Rafting a new frontier in the Northern Rockies.
In this day and age it is rare to be able to find a "new" river to run. Northern BC is one of the world's few remaining natural frontiers where one can still be among the very first to raft a wilderness river.

On the Gataga and Kechika Rivers you will feel what a raft trip on the Bow River in Banff National Park would have been like a century and half ago before the advent of the railroad and highway: a game-rich, untouched valley sweeping up to jagged peaks.

The upper Gataga is very remote and seldom visited. A couple of simple cabins from a trapper’s winter trap line are the sole signs of civilization that we'll see. The jet boats that hunt the lower reaches of the drainage in late summer and fall do not venture up past "Logjam Island Rapid".

This whole Northern Rockies region is exceptionally rich in large mammals. Moose, black and grizzly bear, mountain goat, stone sheep, elk, caribou, and wolf are all abundant in the Northern Rockies.

Unfortunately parts of this amazing area are threatened with possible development of timber, mineral or natural gas resources. The Gataga and Kechika River valleys - the largest remaining unprotected wild watershed in BC - are being eyed for the little and slow growing northern timber they hold. Recently the area just to the east of the Gataga-Kechika watershed was designated as a protected area and now we are hoping that the same may become true for the watershed itself.

We hope that parts of the vast wilderness of the Northern Rockies will go from being "unknown" to special recognition and protected. As with the Tatshenshini-Alsek (now protected as a UN World Heritage Site) we hope that by showing people a river's wild and special qualities, they will speak out for it's preservation and conservation.

After our reconnaissance trip in September of 1995 we submitted the first "special provisions" (the rules and regulations) to the commercial river rafting authority with the BC government for these rivers. Our July 1996 trip was the very first licensed raft trip on the Gataga-Kechika. Join the CRE crew in July for this Northern Rockies adventure.

Now starting with 3 days exploring mountain lakes & ridges
In 1999 we added two days in the high alpine as a new component to our Gataga-Kechika River expeditions and extended the trip from eight to ten days. It was a popular move. We have continued to keep it as a ten day trip, but we will spend three days hiking in the alpine before we helicopter down for seven days on the river.

The Gataga and Kechika Rivers flow through the northern Rocky Mountains of northeastern British Columbia and the entire trip is spent amid the most scenic mountainous terrain. The rafting portion is a leisurely seven day float through a valley reminiscent of what the Bow River valley through Banff National Park must have looked and felt like before the coming of railroads and highways (not to mention the Banff Springs Hotel): big peaks, distinctive Rockies geology and plentiful game populations including moose, caribou, mountain goat, elk, bighorn sheep, and bear. There’s lynx, porcupine and beaver plus a healthy population of wolves, which we have seen and heard howling a number of times. In terms of whitewater, this is the gentlest river trip we offer with basically no rapids.

The broad, road less valley of the Gataga sweeps up to gorgeous peaks on both sides. There are plenty of short and medium length walks where ribs of the Rockies come close to the river. For the ambitious there are still a couple of long hikes up to some wide open ridges that the guides can't wait to try. The prolific forest gardens will entertain the botany buffs and there are a few more hot spots for the fishers in the group.

The Ram Lakes valley on the divide between the Toad and Gataga River drainages is very remote but has a couple of old horse trails that allow us to more easily travel up the various mountain valleys and access some great ridge walks. Keen hikers can use these trails to launch some exploration of the surrounding ridges and those less interested in vertical gain will be happy rambling along the mountain valleys at the edge of timberline. As far as the river portion goes we were able to find two more excellent longer, more challenging hikes during the two trips we ran last summer. If the river is your only thing, we can make arrangements for you to join us for the week of rafting. (And if anyone who did the Gataga with us before we added the alpine lakes (pre-1999) ever wants to see that part of the trip we’d be happy to have you join us in the high country for just the three days.)

The Gataga flows out of the Rocky Mountains into the Kechika River which flows due north in the Rocky Mountain Trench. Once on the Kechika we will have the Rockies to our east and the Cassiar Mountains to the west. It is hard to imagine that these waters are bound for the Mackenzie River and out into the Arctic Ocean!

