experienced
canoeists may choose to portage the most
significant whitewater stretches, veteran
guides are apt to shoot the rapids with
skill and flair.
Dozens of Yukon guiding, outfitting and
expedition specialists can help you plan
your Snake River trip of a lifetime.
A
Side Trip to Mt. MacDonald
After an exhilarating
ride out of the upper canyon of the Snake,
paddlers are rewarded with a breathtaking
view of the snowcapped peaks and sheer limestone
rock faces of Mt. MacDonald. With the highest
peaks in the region jutting darkly into
the sky, the Mt. MacDonald cluster of mountains
rises up near an unusual topography of limestone
buttresses and a series of terraced limestone
pavements.
At a creek valley joining the Snake River,
trippers often put aside their paddles and
don their hiking boots to follow a wildlife
trail to the high waterfalls, shallow caves
and hanging glaciers that surround the Mt.
MacDonald massif. In the midst of the stark
beauty, Dall sheep negotiate the rocky ridges
of upper slopes and caribou graze on the
alpine meadows, bright with patches of white
bearflower.
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