Yukon Canoe Trips

The Yukon River, rich in history, was the main transportation route of hunters, gatherers, traders, explorers, surveyors and prospectors.  Ft. Selkirk, founded by Hudson’s Bay Company trader Robert Campbell in 1848 at the confluence of the Pelly and Yukon rivers, was chosen for its central location and its history of trade between the interior Tutchone and the coastal Tlingit.  Later, the Yukon River became the main transportation route to the Klondike gold fields in the region of Dawson City.
 
The Yukon River begins at the outpour of Marsh Lake, one of the many lakes that comprise the Southern Lakes region in the Yukon.
 
Cedar and Canvas Adventures begins its trips, however, at Carmacks, a small northern community approximately two hours drive north of Whitehorse.  The village of Carmacks was named after George Carmack following his discovery of coal seams at Tantalus Butte and Five Finger Rapids.
 
Carmack, along with Dawson Charlie and Skookum Jim, went on to stake discovery claims on Bonanza Creek in the Dawson region which sparked the world famous Klondike Gold Rush.
 
From Carmacks to Dawson City the river is wide and often quite deep, characterized by strong current, many islands and high surrounding hills close to the river.  Old woodyard sites and abandoned roadhouses, native fish camps and cabin relics are common within this section of the Yukon River.
 
Major tributaries include the Pelly, Stewart, White and Klondike rivers.  At the mouth of the White River, the Yukon becomes very decidedly muddy due to the huge volcanic ash deposits being brought in by the White, aptly named because of its colour.
 
Five Finger Rapids and Rink Rapids, while a significant obstruction to the paddlewheelers of yesteryear, are not a major challenge and in fact most enjoyable in a paddle canoe or freighter canoe.

Ft. Selkirk, the hub of native trade for thousands of years, became associated also with the Hudson’s Bay Company, the North West Mounted Police, the Yukon Field Force, paddlewheelers and missionaries.  A very ancient piece of Yukon history, Ft. Selkirk in recent years has enjoyed the attention of the Heritage Branch of Yukon Tourism and the Selkirk First Nation in preserving, restoring and interpreting the site for the benefit of all Yukoners and visitors.
 
The Yukon River, fourth longest river in North America, beholder of the longest salmon run in the world, transportation route to the world famous Klondike Gold Rush and the ancient highway of hunters and gathers, holds the “Spell of the Yukon” (a poem by Robert Service).

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Teslin River

Our adventure begins at Johnson’s Crossing, a juncture of the Teslin River and the Alaska Highway.  We travel approximately 120 miles to join the Yukon River at the abandoned trading and NWMP site of Hootalinqua and then follow the Yukon River approximately 105 miles to our take out at Carmacks on the North Klondike Highway.
 
Average travel distance per day is about 28 miles, leaving adequate time for exploring natural and historical points along the way and enjoying our evening time around a campfire.
 
The river’s name, derived from a Tlingit word “Tes-lin-too” meaning long waters in reference to the river’ source, Teslin Lake, was accepted by George M. Dawson of the Geological Survey of Canada in 1887.  Prior to that, Lt. Frederick Schwatka of the U.S. Army, on a military reconnaissance of the Yukon River basin in 1883, had named it the Newberry River.
 
A major tributary of the Yukon River, the Teslin River was heavily prospected but only fine, hard to recover gold was ever found.  However, the Teslin River was used, via an overland trail, to access gold discoveries on Livingstone Creek, a tributary of the South Big Salmon River.  In 1901, from Mason’s Landing on the Teslin River, a pack trail was cut to the gold bearing creek.  Following that a winter trail was slashed through from Lake Laberge to cross the river at Teslin Crossing in efforts of finding an easier pathway.  A trail was also pushed through from Seventeen Mile Cabin.  Gold discoveries on little Bear Creek and Machete Creek, tributaries of the Boswell River, also created some activity.
 
The Teslin River played a significant role as an alternative route to the Klondike Gold Fields for prospectors coming over the Stikine/Telegraph Creek/Dease Lake trail.  The Yukon Field Force, a volunteer division of the Canadian Armed Forces sent to ensure Canadian sovereignty in the Klondike, entered the Yukon along this passageway on their way to establish a post at Ft. Selkirk on the Yukon River.
 
High white clay cliffs, islands, backeddies full of inconnu and Arctic grayling, oxbows, sloughs and panoramas of the Big Salmon Range to the north highlight this river.
 
Healthy populations of moose, bear and wolf leave their tracks along sand and gravel bars.  In late autumn, huge numbers of tundra and trumpeter swans can be seen on their southerly migration.
 
Campsites are numerous and of good quality.  Roaring Bull Rapids, while impressive in name, can be easily run by novice canoeists or comfortably enjoyed from a freighter canoe.
 
The Teslin’s fishing resources are recognized early in the trip.  Smarch’s fish camp, only a few miles down from Johnson’s Crossing, is a place of traditional salmon harvest for the Teslin Tlingit people during the month of August.
 
