Snake River: Yukon, Arctic Circle, Canada; Rafting, Canoeing

In today’s times, there is often a tension between the health of an area’s surface richness and the richness of resources below the earth. It is a pure stroke of luck that the Yukon’s Snake River remains undeveloped and pristine. Remoteness from roads has, so far, protected the area surrounding the Snake River from commercial interests. Not only is this region rich in natural resources, it also contains coveted mineral deposits.

The Snake-Wind River region is one of the largest pristine places outside of park protected areas but the current barriers of distance and the difficulty of access will not preserve the Snake River forever. Currently, conservation efforts are underway to ensure ongoing preservation through the Yukon Protected Areas Strategy but the changing winds of politics make the outcome of these efforts uncertain. The Yukon Chapter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society is working hard to see it through and is an ongoing source of information on the status of the process.

John Bell was one of the earliest white explorers to the area and was in the employ of the Hudson’s Bay Company. In the summer of 1839, he journeyed up the Snake, mistakenly believing it was the headwaters of the Peel River. So impressed was he with the abundance of wildlife in the region that he recommended the establishment of Fort McPherson on the lower Peel. Bell may have been mistaken with his geography, but he recognized a good thing when he saw it!

“The resources of the country from my own personal observations are extremely good. Large animals, both moose and reindeer [actually caribou], are in the greatest abundance, especially in the upper parts of the river, which has not been much hunted. The river in summer abounds in excellent fish and the lakes in the fall and winter produce plenty for the support of an establishment.”
-- Hudson Bay explorer John Bell in 1839 upon returning from his exploration of the Snake River region of the Yukon.

Geographic Highlights of the Snake River
The number of paddlers on the Snake River is low due to the complications of gaining access to it. A combination of floatplanes and helicopters is required to access the Snake with a raft. These elaborate travel requirements result in a payoff for those that venture on a Snake River trip. From the air there are exhilarating views of the Snake and ample photo opportunities.

Dropping nearly 1,000 feet to the confluence with the Peel River, the Snake River is a challenging whitewater river, suitable for experienced rafters and whitewater canoeists. The river originates in the majestic Werneke Mountains near Duo Lakes, where it is a shallow, gravely stream. After portaging the short distance from the lakes to the river, canoeists spend a day wading and lining canoes downstream at the end of a rope until the channel deepens and the real fun begins. Rafters “sling” their loads beneath a helicopter to the vicinity of Reptile Creek. Reptile Creek’s odd name refers to the abundance of fossils found among the rocks in the creek bed. Here spectacular hiking abounds and the river channel is deep enough to accommodate expedition rafts.

Short canyon stretches punctuate the trip with excitement. The ever-changing vista from the river is only second to the expansive panoramas that can be viewed on hikes to the overlooking mountain ridges. Hiking into the alpine reaches is attractive on the Snake as there is little bush to negotiate between the river and the high country.

History of the Snake River
Historically, two First Nations groups frequented the Snake region. The Tetlit Gwich’in, from the Richardson Mountains in the north, came to the area to hunt caribou and fish for grayling, whitefish, and inconnu. With the establishment of the fur trade center of Fort McPherson in 1858, their patterns were altered as they shifted from community hunting and fishing to a more individual trapping and trading economy. From the south the Na-cho Ny’a’k Dun also followed the Bonnet Plume caribou herd into the Snake River drainage. They are descendents of the Northern Tuchone from the Stewart River area and often traded with the Gwich’in. Today their descendents live near the community of Mayo, which is approximately 220 miles (350 kilometers) southeast of Duo Lakes.

These two groups crisscrossed the country via far-ranging trails used for hunting, gathering and trading. Most of the travel was overland, but stories tell of moose-skin boats used to carry families from winter hunting grounds to summer fishing camps. Today, both groups own land-claim settlements that reach into the Snake River corridor. These people once lived softly on the land and in harmony with the seasons. Modern settlements and the diminished fur industry has changed their traditional patterns. Today little evidence remains of their centuries of harvesting activities.

Flora and Fauna
Watchful river travelers scanning the mountain slopes will see Dall’s sheep grazing the crags where predators will not tread. Beginning at lower elevations in the spring, they forage on plants and move higher as the greening of the grasses and sedges moves up the hillsides. The lambs stay close to the mothers in nursery herds while the rams roam in bachelor herds.

As the Snake River leaves the sedimentary Werneke Mountains of the Bonnet Plume Range, it flows north into the Peel River Plateau. Here the topography changes. High, rising banks are home to peregrine falcons that bullet overhead. About one quarter of the Yukon’s 200 breeding peregrine falcons make their home on the Peel. Nearly obliterated by pesticides in the 1960s, they are making a strong comeback. Catching sight of a swooping peregrine snatching a bird in a lightning dive is a spectacle one never forgets.

As one nears the Peel, the forests on the steep hillsides change from spruce to deciduous woodlands dominated by larch and birch. The previously clear water takes on a greater silt load, and gravel bars, through which the river braids, give way to sandbars in the lower reaches. The broader Peel River provides sufficient breadth and depth in certain locations for floatplane access. From here you fly back to Mayo with a load of fond memories!

Nahanni River Adventures, Nahanni offers exceptional expeditions by raft and canoe on the great rivers from Alaska to Nunavut including: South Nahanni River, Tatshenshini River, Alsek River, Firth River, Snake River, Wind River, Stikine River, Burnside River, Coppermine River, Horton River, Mountain River, Yukon River, Taku River, Gataga River and Sea Kayaking and whale watching at Point Adolphus, Alaska, over-looking Glacier Bay National Park.

Our expeditions encompass Nahanni National Park (South Nahanni River), Kluane National Park (Alsek River), Ivvavik National Park (Firth River), Glacier Bay National Park (Alsek River), Herschel Island Territorial Park (Firth River).

Nahanni River Adventures operates in Alaska (United States of America), Yukon Territory, Northwest Territories, Nunavut and British Columbia (Canada).

Nahanni.com is the online presence of the company, Nahanni River Adventures Ltd.

Nahanni River Adventures works with the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society to ensure the environmental integrity of our wild places.

Neil Hartling, founder of Nahanni River Adventures, is also the author of: Nahanni, River of Gold...River of Dreams. Alaska to Nunavut - The Great Rivers. Nahanni River Guide. These books may all be purchased through Nahanni.com.

Common misspellings of the name are Nahani, Nahannie, Nahanie, Nahoni, Nahonni.
Nahanni River Adventures.