Wild Rivers: Yukon Territory
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Indian and Affaires indiennes Northern Affairs et du Nord Wild Rivers: Parks Canada Pares Canada Yukon Territory Published by Parks Canada under authority of the Hon. Warren Allmand, Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs, QS-7014-000-EE-AI Les releves de la serie «Les rivieres sauvagesw sent egalement publies en francais. Wild Rivers: Yukon Territory Wild Rivers Survey, Planning Division, Parks Canada, Ottawa, 1976 2 Bennett Lake, one of the many lakes that make up the headwaters of the Yukon River. 3 'It is difficult to find in life any event and water, taken in the abstract, fail as which so effectually condenses intense completely to convey any idea of their nervous sensation into the shortest fierce embracings in the throes of a possible space of time as does the rapid as the fire burning quietly in a work of shooting, or running an im drawing-room fireplace fails to convey mense rapid. There is no toil, no heart the idea of a house wrapped and breaking labour about it, but as much sheeted in flames." coolness, dexterity, and skill as man can throw into the work of hand, eye Sir William Francis Butler (1872) and head; knowledge of when to strike and how to do it; knowledge of water and rock, and of the one hundred com binations which rock and water can assume — for these two things, rock 4 ©Minister of Supply and Services Now available in the Wild Rivers Canada 1976. series: Available by mail from Printing and Saskatchewan Publishing, Supply and Services A Iberta Canada, Ottawa, K1A 0S9, or through Quebec North Shore your bookseller. Soon to be available: Catalogue No.: R62-82-1976-3 Central British Columbia ISBN: 0-660-00471-2 Northwest Mountains The Barrenlands Price Canada: $1.50 The James Bay/Hudson Bay Region Price other countries: $1.80 Southwestern Quebec and Eastern Price subject to change without notice Ontario Labrador and Newfoundland 5 Table of Contents Foreword 6 6 Pelly River 49 The Wild Rivers of the 7 MacMillan River 55 Yukon Territory 8 Climate 9 8 White River 59 Planning the trip 9 9 Stewart River 63 Map of Wild Rivers of Yukon Territory 10 10 Sixty Mile River 69 1 Yukon River 11 11 Klondike River 73 2 Nisutiin River 27 12 Bell and Porcupine rivers 77 3 Teslin River 33 Further reading 84 4 Big Salmon River 39 5 Ross River 43 6 Foreword Wild rivers are a priceless part of our throughout the vast interior of the natural heritage. Untouched by the continent. The settlers who followed march of man's technological progress, travelled the same routes. these waterways are the arteries of The waterways were the mainstay of our land, and one of the main elements the fur trade; they were the highways in its growth to nationhood. to the gold rushes. They did much to Long before Europeans laid eyes on provide the economic nourishment them, these rivers served the native through which Canada grew to its pres peoples as sources of food and means ent stature. of transportation. Later, the rivers were to carry the Europeans on voy ages of exploration and exploitation 7 With the advent of modern technol of anxious prospectors toward the reason that Parks Canada decided to ogy, some of our rivers were harnessed promise of gold. carry out surveys of wild rivers all to serve our newfound needs. But Parks Canada is promoting these across the country. The result is this thousands of miles of waterways, and challenging voyages of discovery, series of booklets, designed to the land they pass through, remain which embrace both the past and the provide a practical guide for the mod essentially untouched. present. ern "voyageur". Today, Canadians are gradually However, a good deal of down-to- Although "wild" is used to describe rediscovering these fascinating wild earth information about the rivers and rivers not yet harnessed to industry, it rivers. They are recreating the their habits is needed before anyone is an apt adjective, for many of the riv adventures of the explorers; struggling attempts to navigate them. It is for this ers should be challenged only by expe over the same portages as the heavily- rienced and well-equipped canoeists. burdened "coureurs de bois"; running rapids which once hurtled "voyageurs" and their precious car goes toward the markets of Mon treal; gently floating down majestic rivers which once carried thousands 8 The Wild Rivers of the Yukon Territory It was the gold that first attracted men swift-flowing rivers. Most of the major to the Yukon. Fifty thousand came, tributaries are of the latter type. They most of whom had never experienced are not difficult to navigate and can the wilderness. Hundreds