Grayling Camp and ‘the riffles’ just beyond that are a favourite of locals in late April and early May.  Otter, mink, kingfisher, bald eagle and bear further confirm the river’s rich fish stocks.  Backeddies, sloughs and feeder streams are good spots to find an evening fish meal.
 
Moose pasture is abundant and sign is plentiful from Squanga Creek to 100-mile Landing and in the areas of Mary River, Big Slough, Boswell River and Moose Camp.
 
And with moose is always found wolf.  Particularly during the moose rut in late September and early October when the moose are vocal and on the move, the wolves hunt hard and howl a lot.  And when the wolves howl, we howl back and its rare that a response is not received.
 
The river’s many islands are safe havens for cow moose during the calving time in late May and early June.

Other notable points of interest include Swift River, O’Briens’s Bar, Cassiar Bar, Hootalinqua, Shipyard Island, Klondike Bend, Big Salmon Village, Erickson’s woodyard, Grady Mountain, Little Salmon River and Eagle’s Nest Bluff.
 The Teslin River is a favourite haunt of ours at any time of year.

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Pelly River

The Pelly River, not graced with huge quantities of gold, never achieved the sensational history of the Yukon River.  Nevertheless, the Pelly River played the most significant role in introducing the white man to the Yukon Territory.
 
The inland Tutchone and Han Indians were first introduced to products of the white man through trade with the costal Tlingits of Alaska who were trading with Russian explorers.  Yukon Indians had their first direct contact with white men when Robert Campbell, Hudson’s Bay Company trader and explorer, crossed the divide from the Liard River drainage to the headwaters of the Pelly River in 1842.  Campbell descended the Pelly to its mouth and met with a great river he named the Lewes (now known as the Yukon).  Here he established the original site of Ft. Selkirk.
 
Beginning near the northern community of Faro, Cedar and Canvas Adventures takes you down the Pelly River to Pelly Crossing, a juncture of the river and the North Klondike Highway which is the road joining Whitehorse with Dawson City and the Klondike Gold fields.  Total distance traveled on the river is approximately 185 miles.
 
Flowing northwest, the Pelly River follows a major geological fault called the Tintina Trench.  Bordered on the south by the St. Cyr Mountains and the Glenlyon Range and on the north by the Anvil Range, the Pelly River has many mountain vistas.
 
The river starts slow, its waters somewhat silty, its banks high and its bottom littered with spearlike deadheads all pointing northerly in a down river direction.  Fifteen miles downstream, Rose Mountain rises up on the north side, named in 1905 by Charles Sheldon of the U. S. Biological Survey for Oliver Rose, operator of a trading post near the foot of the mountain.
 
For many miles following, the Anvil Range rolls down to the river in a cascade of grassy and aspen treed slopes.  These provide excellent range for grizzly and black bear searching for the first shoots of spring that is absolutely necessary in jump starting their digestive tracts from a winter of inactivity.
 
Ladue’s trapping cabins, built in 1934 at the mouth of Anvil Creek, near Little Fish Hook Rapids, are no longer used and in a state of decay, but remain as a reminder of days gone by.
 
Little Fish Hook Rapids and Big Fish Hook Rapids, no more than six miles apart, have some reputation within the Yukon for being difficult.  There is some truth to this at high water levels, the danger being that both are situated on sharp bends.  Notwithstanding, both rapids can be graded no more than Class II and provide a thrill for novice paddlers and with no difficulty whatsoever for freighter canoes.

The Glenlyon River, named by Robert Campbell after Glenlyon House of the Campbell clan in Scotland, flows from the south near Big Fish Hook Rapids.
 
The Tay River, its headwaters in the Anvil Range, enters the Pelly River sixty miles from our departure point at Faro.  To the south, standing out in all its majesty, is the Glenlyon Range.  Taking time to glass with binoculars and spotting scope, the graceful and majestic Stone sheep (Ovis dalli stone) can often be viewed feeding on the grassy slopes near tree line or bedded in incredibly steep, rugged terrain as a safe haven from predators. 
 
The Detour, near 70-mile, begins at Harvey Canyon at the foot  of Front Mountain and ends below the Earn River fifteen miles downstream.  It's name is derived from a major geological shift in direction by the river.  Choppy water, rock outcrops and many boulders frequent this section of the river.
 
Below Earn River and all the way to the South MacMillan River at approximately 145-mile, the Pelly River widens, islands are more numerous, the current is slower, banks are often severely undercut, sloughs are abundant and high vegetated slopes take over as the river abandons the mountainous areas.  The likelihood of spotting ungulates and furbearers increases significantly.  Landmarks include Tummel River, Moose Camp, Safety Pin Bend and Pelmac Ridge.
 
