Canada’s Yukon Territory is world famous for its paddle trips. The topography of the Yukon is very accommodating for the canoe tripper. Certainly there are wild rapids to be found, if you like riding the edge. But if you like to actually like to see some stuff on the banks as you paddle along, the Yukon has just what you’re looking for.
The Tlingit word for “Nisutlin” means “quiet waters”. A four or five day canoe trip down the lower Nisutlin takes you through a county rich in wildlife and scenery. We will outfit you with all the needed gear including transportation to the put-in point forty miles up the South Canol road.
Paddle trips offered:
Nisutlin Outfitting offers wilderness paddling experiences with varying degrees of difficulty. The safest and most comfortable trip would the Nisutlin River from the start-point on the South Canol road back down to the village of Teslin, Yukon. However, few people require a guide for this trip as the river meanders rather slowly through 90 miles of remote Yukon wilderness. By the time you near Teslin Lake you will appreciate the moderate tug of the river’s last run. This occurs right after the convergence with the Wolf River. Allow a week for this one. You’ll end the trip right at your vehicle if you leave it with us. This is a great benefit, not having to wait half a day for pickup from Teslin.
A more challenging river trip involves paddling the full length of the Teslin River from Johnson’s Crossing to its convergence with the Yukon River at the abandoned river port called Hootalinqua, then on down the Yukon River to the take-out at Carmacks, Yukon. This trip is 290 miles in length but does not present any particular difficulty for the more experienced paddler. It is truly a remote River with no services available for the entire duration of the paddle. This river pushes along quite well through almost all of its length so does not require body-builder status to negotiate. Wildlife is especially plentiful on this river. You should see moose, black bear, many migratory birds, and possibly wolf, fox, coyote, grizzly, lynx and otter. Ten days is about right for the Teslin.
Yet another river worth considering is the Big Salmon, starting a little farther up the Canol road at Quiet Lake, then proceeding through two connected lakes and down the Big Salmon itself. This trip also ends at Carmacks so you will require pickup there. This trip is for moderately advanced paddlers only although it has certainly been overcome by complete neophytes! In June the water is generally too high and we highly Don’t recommend you take the trip then. The problem with this river is not so much the fast water but the many logjams you encounter in the first mile of the Big Salmon itself. People have lost their lives in these logjams. June is a bad time to go. July and August are normally better choices and September is often ideal. It all hangs on the weather and the amount of rainfall we receive. You’ll want at least seven days for this trip, especially if you plan to include a mountain hike. This is one very scenic and worthwhile trip, especially the first hundred miles, which pass through rugged mountain wilderness. It is a popular river, so you may meet other paddlers here. These should be pleasant encounters between travellers, excited for the chance to stop and discuss the adventures of the trip. In October, the paddle traffic should moderate, if you hope to experience this river and have it all to yourself, although there is the possibility of heavy snowfall then. Heavy sleeping bag a must!
Pick a river – or run all three!!
Nisutlin Outfitting 