lost their be recommended for canoeists with lives. The Yukon became a testing little experience. ground for character. It was not for Whatever river one chooses, it will be gold that most strove and suffered. endowed with a rich history from the To reach the Klondike became a era of the fur trade and the days of '98. matter of personal honour, a test of By travelling the same rivers and visit one's character. ing the same places, one gains an Although modern canoes, detailed insight into the character of those maps and freeze-dried foods have who searched for, and perhaps found, taken out much of the hardship wil the pot of gold at the end of their per derness travel remains a challenge. sonal rainbow. The rivers of the Yukon vary from white water torrents to smooth but 9 Climate Planning the trip Weather in mountainous regions is In planning a canoe trip, allow 25 to 35 Permits for fires and fishing may be unpredictable and water levels fluc kilometres per day paddling. Always required. Extreme caution should be tuate. Long periods of heavy rain will allow extra time and food for such un exercised in the use of fire. Campfires rapidly raise river levels. Generally, foreseen events as being windbound should be built only on rock or sand water levels become low towards the or delayed by rain. If egress is to be by and extinguished completely. All gar end of August with flood peaks occur plane make sure arrangements are bage should be packed out with you. ring in early summer as a result of taken care of before the trip begins. Be A sturdy canoe, capable of handling snow-melt and early summer rainfall. sure to check out with some respon well in rapids, and equipment for its Temperatures during the latter half of sible agency, such as the RCMP, giving repair,are essential. Aluminium canoes August range from night-time lows a them a route and expected time of ar were used throughout the surveys and few degrees below 0° Celsius to day rival. Don't forget to check in with proved most practical. Since lining and time temperatures around +11° them at the end of the trip. hauling are often necessary, several Celsius. Low clouds may cover the pairs of running shoes or other sturdy valley floors in the mountains and fog footwear which can take the abuse of is common to the Arctic Coastal Plain and the first few kilometres of the front mountain ranges. 10 rocks and constant wetness are needed. In the more isolated regions an emer gency survival kit is advisable. The kit should contain high-energy food ra tions, waterproofed matches, fishhooks and line, and emergency rescue flares for signalling aircraft. These items should be well waterproofed; if the kit is small it could be worn on your belt. Firearms are never necessary. The National Topographic Series of maps is available from: Canada Map Office, 130 Bentley Ave., Ottawa, Ontario K2E 6T9. 11 1 Yukon River 12 Yukon River Access and egress Maps required Marsh Lake to the Yukon/Alaska Marsh Lake, the starting point of this (N.T.S. 1:250,000) boundary trip is accessible from the Alaska High 105 D Whitehorse way. Alternative points of access are 105 E Laberge Length Whitehorse, Carmacks and Minto. The 105 L Glenlyon 15 to 20 days/848 kilometres latter two towns can be reached by the 115 1 Carmacks no portages Keno Road. The trip can end at Daw 115 J Snag son, Clinton Creek on the Forty Mile 115 0 Stewart River Date of survey River or at Eagle, a few kilometres be 116 B,C Dawson June 1971 yond the border into Alaska. Dawson has public campgrounds and a com mercial airport. 13 About the river Geography In contrast, the remainder of the of suffering from drought and the Geologically, the central feature of the Yukon has been extensively glaciated. dryness has increased the incidence Yukon Territory is the Yukon Plateau, The individual mountain groups that of forest fires. The purple hue of bounded on the east by the Mackenzie rise abruptly from the plateau have been fireweed now covers the vast areas Range and on the west by the St. Elias rounded and valleys broadened by the of burned timber. Mountains. Draining the plateau is the Pleistocene ice that spread from the Other plants common to the Yukon vast network of the Yukon River sys surrounding rim of mountains onto the are wild rose (often found growing on tem. From the long fiord-like lakes that plateau. This variety of geological the sites of abandoned cabins), purple form its headwaters, only 24 kilometres processes has added scenic diversity lupine, violets, labrador tea, wild from the Pacific Ocean, the Yukon to the Yukon Territory. onion, creeping snowberry, blueberry begins its 4 000-kilometre descent to and raspberry.