Nahanni National Park Reserve
Encyclopedia
Nahanni National Park Reserve in the Dehcho Region
of the Northwest Territories
, Canada
, approximately 500 km (311 mi) 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 1 km² (0.386102158592535 sq mi) in depth, called First, Second, Third and Fourth Canyon, line this spectacular whitewater river. The name Nahanni comes from the indigenous Dene
language name for the area; Nahʔa Dehé, which means "river of the land of the Nahʔa people".
Over the last 2 million years, glaciers have covered most of North America, creating most of the land formations seen today. While previous ice ages affected the Park area, the most recent, the Wisconsin Ice Age (85,000-10,000 years ago) touched only the most western and eastern parts of the Park. This has left many geological features in the park much more time to develop than most of North America had.
The central feature of the park is the South Nahanni River which runs the length of the park, beginning near Moose Ponds
and ending when it meets the Liard river near Nahanni Butte. The South Nahanni is a rare example of an antecedent river. The mountains rose slowly enough, and the river was powerful enough that the river maintained its course over its history, meaning it has the same path today as it did before the mountains rose. As the river was meandering, the canyons it carved also meander. Most visitors only visit the portions from Virginia Falls down.
There are four main canyons that line the south Nahanni river, named by prospectors, numbering them as they travelled up the river. The fourth canyon begins with Virginia Falls, and was created as the falls eroded the limestone surrounding the river, working its way upstream. It is five miles long. Third canyon runs through Funeral Range, around 40 km long. Because its walls are composed of a stratum of shale, sandstones and limestone this canyon has long slopes instead of steep, flat walls like the lower canyons. Big bend, a point where the river does a 45 degree turn, marks the end of Third and the beginning of Second Canyon. At 15 km long, it runs through the Headless Range. The final canyon is considered the most beautiful. Beginning after Deadman Valley, First Canyon boasts the highest, most vertical walls, cutting through very resistant limestone. It ends near Kraus Hotsprings, making it about 30 km long. Following this, the river slows and braids into different channels, passing through the Park boundary, and coming together again near the village of Nahanni Butte. Soon after the town, the South Nahanni River joins the Liard river.
or Nailicho in Dene, the river plunges 90 m (295 ft) in a thunderous plume. Including the Sluice Box Rapids above the falls, it is more than twice the height of Niagara Falls
. In the centre of the falls is a dramatic spire of resistant rock, called Mason's Rock after Bill Mason
, the famous Canadian canoeist, author, and filmmaker. The falls were initially located downstream at the East end of Fourth Canyon, and over the centuries carved through the limestone rock that surrounds the river. This continuous erosion shifted the falls upstream and created the Fourth Canyon. Due to the mist, the immediate vicinity of the falls is home to several rare orchid
species. There is a proposal to rename the falls after former Prime Minister of Canada
Pierre Trudeau
. Downstream from the falls, there are many notable rapids on the river including Figure Eight, George's Riffle, and Lafferty's Riffle.
These rare and fragile features are protected as a Zone 1, Special Preservation Area, and all visitors must be accompanied by Parks Canada Staff in order to minimize impact.
hot spring
s, alpine tundra
, mountain ranges, and forests of spruce
and aspen
are home to many species of birds, fish and mammals. The park lies within three of Canada's ecozones
, the Taiga Cordillera
in the west, the Taiga Plains
in the east and a small southern portion in the Boreal Cordillera
. The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada
(COSEWIC) has listed ten species which are special concern, threatened, or endangered that Nahanni National Park Reserve provides seasonal and year round habitat for, including wood buffalo
, grizzly bear
, and woodland caribou.
The diverse range of soils offers several specialized and uncommon habitats. More than 700 species of vascular plants and 300 species of both bryophytes and lichen
can be found in the park, giving it a richer variety than any other area in the NWT. Nahanni aster is a very rare subspecies of aster found only in the Park.
