Canyon Kingdom & More Hiking - 12-Day Raft & Canoe Expedition on the Nahanni River

Truly the icon of Canadian wilderness rivers. The Nahanni flows through a mountainous landscape, over Virginia Falls - nearly twice the height of Niagara – through Canada’s deepest river canyons, past hot springs and geological features so unique that the Nahanni was declared the first World Heritage Site by the United Nations. A few of the highlights are Virginia Falls (Nailicho), the four distinct canyons, Kraus hot springs and more! All Nahanni trips feature our famous Nahanni menu and the opportunity for hiking. We predict you too will fall in love with this regal river with the beautiful name.

This Nahanni River adventure allows you to experience the Nahanni’s “Grand Canyons” and many of the features for which this historic river is renowned. Our Nahanni River 12-day trip covers the same distance as our seven day trip but allows more time for additional hiking and exploring, as well as savoring the beauty of the Nahanni Valley area because… why rush if you don’t have to?

Enjoy two nights at Virginia Falls to hike and photograph this wonder of nature
Fantastic canyon hiking to the top of The Gate
This itinerary allows the most time to enjoy and explore the depths of the canyons
Experience the majesty of Nahanni National Park: Virginia Falls, the canyons, The Gate, Deadmen Valley, Hot Springs with more time to hike, photograph and explore the canyons
The 12 river-day itinerary has an additional day to explore Virginia Falls, at least one additional layover camp and a more relaxed pace than the one-week trip, allowing more time to savour the experience

The South Nahanni River, lying within Nahanni National Park Reserve, is one of the world’s finest wild rivers. Its full 560 kilometre length is now protected. At Virginia Falls, the river cascades down an escarpment to form North America’s most spectacular undeveloped waterfall–twice the height of Niagara Falls. Immediately downriver from Virginia Falls lie eight kilometres of nearly continuous rapids and standing waves created as the Nahanni River flows through Fourth Canyon. Nahanni National Park is home to strikingly diverse landscapes. Four great canyons, up to 1,200 metres deep, line the Nahanni. At Rabbitkettle Hotsprings, warm water radiates outward to form an intricately terraced mound of tufa rock, more than 27 metres high.

The Nahanni River’s reputation as a land of mystery and romance is supported by names like Deadmen’s Valley, Headless Creek, Funeral Range, Burial Range, Hells Gate and Painted Canyon. Inhabited by moose, caribou, Dall sheep, grizzly and black bears and a host of others, the Nahanni River is also rich in human history with legends and lore that are inseparable from its physical beauty. Each of our Nahanni canoeing and rafting expeditions include Virginia Falls, the canyons and the small and isolated First Nation community of Nahanni Butte. All of our Nahanni River canoeing and rafting trips depart from Fort Simpson and include opportunities for hiking.

Duration

11 river days

We follow a 12-day route, travelling over 240 kilometres (150 miles) from Virginia Falls to Nahanni Butte. Over this course, the Nahanni River drops 396 metres (1300 feet), or almost 9 feet per mile.

Availability & Booking

12 Days of Nahanni - 2025 Dates

Sun June 15 - Fri June 27
Sun June 29 - Fri July 11
Sun July 13 - Fri July 15
Aun July 27 - Fri Aug 22
Thurs Aug 14 - Tues Aug 26
Sun June 1 - Fri June 14 (Can be added after the above dates fill)
Sun Aug 3 - Fri Aug 15 (Can be added after the above dates fill)

The first step is to reserve your spot using our online booking request form. Once we receive your booking request, we will contact you to confirm your trip dates.

Location / Where to Meet

Our rendezvous point is Fort Simpson Airport, Northwest Territories.

See FAQ for detailed options on reaching the rendezvous point.

Ages & Requirements

Skill Prerequisites

Rafting: None, beginners welcome
Canoe: Class II whitewater experience

Raft / Canoe / Kayak Combo – Something for Everyone!

We make it possible for any skill level and interest to enjoy the Nahanni. From beginners who would like to raft to white water canoeist. See our prerequisites and contact us for more details. Upon booking, we’ll need to know which craft you prefer (raft or two-person canoe) on your application form. Numbers will indicate how thoroughly we’ll be able to match preferences for craft.

What's Included

You provide your personal gear and we provide the rest: top-quality tents, river gear, safety gear, kitchen and camping equipment and bush plane transportation. Included in your adventure is:

Experienced guides
All river, safety, & kitchen gear
Transportation from the rendezvous point to & from the river
Breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks are included from the Day 1 lunch until the final river meal.

