South Nahanni River
Encyclopedia
The South Nahanni River is a major tributary
of the Liard River
, located roughly 500 kilometres west of Yellowknife
in the Northwest Territories
of Canada
. It is the centerpiece of Nahanni National Park Reserve
. It flows from the Mackenzie Mountains
in the west, through the Selwyn Mountains
, growing as it heads east over the majestic Virginia Falls
, and finally empties into the Liard River. The Nahanni has a unique geological history. It was formed when the area was a broad flat plain, forming a winding course typical of flatland rivers. As the mountains lifted, the river cut four deep canyons into the rock, maintaining its eccentric course.
The Dene
and their ancestors have lived and hunted in the Nahanni area for thousands of years. In the early 19th century, the first Europeans came to the area, seeking fur and gold; however, it wasn't until the 1950s, with the publishing of Dangerous River by R.M. Patterson that the legends about the region were put to rest and the river finally came to prominence. Since that time, the Nahanni has become one of the prime wilderness rivers in Canada, frequented as a whitewater
destination by adventure seekers around the world.
/Northwest Territories
border for 10 km, then turns south-east into the Northwest Territories at the Moose Ponds
. It flows through the Selwyn Mountains, where it receives the waters of the Little Nahanni River, south of the Sapper Range. East of the Bologna Ridge it turns west, then again south-east. It receives the waters of the Broken Skull River east of the Vampire Peaks Range, then the waters of the Rabittkettle River & Hole in the Wall Creek as it enters the Nahanni National Park Reserve
. The river crosses the entire length of the park reserve, and the confluence with the Flat River is also located here. At the eastern limit of the national park
it passes between the Liard Range and the Twisted Mountain, where it receives the Jackfish River, then continues in a meander
ed flow and empties into the Liard River
at Nahanni Butte
, 90 km north of Fort Liard
, at an elevation of 180 m.
Note: The South Nahanni River has recently been proven to run 563 km.
and limestone
formed from the powerful pressure exerted by the sea. Eventually this sea dried up, forming a wide plain upon which the Nahanni River first took its course.
The Nahanni is unique amongst mountainous rivers. It formed long before the mountains ever existed, establishing a winding course typical of prairie
rivers. As the mountains rose around it, the Nahanni maintained its course, cutting steep canyons into the land.
The river runs through several distinct ranges of mountains, all part of the Mackenzie Range
. At its head waters, it runs through the much more rugged Selwyn Mountains
, formed from the colliding North American
and Pacific Plate
s roughly 200 million years ago. As the river travels east, it transitions into a gentler terrain of rolling sedimentary mountains formed around the same time by batholith
s pushing the sedimentary layers upward, and forming large granite
intusions. Finally, the Nahanni empties into the plains of the Liard River
, unaffected by the powerful forces nearby.
During the last glaciation
two ice sheets advanced along the Nahanni. The Cordilleran
advanced from the west, and the Laurentide from the east. The middle portions of the river managed to escape glaciation entirely, and so feature some of the oldest undisturbed landscape in Canada.
Although it escaped the powerful scouring effects of the glaciars, the middle section of the river was not entirely unaffected. The Laurentide Ice Sheet blocked off the mouth of the river, and so the river valley filled up, twice forming the large glacial lake
Nahanni
, and once forming the smaller Glacial Lake Tetcella. This had a profound effect on the river's most famous feature, Virginia Falls.
The current course of the Nahanni River around Virginia Falls was originally blocked by a spur of the nearby Sunblood Mountain. Sometime during the Illinoian Stage
(352,000 to 132,000 years ago), a glacier severed the spur, and the river took its present course, cutting into the land and forming the Fourth Canyon. During the last glaciation, the valley was immersed by Glacial Lake Nahanni, and heavy silting from the glacial water filled in the course once again, shifting the falls to their present location.
Further downstream, the First, Second, and Third Canyons were also unaffected by the direct power of glaciation. The canyons of the Nahanni River are somewhat unique as a result. Usually when a river erodes the land, forming a valley
, the valley takes the form of a V shape. The effect of glaciers on these V-shaped valleys is unmistakable, leaving a steeper U-shaped valley. Because the Nahanni's course was already established before the mountains rose, it formed steep canyon wall that plummet hundreds of feet to the river's edge. Relatively untouched by glaciation, these canyons continue in their ancient state.