The rendezvous for the trip is in Fort Nelson. By flying in and out (rather than floating a number of days through a much less inspiring landscape) we ensure that the entire trip is spent amid the most scenic mountainous terrain. In terms of whitewater, this is the gentlest river trip we offer with next to no rapids.

You may have heard about the announcement of a big new protected wilderness area in British Columbia's northern Rockies. Much of this new area backs up to the Gataga on the east side of the divide and a part of the park crosses the Kechika along our route. Hopefully the next land use planning process currently underway will result in the gorgeous Gataga being fully protected.

As we’ve said before: we’re confident that the Gataga-Kechika will become one of the great mellow wilderness float trips anywhere. Come see the Gataga and add your voice to those calling for a wilderness park that would link big protected areas from the east slope of the Rockies to the Stikine-Spatsizi area to the west. Big country, big wilderness is what the Gataga is all about.

Craft Description: Raft

Available Dates

Gataga-01

To Be Announced

Book this date

Rate Details
CAD: $5,830
USD: $4,928 *fluxuates daily
Current CAD/USD Exchange Rate: 0.8453

Pre-trip
Fly to Fort Nelson in Northern BC. We will meet the morning flight in Fort Nelson on the day before the expedition and drive you from Fort Nelson to Muncho Lake. This is about a three hour drive. We will overnight at the Northern Rockies Lodge (the cost of the lodging is not included in the trip price) on the night before the expedition starts so that we can get an early start on the first morning flying into the alpine.

Day 1 - Flying into the Alpine
Snoozing above the junction of the Gataga, Kechika and Frog Rivers.At first light we start shuttling people into Ram Lakes by air. Those who are on later shuttles will have some time to relax around Muncho Lake. Regardless of which flight you are on it's a spectacular trip into the Northern Rockies, soaring past mammoth limestone peaks and peering into jewel like lakes, where moose feed and beaver paddle. Keener hikers can go on the first flights in order to get in more hiking on this first day.

Days 2 & 3 - In the Alpine
Day hike, fish and relax in the alpine on the divide between the Toad and Gataga River drainage.

Day 4 - Getting to the river 
We will helicopter down to the banks of the river near Mayfield Lakes. We take a walk to the beautiful lakes to watch for moose and other wildlife before starting down the river. It's about one kilometer from the river to the lakes.

Day 5
Hiking in the Rockies.This will be a peaceful rafting day in a pristine mountain setting with stops to explore. Beaver and otter splash in the river. Mature stands of spruce grow along the river and the open forest floor is carpeted with flowering and fruiting plants, mosses and lichens. There are numerous lakes and ponds worth exploring both with binoculars and a fishing rod. The many sandbars along the river tell tales of the forest dwellers. This is a land where wolves thrive on the rich wildlife. In the fall of '95 we were lucky enough to not only hear wolves, but to actually watch them howling.

Days 6 & 7
We'll pass "Logjam Island Rapid" and make camp in a good spot to layover for a hike onto the flanks of Split Top. Now the Rockies rise up right out of the river. Split Top Mountain is a dramatic layered limestone monolith, as impressive as any of the better known Rockies in Banff and Lake Louise. Mountain goats and bighorn sheep are visible on the slopes.

Day 8
This will be a short traveling day as we float past the base of Brownie and Gataga Mountains. We'll try and leave the afternoon free for another walk.

Day 9
Rafting on the Gataga. Back on the rafts we see the vegetation start to open up as we see more aspens and open meadows. Now we are starting to get into elk country. We'll probably camp right at the confluence of the Gataga and Kechika Rivers with the Rocky Mountains to our right and the Cassiar Mountains across the valley to our left.

Day 10 - Flying out and heading home 
From the Gataga-Kechika confluence, we will make our way down the Kechika River and Rocky Mountain Trench to Gary Moore's Terminus Mountain Ranch. Gary has an airstrip at his ranch which we will use to fly out from back to Fort Nelson. As the Canadian Airlines International flights south from Fort Nelson tend to be in the morning, it will be our goal to get you back to the hotel in Fort Nelson on the evening of Day 10.

Trip Details

Location:
The trip is located in the northeast of British Columbia to the west of Fort Nelson. The Gataga River is located approximately due south of Muncho Lake Provincial Park on the Alaska Highway. The Gataga flows at an oblique angle northwest out of the glacial peaks of the Rocky Mountains. It joins the Kechika, which flows northward up the Rocky Mountain Trench with the northern Rockies to the east and the Cassiar Mountains to the west.