First contact with European fur traders expanding into the region occurred in the 18th century, and was increased with Alexander Mackenzie's exploration of the Mackenzie River (Deh Cho), and building of trading posts at Fort Simpson and Fort Liard. During the 19th century, most Dene families left their nomadic lifestyles and settled into more permanent communities, often close to the trading posts. Permanent settlements were established at locations such as Nahanni Butte, Fort Liard and Fort Simpson.
In the late 19th century, the Mountain Indians of the Nahanni region would travel down the Nahanni River each spring in mooseskin boats to trade the winter take of furs. These boats, based on the Hudson Bay York boats, were up to 20 metres in length. Constructed from six to ten untanned moose hides sewn together and stretched over a spruce pole frame, these boats would transport entire families, their dogs and cargo of furs down the river during high water. Upon arrival the boat was dismantled and the hides traded along with the furs. Following a visit to the forts, these people would return to the high country with only what they could carry on their pack dogs.
The stories of the Naha, and dangerous landscape that they inhabited, grew in stature with the Klondike gold rush as some explorers attempted to use the Nahanni as a path to the famous gold fields of the Yukon, or make their fortune on the Flat and South Nahanni rivers. Although no significant gold was found, legends of haunted valleys and lost gold emerged after the headless corpses of Métis prospectors Willie and Frank McLeod were found around 1908. In the years that followed, mysterious deaths of other prospectors added to the legends. The names of park features such as Deadmen Valley, Headless Creek, Headless Range and the Funeral Range, bear testimony to these stories and legends.
In 1964, explorer parachutist Jean Poirel from Montreal jumped at its source 500 km North of Yellowknife, followed by his teammate Bertrand Bordet. Jean Poirel imagined the idea of going down the river with inflatable dinghies, opening the path to a new “rafting” sport. During the following four consecutive expeditions in the valley Jean Poirel discovered more than 250 caverns. The most important contained 116 Dall sheep’s skeletons (carbon-14 dated to 2500 years Bc); Jean Poirel named it "Valerie Cavern" after his daughter. He took topographic notes and drew detailed maps, paving the way for the park's creation. During his last expedition in 1972, he escorted Pierre Trudeau, who came in person to estimate this superb and fascinating region.
and Parks Canada
gave temporary protection to 23000 km² (8,880 sq mi). In August 2007, the federal government added an extra 5400 km² (2,085 sq mi).
In a novel form of cooperation between federal government and native groups, the Naha Dehe Consensus Team was formed in June 2000 by Canada and the Dehcho First Nations. Their original main tasks included:
1. prepare an Ecological Integrity Statement,
2. complete a review of the Park Management Plan,
3. prepare an Interim Park Management Arrangement, and
4. prepare a Memorandum of Understanding Respecting Park Expansion.
In 2003, these were completed and the purpose of the team changed, now dealing with cooperative management issues, according to the Interim Park Management Arrangement, until the Dehcho Process is completed.
On 9 June 2009 the Canadian Government, with the Dehcho First Nations
, announced legislation that will increase the area of Nahanni National Park to cover 30050 km² (11,602 sq mi), including 91% of the Greater Nahanni ecosystem in the Dehcho region and most of the South Nahanni River watershed.
The new park area is estimated to be the home of around 500 grizzly bears, two herds of woodland caribou, as well as species of alpine sheep and goats and other species. The new boundary will include the highest mountains and largest ice fields in the Northwest Territories. With the expansion of the park there have been several added designated landing sites. because most access to the park is done by aircraft and air access is restricted in the park, there are a set amount of places aircraft can land. Before the expansion these were limited to Virginia Falls and Rabbitkettle Lake. Now there are five more; the Bunny Bar, Island Lake, Honeymoon Lake, Glacier Lake, and Seaplane Lake. However, only Virginia Falls and Glacier Lake are designated for Day use visittation, meaning all other sites require visitors to stay overnight in the park.