Further downriver they reached the base camp established by Claude Bernardin and Roger Rochat, who arrived from Yellowknife by seaplane. The four men continued the exploration, fighting the savage force of the river and its freezing rapids. Jean Poirel got the idea of going down the river with inflatable dinghies, opening the path to a new “rafting” sport. These dinghies were round in shape and nearly impossible to steer, and they broke numerous paddles as they spun through rapids at the mercy of the river. Against all odds and after months of fighting the unknown, the "crazy French men" vainquished for the first time the Nahanni River and its dangerous rapids.
During the following four consecutive expeditions in the valley, Jean Poirel and his team discovered more than 250 caverns. The most important contained 116 Dall sheep’s skeletons aged 2500 years, giving this discovery an inestimable value. Jean Poirel named it “Valerie Cavern” after his daughter. He took topographic notes and drew detailed maps, paving the way for the creation of Nahanni Park..
In 1972, during his last expedition, Jean Poirel guided then Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, who came in person to evaluate this mysterious and fascinating region. Following his visit Pierre Trudeau declared the Nahanni a National Park for Canada.
In 1978, the park became the first World Heritage Park of UNESCO. http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/24
The South Nahanni River was inscribed in the Canadian Heritage Rivers System
in January 1987, for its natural and human heritage.
, Nahanni Butte Water Aerodrome
and Nahanni Butte Airport
.
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
of the Liard River
Liard River
The Liard River flows through Yukon, British Columbia and the Northwest Territories, Canada. Rising in the Saint Cyr Range of the Pelly Mountains in southeastern Yukon, it flows southeast through British Columbia, marking the northern end of the Rocky Mountains and then curving northeast back...
, located roughly 500 kilometres west of Yellowknife
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
Yellowknife is the capital and largest city of the Northwest Territories , Canada. It is located on the northern shore of Great Slave Lake, approximately south of the Arctic Circle, on the west side of Yellowknife Bay near the outlet of the Yellowknife River...
in the Northwest Territories
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...
of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It is the centerpiece of Nahanni National Park Reserve
Nahanni National Park Reserve
Nahanni National Park Reserve in the Dehcho Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada, approximately west of Yellowknife, protects a portion of the Mackenzie Mountains Natural Region. The centrepiece of the park is the South Nahanni River. Four noteworthy canyons reaching in depth, called...
. It flows from the Mackenzie Mountains
Mackenzie Mountains
The Mackenzie Mountains are a mountain range forming part of the Yukon-Northwest Territories boundary between the Liard and Peel rivers. The range is named in honour of Canada's second Prime Minister Alexander Mackenzie. Nahanni National Park Reserve is in the Mackenzie Mountains.The Mackenzie...
in the west, through the Selwyn Mountains
Selwyn Mountains
The Selwyn Mountains are a mountain range in northern Canada, forming part of the border between the Yukon Territory and the Northwest Territories, and which are part of the Eastern System of the Canadian Cordillera . They are neighboured on the east by the Mackenzie Mountains and on their...
, growing as it heads east over the majestic Virginia Falls
Virginia Falls
Virginia Falls may refer to:* Virginia Falls , a waterfall in Glacier National Park * Virginia Falls , a waterfall of the South Nahanni River...
, and finally empties into the Liard River. The Nahanni has a unique geological history. It was formed when the area was a broad flat plain, forming a winding course typical of flatland rivers. As the mountains lifted, the river cut four deep canyons into the rock, maintaining its eccentric course.
The Dene
Dene
The Dene are an aboriginal group of First Nations who live in the northern boreal and Arctic regions of Canada. The Dené speak Northern Athabaskan languages. Dene is the common Athabaskan word for "people" . The term "Dene" has two usages...
and their ancestors have lived and hunted in the Nahanni area for thousands of years. In the early 19th century, the first Europeans came to the area, seeking fur and gold; however, it wasn't until the 1950s, with the publishing of Dangerous River by R.M. Patterson that the legends about the region were put to rest and the river finally came to prominence. Since that time, the Nahanni has become one of the prime wilderness rivers in Canada, frequented as a whitewater
Whitewater
Whitewater is formed in a rapid, when a river's gradient increases enough to disturb its laminar flow and create turbulence, i.e. form a bubbly, or aerated and unstable current; the frothy water appears white...
destination by adventure seekers around the world.