The waters of the Kechika, like most of the northern Rocky Mountains, meet the Liard River and make their way into the Mackenzie. After more than a thousand kilometers these waters eventually flow into the Arctic Ocean near Inuvik.

Pre-trip Rendezvous:
Officially the trip starts and ends in Fort Nelson, a bustling little timber and natural gas town, in the northeastern corner of British Columbia. However, as many people will be flying up to Fort Nelson from points south via Vancouver, Prince George or Edmonton, our meeting in and departure from Fort Nelson will work around scheduled flight arrivals on the day before the expedition.

As with our other trips, we will provide you with hotel information for the night before the trip starts and the night the trip ends.

We will all drive out to Muncho Lake the day before our trips departs and stay in a lovely log lodge. This enables us to get an early start on the first morning of the trip.

Usually everyone is arriving on the same flights on the day before the expedition. We will pick up everyone at the airport and then head into Fort Nelson for last minute details. From there we will drive three hours northwest to Muncho Lake, which is the lake that our floatplane will depart from. We will have our pre-trip meeting at the lodge after everyone has had time to check into their rooms.

While we will help organize your rooms and we will transport you to the lodge the cost of the room is not included in the price of the trip.

Getting to Fort Nelson:
On the day before the trip, Air Canada usually schedules one flight arriving in Fort Nelson. People from the west coast will generally fly up via Vancouver. People east of the Rocky Mountains will likely be routed through Edmonton, Alberta. It's very probable that people coming via from Vancouver and via Edmonton will end up on the same plane from Fort St. John up. Once the airline has set their schedules for next summer we will give you exact times and routing for flights.

Driving and bus are the other options to get there. (BC Rail no longer has passenger service to Fort Nelson.)Air Canada has frequent flyer partner deals with United Airlines and possibly other US and international carriers. Air Canada and Canadian have recently merged so this may change things in regards to points and schedules. We will keep you posted.

Hotels:
We stay at the Northern Rockies Lodge at Muncho Lake the night before the trip departs and at the Travelodge in Fort Nelson on our return at the end of the river trip. We will contact you regarding accommodations to find out what kind of rooms you would like and for how many nights. We will book your rooms and send you a confirmation number for both places. Neither of these hotel costs is included in the cost of the trip.

Whitewater:
This is essentially a scenic wilderness float trip. Don't come expecting exciting whitewater, as there are really only a couple of rapids. There is one rapid on the Gataga where the river cuts two channels around a bedrock island. While not big water, it can be a pinball bump-and-grind sort of run at lower water in which case we may ask guests to walk around so there is less weight in the boats should we hit rocks.

Fishing:
If you are a fisherperson you should bring along your tackle. Although the Gataga is slightly silty from the glaciers in its headwaters, there are many clear streams and lakes. Rods should be packed in a short protective case or tube. BC freshwater fishing licenses can be purchased in Fort Nelson or anywhere in BC. Species we may encounter include Arctic Grayling, Dolly Varden (a char) and Northern Pike. If you are going to fish the lakes for pike be sure to bring wire leaders. Hip waders or a belly-boat would be an asset for lake fishing on one or two days.

Hiking:
We will have the chance to do shorter walks plus one or two good hikes on the river trip. The valley and slopes are forested in most places so we will pick routes where open mountain flanks come right down to the river. As you climb out of the river valley, the views are splendid.

Birds & Flowers:
On our September 1995 trip we definitely had the feeling that most of the birds had already moved south but we still managed to see 40 species. As we have picked July for our summer departures we should see many more birds. July should also be good for flowers both on the forest floor, in the valley, and in the alpine meadows.

Bugs:
Our experience thus far has been that the bugs have not been bad. However, some years may be worse than others or we might have bad luck in terms of a hatch so we recommend that you bring some insect repellent just in case.

Equipment:
For those of you who have traveled with us in the Yukon, the Gataga equipment list will look quite similar to what you have seen before. Please see the separate list for camping gear details.

As usual, you can rent tents, sleeping bags and thermarests from us.