A visitor centre in Fort Simpson
features displays on the history, culture and geography of the area. The park was among the world's first four natural heritage locations to be inscribed as World Heritage Site
s by UNESCO
in 1978. The South Nahanni River achieved Canadian Heritage River status in 1987. Presently around 800–1000 people visit the park every year, most of which are overnight visitors who travel down the South Nahanni. The park is open year round, but most visitors come in June, July, and August. Virginia falls is the only area of the park where a reservation is required, which must be done months in advance to prevent overcrowding. For safety reasons, all visitors must register with Park officials upon entering the Park boundarys, and degregister within 24 hours of leaving. There is a park office in Nahanni Butte at the end of the river, where visitors can deregister. The only practical way to get to Nahanni National Park is by floatplane or by helicopter, usually from Fort Simpson but other communities and locations offering a gateway into the park include: Watson Lake
, Muncho Lake, Fort Nelson
and Inconnu Lodge. Some people do hike in from the Tungsten
road to the west of the park.
The park was the subject of a short film in 2011's National Parks Project
, directed by Kevin McMahon and scored by Shad
, Jace Lasek
and Olga Goreas.
Dehcho Region
The Dehcho Region is one of five administrative regions in the Northwest Territories. The region consists of six communities with the regional office situated in Fort Simpson. All communities in the Dehcho are predominately First Nations.-Communities:...
of 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...
, 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...
, approximately 500 km (311 mi) west of Yellowknife, protects a portion of 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...
Natural Region. The centrepiece of the park is the South Nahanni River
South Nahanni River
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...
. Four noteworthy canyons reaching 1 km² (0.386102158592535 sq mi) in depth, called First, Second, Third and Fourth Canyon, line this spectacular whitewater river. The name Nahanni comes from the indigenous 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...
language name for the area; Nahʔa Dehé, which means "river of the land of the Nahʔa people".
Geography
There are several different landforms in the park that have taken millions of years to form, and give it a diversity not seen in any other national park in Canada. Sediment left by an ancient inland sea 500-200 million years ago had since become pressed into layers of rock. These layers were stacked about 6 km deep and are peppered with fossils, remnants of these ancient sea beds. As the continents shifted, the North American and Pacific plates collided, the force of which pushed the layers of rock upwards. Ridges of rock bent and broke, leaving behind the ranges seen today. This same action also caused volcanic activity, sending molten lava into but not through the sedimentary rock. While there are no volcanoes in the park, towers of heated rock called igneous batholiths were sent upwards, pushing the sediment further up. The top layer of sedimentary rock was eventually eroded away, resulting in granite towers that form the Ragged Range.Over the last 2 million years, glaciers have covered most of North America, creating most of the land formations seen today. While previous ice ages affected the Park area, the most recent, the Wisconsin Ice Age (85,000-10,000 years ago) touched only the most western and eastern parts of the Park. This has left many geological features in the park much more time to develop than most of North America had.
The central feature of the park is the South Nahanni River which runs the length of the park, beginning near 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...
and ending when it meets the Liard river near Nahanni Butte. The South Nahanni is a rare example of an antecedent river. The mountains rose slowly enough, and the river was powerful enough that the river maintained its course over its history, meaning it has the same path today as it did before the mountains rose. As the river was meandering, the canyons it carved also meander. Most visitors only visit the portions from Virginia Falls down.
There are four main canyons that line the south Nahanni river, named by prospectors, numbering them as they travelled up the river. The fourth canyon begins with Virginia Falls, and was created as the falls eroded the limestone surrounding the river, working its way upstream. It is five miles long. Third canyon runs through Funeral Range, around 40 km long. Because its walls are composed of a stratum of shale, sandstones and limestone this canyon has long slopes instead of steep, flat walls like the lower canyons. Big bend, a point where the river does a 45 degree turn, marks the end of Third and the beginning of Second Canyon. At 15 km long, it runs through the Headless Range. The final canyon is considered the most beautiful. Beginning after Deadman Valley, First Canyon boasts the highest, most vertical walls, cutting through very resistant limestone. It ends near Kraus Hotsprings, making it about 30 km long. Following this, the river slows and braids into different channels, passing through the Park boundary, and coming together again near the village of Nahanni Butte. Soon after the town, the South Nahanni River joins the Liard river.