Course
The South Nahanni River originates on the western slopes of Mount Christie of the Mackenzie Mountains, at an elevation of 1600m. It flows south on the YukonYukon
Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....
/Northwest Territories
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...
border for 10 km, then turns south-east into the Northwest Territories at the Moose Ponds
Moose Ponds
The Moose Ponds are an expansion of the South Nahanni River just below its headwaters and are the starting point for 50 km of virtually continuous Class II - Class IV whitewater in Canada. This stretch of river is known locally as the Rock Gardens...
. It flows through the Selwyn Mountains, where it receives the waters of the Little Nahanni River, south of the Sapper Range. East of the Bologna Ridge it turns west, then again south-east. It receives the waters of the Broken Skull River east of the Vampire Peaks Range, then the waters of the Rabittkettle River & Hole in the Wall Creek as it enters the Nahanni National Park Reserve
Nahanni National Park Reserve
Nahanni National Park Reserve in the Dehcho Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada, approximately west of Yellowknife, protects a portion of the Mackenzie Mountains Natural Region. The centrepiece of the park is the South Nahanni River. Four noteworthy canyons reaching in depth, called...
. The river crosses the entire length of the park reserve, and the confluence with the Flat River is also located here. At the eastern limit of the national park
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
it passes between the Liard Range and the Twisted Mountain, where it receives the Jackfish River, then continues in a meander
Meander
A meander in general is a bend in a sinuous watercourse. A meander is formed when the moving water in a stream erodes the outer banks and widens its valley. A stream of any volume may assume a meandering course, alternately eroding sediments from the outside of a bend and depositing them on the...
ed flow and empties into the Liard River
Liard River
The Liard River flows through Yukon, British Columbia and the Northwest Territories, Canada. Rising in the Saint Cyr Range of the Pelly Mountains in southeastern Yukon, it flows southeast through British Columbia, marking the northern end of the Rocky Mountains and then curving northeast back...
at Nahanni Butte
Nahanni Butte, Northwest Territories
Nahanni Butte is a "Designated Authority" in the Dehcho Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada...
, 90 km north of Fort Liard
Fort Liard, Northwest Territories
Fort Liard is a hamlet in the Dehcho Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is located 37 km north of the British Columbia border...
, at an elevation of 180 m.
Note: The South Nahanni River has recently been proven to run 563 km.
Tributaries
From headwaters to mouth, the South Nahanni River receives waters from the following tributaries:| Tributary | Location | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| The Moose Ponds | 62.91441°N 129.67060°W | right tributary |
| Little Nahanni River | 62.47736°N 128.62759°W | right tributary |
| Bologna Creek | 62.34588°N 128.21657°W | right tributary |
| Island Lake | 62.34055°N 128.15620°W | left tributary |
| Broken Skull River | 62.26385°N 127.64486°W | left tributary |
| Brintnell Creek | 62.05163°N 127.35865°W | right tributary |
| Rabbitkettle River | 61.95242°N 127.16125°W | right tributary |
| Hell Roaring Creek | 61.87397°N 126.62962°W | left tributary |
| Flood Creek | 61.86318°N 126.38923°W | left tributary |
| Marengo Creek | 61.59243°N 125.63626°W | right tributary |
| Flat River | 61.53333°N 125.34729°W | right tributary |
| Windy Creek | 61.24840°N 123.99271°W | right tributary |
| Fishtrap Creek | 61.23836°N 123.69412°W | left tributary |
| Jackfish River | 61.14784°N 123.66486°W | right tributary |
| Overflow Creek | 61.14558°N 123.65602°W | left tributary |
| Mattson Creek | 61.07633°N 123.59025°W | right tributary |
| Beaver Water Creek | 61.00658°N 123.51062°W | right tributary |
| Bluefish Creek | 61.03754°N 123.43159°W | left tributary |
Geography and geology
The history of the area began 550 million years ago beneath a tropical sea. Here a sedimentary layer of sandstoneSandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
and limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
formed from the powerful pressure exerted by the sea. Eventually this sea dried up, forming a wide plain upon which the Nahanni River first took its course.