Below the mouth of the South MacMillan River, the river narrows for its culmination through Granite Canyon.  The canyon offers great fun for novice paddlers in most seasons, but can be rather unruly in the high water season of late June/ early July.  Reaching 60 feet out of the river at the end of the canyon is a spire of black granite aptly named Needle Rock.
 
From here to Pelly Crossing, approximately 20 miles, the river widens significantly, the current is sluggish and the river’s banks are high and steep.  The abandoned Wilkinson Farm and numerous subsistence cabins highlight this last section of river as we drift into the northern community of Pelly Crossing.

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Big Salmon River

The Big Salmon River trip, from its beginnings at Quiet Lake, through the stream sections joining Sandy Lake and Big Salmon Lake  and down the river itself to its mouth at Big Salmon village on the Yukon River is a distance of approximately 150 miles.

In its upper reaches it is more a stream than a river and is the smallest of the rivers traveled by Cedar and Canvas Adventures.  Small of stature for sure, but very big on experience!  The river’s passageway through the Pelly Mountains is beautifully scenic and wildlife is abundant.
 
From Whitehorse, we travel 70 miles down the Alaska Highway and turn north on to the South Canol Road which takes us to our put in point at Quiet Lake.  Quiet Lake, while at times thought to be appropriately named, can be very rough as any mountain lake can.  Putting in at the far campground, we set a north course to the lake’s end and into the small stream that connects to Sandy Lake.
 
Sandy Lake is a small, round lake that is easy to cross and then we enter a second small stream that connects to Big Salmon Lake and the river’s beginnings.  Along these short streams is excellent fishing for Arctic grayling and good opportunities to spot moose and black bear.
 
Big Salmon Lake has a varied structure of shallows, deep water and islands which bodes well for good lake trout fishing.  Its waters are clear and its beaches to the northwest are sandy.
 
At the river’s beginnings is a cabin that greets the river traveler with the last remnant of civilization to be seen for the next 7-8 days.
 
The river starts fast and shallow, with short sections of braids that may require some lining and then a perennial log jam that creates the need for a portage in most seasons.  Below the log jam, the stream braids come together near Scurvy Creek, but the river remains narrow, shallow and fast and its directions seems confused at times as it wanders in a series of sharp bends often times almost coming back on itself.  Oxbows, although plentiful, are hidden behind the thick brush and frequent sweepers that overhang the river’s banks.  Lining in this area is sometimes required.
 
For approximately sixty miles the Big Salmon River lives up to its name, being prolific with gravel shoals and clean, clear water that provide the habitat necessary for a successful Chinook salmon spawn.  The building of redds by the female Chinook and the territorial displays of both sexes can be witnessed from the canoe or the river’s edge during late July and early August.
 
Grizzly bear, black bear and bald eagles, in search of the high level of protein and fat found in salmon, are numerous.  Huge bear tracks, up to the 12” long on the back foot, have been spotted.
 
For the next thirty-five miles, the river is interspersed with fast water, riffles, rocks and boulders and deep, lazy pools.  Near the river’s edge schools of salmon fry from the previous year’s spawn attract kingfisher, otter, mink and merganser.  Large sloughs off the river, are frequent and provide excellent feed and bedding areas for moose.  Short hikes into these areas are likely to provide an excellent viewing session with this largest member of the deer family.  This prime habitat produces very healthy moose populations and, naturally, many wolves as well.  Wolves howling have been heard very many times on our trips.
 
The Big Salmon River now takes on its most relaxed persona, a procession of pools and lazy shallows that carries the traveler almost to the North Fork.  Within this area of river, silt starts showing and the bottom is no longer obvious.  The  tops of pools and the mouths of incoming streams often provide good fishing for Arctic grayling.
 
Quite suddenly the river narrows, becomes shallow and is frequented by rocks, large boulders and standing waves in the light Class II category.  On a fast ride, we hurl past North Fork, Headless Creek and Illusion Creek into a section with a history of annual channel reforming which produces snags, sweepers and whirlpools.  It’s a great ride that spills out into the last of the river just before Big Salmon village.  This last section is placid.
 
The St. Cyr Mountains to the east and the Big Salmon Range, both extensions of the Pelly Mountains, provide wonderful vistas and the comfort only found in wild places.  The graceful Stone sheep, the majestic and awesome grizzly bear, the massive 1800-pound Yukon/Alaska moose and the haunting and evasive grey wolf inhabit this wild land.
 
The runoff waters and melt waters of Sheep Creek, Moose Creek, Bat Creek, Teraktu Creek , Headless Creek, Illusion Creek, North Fork and South Fork add to the bounty of the land and the constant flow of the river.

 From the mouth of Big Salmon River to Carmacks, we travel the Yukon River, huge in comparison to the Big Salmon, with its waters deep and silty and its current very strong.  From out of the wilderness we come into a river rich in Yukon history, down past a homemade dredge (abandoned) and the wreck of a paddlewheeler, beyond the Little Salmon River and into the town named after one of the Yukon’s most colourful characters, George Carmack.

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Wind River

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