Virginia Falls
At Virginia FallsVirginia Falls (Northwest Territories)
Virginia Falls is a waterfall in Nahanni National Park Reserve, Northwest Territories, Canada. It is located on the South Nahanni River, at an elevation of ....
or Nailicho in Dene, the river plunges 90 m (295 ft) in a thunderous plume. Including the Sluice Box Rapids above the falls, it is more than twice the height of Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls
The Niagara Falls, located on the Niagara River draining Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, is the collective name for the Horseshoe Falls and the adjacent American Falls along with the comparatively small Bridal Veil Falls, which combined form the highest flow rate of any waterfalls in the world and has...
. In the centre of the falls is a dramatic spire of resistant rock, called Mason's Rock after Bill Mason
Bill Mason
Bill Mason was an award-winning Canadian naturalist, author, artist, filmmaker, and conservationist, noted primarily for his popular canoeing books, films, and art as well as his documentaries on wolves. Mason was also known for including passages from Christian sermons in his films...
, the famous Canadian canoeist, author, and filmmaker. The falls were initially located downstream at the East end of Fourth Canyon, and over the centuries carved through the limestone rock that surrounds the river. This continuous erosion shifted the falls upstream and created the Fourth Canyon. Due to the mist, the immediate vicinity of the falls is home to several rare orchid
Orchidaceae
The Orchidaceae, commonly referred to as the orchid family, is a morphologically diverse and widespread family of monocots in the order Asparagales. Along with the Asteraceae, it is one of the two largest families of flowering plants, with between 21,950 and 26,049 currently accepted species,...
species. There is a proposal to rename the falls after former Prime Minister of Canada
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
Pierre Trudeau
Pierre Trudeau
Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau, , usually known as Pierre Trudeau or Pierre Elliott Trudeau, was the 15th Prime Minister of Canada from April 20, 1968 to June 4, 1979, and again from March 3, 1980 to June 30, 1984.Trudeau began his political career campaigning for socialist ideals,...
. Downstream from the falls, there are many notable rapids on the river including Figure Eight, George's Riffle, and Lafferty's Riffle.
Tufa Mounds
The Rabbitkettle Tufa Mounds are the largest of tufa mounds in Canada. The largest of the mounds is 27m high and 74m across. The source of the springs comes from deep in the earths crust, near the base of the granite batholiths that form the Ragged Range. The volcanic activity that raised the mountains still heats the water deep below the surface of the earth. The heated water percolates upwards, dissolving calcium carbonate from limestone deposits on its way by. When it reaches the surface springs, the water cools and the calcium carbonate particles are released. These microscopic particles settle to form porous calcite rims around the pools of water. These pools range in size from bathtub to fingernail size. This process takes a great deal of time, and it is believed that the mounds themselves are around 10, 000 years old, their creation beginning at the end of the last ice age.These rare and fragile features are protected as a Zone 1, Special Preservation Area, and all visitors must be accompanied by Parks Canada Staff in order to minimize impact.
Flora and fauna
The park's sulphurSulfur
Sulfur or sulphur is the chemical element with atomic number 16. In the periodic table it is represented by the symbol S. It is an abundant, multivalent non-metal. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with chemical formula S8. Elemental sulfur is a bright yellow...
hot spring
Hot spring
A hot spring is a spring that is produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater from the Earth's crust. There are geothermal hot springs in many locations all over the crust of the earth.-Definitions:...
s, alpine tundra
Alpine tundra
Alpine tundra is a natural region that does not contain trees because it is at high altitude. Alpine tundra is distinguished from arctic tundra, because alpine soils are generally better drained than arctic soils...