The Nahanni is unique amongst mountainous rivers. It formed long before the mountains ever existed, establishing a winding course typical of prairie
Prairie
Prairies are considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the dominant vegetation type...
rivers. As the mountains rose around it, the Nahanni maintained its course, cutting steep canyons into the land.
The river runs through several distinct ranges of mountains, all part of the Mackenzie Range
Mackenzie Mountains
The Mackenzie Mountains are a mountain range forming part of the Yukon-Northwest Territories boundary between the Liard and Peel rivers. The range is named in honour of Canada's second Prime Minister Alexander Mackenzie. Nahanni National Park Reserve is in the Mackenzie Mountains.The Mackenzie...
. At its head waters, it runs through the much more rugged Selwyn Mountains
Selwyn Mountains
The Selwyn Mountains are a mountain range in northern Canada, forming part of the border between the Yukon Territory and the Northwest Territories, and which are part of the Eastern System of the Canadian Cordillera . They are neighboured on the east by the Mackenzie Mountains and on their...
, formed from the colliding North American
North American Plate
The North American Plate is a tectonic plate covering most of North America, Greenland, Cuba, Bahamas, and parts of Siberia, Japan and Iceland. It extends eastward to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and westward to the Chersky Range in eastern Siberia. The plate includes both continental and oceanic crust...
and Pacific Plate
Pacific Plate
The Pacific Plate is an oceanic tectonic plate that lies beneath the Pacific Ocean. At 103 million square kilometres, it is the largest tectonic plate....
s roughly 200 million years ago. As the river travels east, it transitions into a gentler terrain of rolling sedimentary mountains formed around the same time by batholith
Batholith
A batholith is a large emplacement of igneous intrusive rock that forms from cooled magma deep in the Earth's crust...
s pushing the sedimentary layers upward, and forming large granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
intusions. Finally, the Nahanni empties into the plains of the Liard River
Liard River
The Liard River flows through Yukon, British Columbia and the Northwest Territories, Canada. Rising in the Saint Cyr Range of the Pelly Mountains in southeastern Yukon, it flows southeast through British Columbia, marking the northern end of the Rocky Mountains and then curving northeast back...
, unaffected by the powerful forces nearby.
During the last glaciation
Wisconsin glaciation
The last glacial period was the most recent glacial period within the current ice age occurring during the last years of the Pleistocene, from approximately 110,000 to 10,000 years ago....
two ice sheets advanced along the Nahanni. The Cordilleran
Cordilleran Ice Sheet
The Cordilleran ice sheet was a major ice sheet that covered, during glacial periods of the Quaternary, a large area of North America. This included the following areas:*Western Montana*The Idaho Panhandle...
advanced from the west, and the Laurentide from the east. The middle portions of the river managed to escape glaciation entirely, and so feature some of the oldest undisturbed landscape in Canada.
Although it escaped the powerful scouring effects of the glaciars, the middle section of the river was not entirely unaffected. The Laurentide Ice Sheet blocked off the mouth of the river, and so the river valley filled up, twice forming the large glacial lake
Glacial lake
A glacial lake is a lake with origins in a melted glacier. Near the end of the last glacial period, roughly 10,000 years ago, glaciers began to retreat. A retreating glacier often left behind large deposits of ice in hollows between drumlins or hills. As the ice age ended, these melted to create...
Nahanni
Glacial lake
A glacial lake is a lake with origins in a melted glacier. Near the end of the last glacial period, roughly 10,000 years ago, glaciers began to retreat. A retreating glacier often left behind large deposits of ice in hollows between drumlins or hills. As the ice age ended, these melted to create...
, and once forming the smaller Glacial Lake Tetcella. This had a profound effect on the river's most famous feature, Virginia Falls.
The current course of the Nahanni River around Virginia Falls was originally blocked by a spur of the nearby Sunblood Mountain. Sometime during the Illinoian Stage
Illinoian Stage
The Illinoian Stage is the name used by Quaternary geologists in North America to designate the period of geologic time of ~300,000—130,000 years ago, a period of ~ during the middle Pleistocene when sediments comprising the Illinoian Glacial Lobe were deposited. It precedes the Sangamonian stage...
(352,000 to 132,000 years ago), a glacier severed the spur, and the river took its present course, cutting into the land and forming the Fourth Canyon. During the last glaciation, the valley was immersed by Glacial Lake Nahanni, and heavy silting from the glacial water filled in the course once again, shifting the falls to their present location.
