Burnside River Raft

Guaranteed wildlife and Arctic adventure!

The Wildlife River - Guaranteed wildlife and Arctic adventure! See caribou, muskox, grizzly and wolves as well as rough-legged hawks, golden eagles and gyrfalcons. Hike through rolling tundra, cross the Arctic Circle and experience an isolated wilderness gem. Be among the few to visit this incredible tundra river. The raft trips are timed to coincide with the historic Bathurst Caribou migration.

Itinerary

Route Description: High Arctic Tundra River - 12 river days, from the outlet of Kathawachaga Lake to the portage at Burnside Canyon near Bathurst Inlet, approximately 205 km (130 mi) with an elevation drop of 385 (1275 ft). Region: NWT and Nunavut

Craft Description: Raft

Prerequisite: Beginner

The following is a tentative agenda and has been designed with much thought to capitalize on the most scenic and exciting parts of the river while making time on other sections. Your guides will adjust the schedule to make the best use of river and weather conditions.

Day 1: This is the arrival day and the first day listed for your trip. You should plan to arrive in Yellowknife, NWT for our pre - trip orientation meeting which will be held in the Explorer Hotel at 8 p.m.

Day 2: 8 am - Meeting in the hotel lobby after breakfast. Weather permitting, we will fly immediately into the river. After setting up camp and lunch, there will be plenty of time for our first hike in the surrounding hills to look at the wild flowers and wildlife of the area.

Day 3: We will inflate and load the rafts and start down river. Shortly after leaving Kathawachaga Lake we stop on the small island of Nadlock, the site of an old Inuit campsite. One of the few sites of its kind in Nunavut, it is believed that the Inuit used caribou antlers and hide to cover the stone tent rings that are still standing. The island also has an uncommon collection of nesting birds - ring-billed gulls, arctic terns, redpoles, yellow-billed loons, oldsquaws, red necked phalaropes, Canada geese plus many others. Camp will be made near Bellanca Rapids. This rapid was named after an aircraft that crashed near here in the 1940's - a Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker.

Day 4: We will spend a day hiking and exploring the hills around the rapids. It is common to see musk oxen, caribou, and wolves as there is an active wolf den in this area.

Days 5 and 6: Back on the river the current picks up as we wind our way downstream through the spectacular tundra landscape. The birders of the group can look forward to seeing both Peregrine and Gyrfalcons nesting along with Golden Eagles and countless ducks and water fowl. We also keep a constant lookout for caribou, wolf, grizzly and of course musk oxen. The landscape always lends itself to hiking, whether it is on our once-a-day stop for a short walk away from the river or from each campsite. This allows you plenty of time to study the numerous wild flowers, find and photograph a redpole's nest hidden in the grass, or just enjoy the view.                                                Photo Credit:  Terry Parker

Day 7: We take the day off to hike and explore the tundra. We are camped at a small unnamed river that flows into the Burnside from the south that we call Fishing Creek. As well as excellent hiking, it is one the best fishing locations on the river.

Days 8 and 9: Arriving at the confluence of the Mara River, we will spend a day here walking up a local peak to wonder at the vastness of the valley. Being above the tree line, wood on the river is scarce to non-existent. All our cooking is done over propane stoves and we try to leave each camp in the pristine state that we found it.

Days 10 and 11: From the confluence of the Mara to Burnside Falls the river is squeezed between the narrowing banks that rise 180 to 215 meters (600 - 700 ft.) off the water. The river starts to speed up and we keep a constant eye out for musk oxen, wolf or grizzly. We cross the Arctic Circle, the earthly line above which the sun is visible for twenty-four hours for at least one day during the summer months. Camp is made at Burnside Falls.

Day 12: We will spend the day around Burnside Falls. You will get a chance to wander the tundra and hike the canyon to the Burnside estuary. The river here is forced through a narrow chasm of red and white quartzite carving a four mile canyon as it drops over the escarpment formed by the Wilberforce Hills. It is an ideal place for hiking, exploring, fishing or relaxing.

Day 13: The rendezvous with the Twin Otter for the homeward charter is unique and exciting. Two Inuit men cross Bathurst Inlet in a boat and then travel overland by an all terrain vehicle to meet us. They tow a traditional komatik (like a big sled) behind the ATV. With this they haul our gear approx 2 km to the top of a nearby esker. Here it is possible to land a Twin Otter on wheels. We follow on foot and explore the region of the esker until the aircraft arrives.

Weather permitting, we will be picked up by our chartered "Twin Otter" and flown back to Yellowknife. You would be best not to count on getting a flight home this day in case we are weathered-in. Arrangements can be made to stay on one of the local hotels or you can camp just outside of town. This will allow you time to visit Yellowknife.

Day 14: You board your flight for home.