, mountain ranges, and forests of spruce
Spruce
A spruce is a tree of the genus Picea , a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the Family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal regions of the earth. Spruces are large trees, from tall when mature, and can be distinguished by their whorled branches and conical...
and aspen
Aspen
Populus section Populus, of the Populus genus, includes the aspen trees and the white poplar Populus alba. The five typical aspens are all native to cold regions with cool summers, in the north of the Northern Hemisphere, extending south at high altitudes in the mountains. The White Poplar, by...
are home to many species of birds, fish and mammals. The park lies within three of Canada's ecozones
Ecozones of Canada
The ecozones of Canada consist of fifteen terrestrial and five marine ecozones in Canada. These are further subdivided into 53 ecoprovinces, 194 ecoregions, and 1021 ecodistricts...
, the Taiga Cordillera
Taiga Cordillera
The Taiga Cordillera is a rugged, mountainous terrestrial ecozone of Canada spanning most of northern Yukon and significant portions of the border between the Yukon and the Northwest Territories....
in the west, the Taiga Plains
Taiga Plains
The Taiga Plain is a Canadian terrestrial ecozone that covers most of the western Northwest Territories, extending to northwest Alberta, northeast British Columbia and slightly overlapping northeastern Yukon....
in the east and a small southern portion in the Boreal Cordillera
Boreal Cordillera
The Boreal Cordillera is a Canadian terrestrial ecozone occupying most of the northern third of British Columbia and southern half of the Yukon. Within it is found Kluane National Park and Reserve, and a small portion of the southern range of Nahanni National Park Reserve. Most of the area's...
. The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada
Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada
The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada ; French: Le Comité sur la situation des espèces en péril au Canada, is an independent committee of wildlife experts and scientists whose "raison d’être is to identify species at risk" in Canada...
(COSEWIC) has listed ten species which are special concern, threatened, or endangered that Nahanni National Park Reserve provides seasonal and year round habitat for, including wood buffalo
Wood buffalo
A wood buffalo is another name for a wood bison, it may also refer to:*Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo, a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada*Wood Buffalo, Alberta, a large municipality in northern Alberta...
, grizzly bear
Grizzly Bear
The grizzly bear , also known as the silvertip bear, the grizzly, or the North American brown bear, is a subspecies of brown bear that generally lives in the uplands of western North America...
, and woodland caribou.
The diverse range of soils offers several specialized and uncommon habitats. More than 700 species of vascular plants and 300 species of both bryophytes and lichen
Lichen
Lichens are composite organisms consisting of a symbiotic organism composed of a fungus with a photosynthetic partner , usually either a green alga or cyanobacterium...
can be found in the park, giving it a richer variety than any other area in the NWT. Nahanni aster is a very rare subspecies of aster found only in the Park.
History
Dene peoples have used the lands around Nahanni National Park Reserve for thousands of years. The first human occupation of the area is estimated to have occurred 9,000-10,000 years ago. Evidence of prehistoric human use has been found at Yohin Lake and a few other sites within the park. The local oral history contains many references to the Naha tribe, a mountain-dwelling people who used to raid settlements in the adjacent lowlands. These people are said to have rather quickly and mysteriously disappeared.First contact with European fur traders expanding into the region occurred in the 18th century, and was increased with Alexander Mackenzie's exploration of the Mackenzie River (Deh Cho), and building of trading posts at Fort Simpson and Fort Liard. During the 19th century, most Dene families left their nomadic lifestyles and settled into more permanent communities, often close to the trading posts. Permanent settlements were established at locations such as Nahanni Butte, Fort Liard and Fort Simpson.
In the late 19th century, the Mountain Indians of the Nahanni region would travel down the Nahanni River each spring in mooseskin boats to trade the winter take of furs. These boats, based on the Hudson Bay York boats, were up to 20 metres in length. Constructed from six to ten untanned moose hides sewn together and stretched over a spruce pole frame, these boats would transport entire families, their dogs and cargo of furs down the river during high water. Upon arrival the boat was dismantled and the hides traded along with the furs. Following a visit to the forts, these people would return to the high country with only what they could carry on their pack dogs.