Further downstream, the First, Second, and Third Canyons were also unaffected by the direct power of glaciation. The canyons of the Nahanni River are somewhat unique as a result. Usually when a river erodes the land, forming a valley
Valley
In geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...
, the valley takes the form of a V shape. The effect of glaciers on these V-shaped valleys is unmistakable, leaving a steeper U-shaped valley. Because the Nahanni's course was already established before the mountains rose, it formed steep canyon wall that plummet hundreds of feet to the river's edge. Relatively untouched by glaciation, these canyons continue in their ancient state.
History
On June 29, 1964 after 41 people had died attempting to conquer the Nahanni River, nicknamed “the man eater”, explorer parachutist Jean Poirel from Montreal jumped at its source 500 km north of Yellowknife, in an attempt to explore the valley for the first time. He was followed by his teammate and friend Bertrand Bordet who was quoted for saying:" You really are crazy! But If you go, I'll go!". They found themselves in an unknown territory, and could not count on any help or rescue from the civilized world. In survival mode, they would have to face spongy swamps, cold weather, hunger, wolves, grizzly bears, and mosquitoes.Further downriver they reached the base camp established by Claude Bernardin and Roger Rochat, who arrived from Yellowknife by seaplane. The four men continued the exploration, fighting the savage force of the river and its freezing rapids. Jean Poirel got the idea of going down the river with inflatable dinghies, opening the path to a new “rafting” sport. These dinghies were round in shape and nearly impossible to steer, and they broke numerous paddles as they spun through rapids at the mercy of the river. Against all odds and after months of fighting the unknown, the "crazy French men" vainquished for the first time the Nahanni River and its dangerous rapids.
During the following four consecutive expeditions in the valley, Jean Poirel and his team discovered more than 250 caverns. The most important contained 116 Dall sheep’s skeletons aged 2500 years, giving this discovery an inestimable value. Jean Poirel named it “Valerie Cavern” after his daughter. He took topographic notes and drew detailed maps, paving the way for the creation of Nahanni Park..
In 1972, during his last expedition, Jean Poirel guided then Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, who came in person to evaluate this mysterious and fascinating region. Following his visit Pierre Trudeau declared the Nahanni a National Park for Canada.
In 1978, the park became the first World Heritage Park of UNESCO. http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/24
The South Nahanni River was inscribed in the Canadian Heritage Rivers System
Canadian Heritage Rivers System
The Canadian Heritage Rivers System was established in 1984 by the federal, provincial and territorial governments to conserve and protect the best examples of Canada's river heritage, to give them national recognition, and to encourage the public to enjoy and appreciate them. It is a cooperative...
in January 1987, for its natural and human heritage.
Economy
The following airports are located on the South Nahanni River: Virginia Falls Water AerodromeVirginia Falls Water Aerodrome
Virginia Falls Water Aerodrome , is located approximately upstream from Virginia Falls, Northwest Territories, Canada and is open from early May until the middle of October....
, Nahanni Butte Water Aerodrome
Nahanni Butte Water Aerodrome
Nahanni Butte Water Aerodrome , is adjacent to the community on the South Nahanni River and is open from the middle of June until October. It is located near Nahanni Butte, Northwest Territories, Canada, east of the Nahanni National Park Reserve, on an arm of the South Nahanni River....
and Nahanni Butte Airport
Nahanni Butte Airport
Nahanni Butte Airport , is a public aerodrome where pilots are requested to check for the presence of Wood Bison on the runway prior to landing. It is located near Nahanni Butte, Northwest Territories, Canada, east of the Nahanni National Park Reserve....
.
See also
- Naats'ihch'oh National Park ReserveNaats'ihch'oh National Park ReserveNaats'ihch'oh National Park Reserve is a future national park in Canada, located in the South Nahanni River watershed in the Northwest Territories. The name means "stands like a porcupine" in the Dene language. It covers an area of approximately...
- List of rivers of Yukon
- List of rivers of the Northwest Territories
- Albert FailleAlbert FailleAlbert Faille was an early pioneer, explorer, trapper and prospector of the Canadian North. He was born in Duluth, Minnesota in 1887. Faille spent his early years working in lumber camps, guiding tourists on canoe trips in the lake district about Duluth, and trapping fur-bearing animals in the...