The stories of the Naha, and dangerous landscape that they inhabited, grew in stature with the Klondike gold rush as some explorers attempted to use the Nahanni as a path to the famous gold fields of the Yukon, or make their fortune on the Flat and South Nahanni rivers. Although no significant gold was found, legends of haunted valleys and lost gold emerged after the headless corpses of Métis prospectors Willie and Frank McLeod were found around 1908. In the years that followed, mysterious deaths of other prospectors added to the legends. The names of park features such as Deadmen Valley, Headless Creek, Headless Range and the Funeral Range, bear testimony to these stories and legends.
In 1964, explorer parachutist Jean Poirel from Montreal jumped at its source 500 km North of Yellowknife, followed by his teammate Bertrand Bordet. Jean Poirel imagined the idea of going down the river with inflatable dinghies, opening the path to a new “rafting” sport. During the following four consecutive expeditions in the valley Jean Poirel discovered more than 250 caverns. The most important contained 116 Dall sheep’s skeletons (carbon-14 dated to 2500 years Bc); Jean Poirel named it "Valerie Cavern" after his daughter. He took topographic notes and drew detailed maps, paving the way for the park's creation. During his last expedition in 1972, he escorted Pierre Trudeau, who came in person to estimate this superb and fascinating region.
Park history
Originally established in 1972, by then Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau, the park was 4766 km² (1,840 sq mi) in area. The park was in "reserve" status pending settlement of outstanding Aboriginal land claims in the region. In 2003, an agreement between the Dehcho First NationsDehcho First Nations
The Dehcho First Nations is an organization representing the Dene and Métis people of the Northwest Territories, Canada.-Members:*Acho Dene Koe Band - Fort Liard*Fort Liard Métis Local 67 - Fort Liard Métis*Deh Gah Gotie Dene Council - Fort Providence...
and Parks Canada
Parks Canada
Parks Canada , also known as the Parks Canada Agency , is an agency of the Government of Canada mandated to protect and present nationally significant natural and cultural heritage, and foster public understanding, appreciation, and enjoyment in ways that ensure their ecological and commemorative...
gave temporary protection to 23000 km² (8,880 sq mi). In August 2007, the federal government added an extra 5400 km² (2,085 sq mi).
In a novel form of cooperation between federal government and native groups, the Naha Dehe Consensus Team was formed in June 2000 by Canada and the Dehcho First Nations. Their original main tasks included:
1. prepare an Ecological Integrity Statement,
2. complete a review of the Park Management Plan,
3. prepare an Interim Park Management Arrangement, and
4. prepare a Memorandum of Understanding Respecting Park Expansion.
In 2003, these were completed and the purpose of the team changed, now dealing with cooperative management issues, according to the Interim Park Management Arrangement, until the Dehcho Process is completed.
On 9 June 2009 the Canadian Government, with the Dehcho First Nations
Dehcho First Nations
The Dehcho First Nations is an organization representing the Dene and Métis people of the Northwest Territories, Canada.-Members:*Acho Dene Koe Band - Fort Liard*Fort Liard Métis Local 67 - Fort Liard Métis*Deh Gah Gotie Dene Council - Fort Providence...
, announced legislation that will increase the area of Nahanni National Park to cover 30050 km² (11,602 sq mi), including 91% of the Greater Nahanni ecosystem in the Dehcho region and most of the South Nahanni River watershed.
The new park area is estimated to be the home of around 500 grizzly bears, two herds of woodland caribou, as well as species of alpine sheep and goats and other species. The new boundary will include the highest mountains and largest ice fields in the Northwest Territories. With the expansion of the park there have been several added designated landing sites. because most access to the park is done by aircraft and air access is restricted in the park, there are a set amount of places aircraft can land. Before the expansion these were limited to Virginia Falls and Rabbitkettle Lake. Now there are five more; the Bunny Bar, Island Lake, Honeymoon Lake, Glacier Lake, and Seaplane Lake. However, only Virginia Falls and Glacier Lake are designated for Day use visittation, meaning all other sites require visitors to stay overnight in the park.
A visitor centre in Fort Simpson
Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories
Fort Simpson is a village in the Dehcho Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. The community is located on an island at the confluence of the Mackenzie and Liard Rivers...
features displays on the history, culture and geography of the area. The park was among the world's first four natural heritage locations to be inscribed as World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
s by UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
in 1978. The South Nahanni River achieved Canadian Heritage River status in 1987. Presently around 800–1000 people visit the park every year, most of which are overnight visitors who travel down the South Nahanni. The park is open year round, but most visitors come in June, July, and August. Virginia falls is the only area of the park where a reservation is required, which must be done months in advance to prevent overcrowding. For safety reasons, all visitors must register with Park officials upon entering the Park boundarys, and degregister within 24 hours of leaving. There is a park office in Nahanni Butte at the end of the river, where visitors can deregister. The only practical way to get to Nahanni National Park is by floatplane or by helicopter, usually from Fort Simpson but other communities and locations offering a gateway into the park include: Watson Lake
Watson Lake
Watson Lake may refer to:* Watson Lake, Yukon* Watson Lake * Watson Lake * Watson Lake * Watson Lake...
, Muncho Lake, Fort Nelson
Fort Nelson
Fort Nelson may refer to*Fort Nelson, British Columbia, a town*Fort Nelson River*Fort Nelson, Hampshire, a fort in England*Fort Nelson , a fur trading post and the first headquarters of the Hudson's Bay Company near Port Nelson, Manitoba.*Fort Nelson...
and Inconnu Lodge. Some people do hike in from the Tungsten
Tungsten
Tungsten , also known as wolfram , is a chemical element with the chemical symbol W and atomic number 74.A hard, rare metal under standard conditions when uncombined, tungsten is found naturally on Earth only in chemical compounds. It was identified as a new element in 1781, and first isolated as...
road to the west of the park.
The park was the subject of a short film in 2011's National Parks Project
National Parks Project
The National Parks Project is a Canadian music and film project. Released in 2011 to mark the 100th anniversary of the creation of the National Parks of Canada system, the project sent three Canadian musicians and a filmmaker to each of 13 Canadian national parks, one in each province and...
, directed by Kevin McMahon and scored by Shad
Shad (rapper)
Shadrach Kabango , credited as Shad or Shad K., is a Canadian hip hop artist.-Early life:Born in Kenya, of Rwandan parents, Shad was raised in London, Ontario. His mother worked in London as a hospital lab technician; his father, as a machinist...
, Jace Lasek
Jace Lasek
Jace Lasek is a Canadian musician and producer living in Montreal. He and his wife Olga Goreas are the principal songwriters for the Montreal-based indie rock band The Besnard Lakes. Lasek plays guitar, bass, drums and keyboards. He is also the band's lead vocalist.Furthermore, Lasek runs...
and Olga Goreas.
See also
- National Parks of Canada
- List of Northwest Territories parks
- Nuk-lukNuk-lukThe Nuk-luk is a cryptozoological hominid reported in the Nahanni National Park Reserve near Nahanni Butte, Northwest Territories, Canada, between April and June of 1964, by John Baptist, several men, and a boy named Jerry. Several Dene from Fort Liard who were trapping at a river reportedly came...
External links
- Parks Canada
- South Nahanni River
- Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society - Nahanni campaign
- UNEP-WCMC World Heritage site datasheet, Nahanni National Park Reserve
- Northwest Territories Tourism- Nahanni National Park Reserve information
- http://www.ama.ab.ca/westworld/?/articles/nahanni_journal - Canoe trip down Nahanni River