We are the only company to include these great enhancements to the quality of your trip: To maximize your enjoyment and time in the canyons and minimize exposure to bugs, we create more time to enjoy the highlights of the canyons by employing a local power boat to meet us in the Splits and speed us past the slow, final portion to the village of Nahanni Butte, saving an entire day.

In addition, we fly you from the village back to Fort Simpson, for an aerial view of the Liard Valley, further enhancing your time and focus on the best highlights. Two examples of the distance we go to give you the best Nahanni experience possible!

Included Gear

Tent—Mountain Hardwear Trango 3, self-supporting dome tent. Comfortable for two people with some remaining floor space for gear. Our guides will show you how to set up your tent.
Tent bag—communal bags for transporting tents on the raft. Each bag holds three tents.
River bag (dry bag) —115 litre, 30 gal—this is for your clothing and camp gear. When closed properly it provides waterproof protection. We’ve never encountered anyone who couldn’t fit everything they needed in this bag!
Day bag—20 litre, 5 gal– a smaller dry bag for items you’ll want to have easy access to during the day. Waterproof when closed properly. (Note: This is not the same as the “Day pack” listed in section ‘C.OTHER’ of your What to Bring list which you must bring for hiking.)
Boot bag—communal bag for carrying hiking boots during the day (only available on raft trips).
Cooking, eating utensils, tableware— mug provided

Not Included

Pre and post-trip accommodation
Gratuity

We rent the following items:

Rubber boots—$40.00
Pelican professional waterproof camera case — $40.00
Luxury sleeping bag & pad combination for—$130/person + GST.
Pad only $50+ GST. Or for couples get the double-wide sleeping system with luxury pads for $230/couple.

What to Bring / Wear

You'll be responsiblle for personal clothing, footwear, and sleeping bags. You probably already have almost everything you need – we can provide the rest. Getting ready is part of the fun and the following lists are designed to simplify your packing. (See FAQ for a detailed list.)

We use chartered aircraft with limited load carrying capacity. Try to restrict your gear to an effective but lightweight set of outdoor clothing and equipment. If you are in doubt about a certain item of clothing, bring it along and consult with the guides pre-trip. It can always be left behind if deemed unnecessary. We will arrange a place at the departure point for you to leave your travel clothing. Avoid bringing unnecessary valuables such as jewelry.

Day-by-Day Itinerary

DAY 0 – FORT SIMPSON, NWT

Your journey north from your home will be a refreshing departure. You will fly over the largest expanse of wilderness in the world with stunning views on cloudless days, pass through quieter and friendlier airports, and generally begin to immerse yourself in the wilderness experience that is about to unfold. This is the arrival day and is the first day listed for your trip. There are two scheduled flights that arrive in Fort Simpson from Yellowknife.

Please make your way to your hotel and plan to rendezvous with your guides at the meeting point confirmed in your Welcome Aboard package at 8 p.m. for an orientation meeting with the trip leader. There will be a chance for last minute questions concerning clothing, gear, packing and other details.

This is the first date listed for your trip.

DAY 1 – MAJESTIC MOUNTAIN & CANYON FLIGHT

Your trip leader will meet you after breakfast (not included) and transfer you to the float plane base. After loading our supplies and gear into the aircraft we begin one of the major highlights of the adventure – the upriver flight. Flying over the majestic Nahanni Range and Ram Plateau, a visually stunning panorama unfolds in front of our eyes. You want to be sure to have your camera on your lap! Past participants have stepped off the plane declaring that “if the trip finished now, I would have my money’s worth!” Following lunch in camp at Virginia Falls, your guides will provide further briefing with the techniques for living comfortably along the river. The afternoon will be spent enjoying the stunning scenery around Virginia Falls. After a delicious supper you’ll crawl into bed knowing that you are in one of the most scenic places on the planet!

DAY 2 – VIRGINIA FALLS (NÁĮLĮCHO)

This is a day for exploring and photographing the area around Virginia Falls (Náįlįcho), nearly twice the height of Niagara. The vast expanse of the falls captivates photographers and hikers with a tireless display of powerful drama. Keen and fit hikers may undertake an all-day expedition to the top of Sunblood Mountain for an excellent view of the surrounding area. Others can enjoy exploring the expansive area overlooking the brink of the falls.

DAY 3 – PAINTED CANYON

We will make the final portage around the falls. The trail is downhill and well defined. You need carry only what is comfortable for you. Everyone pitches in to carry what they can and we take as long as we need to complete the task. It is impossible to spend too much time at Virginia Falls! We will assemble the boats and, after a late shore lunch and briefing, we will embark in the late afternoon, on an exhilarating run through Painted Canyon, also known as Fourth Canyon. Camp is finally made for the evening below Wrigley Creek.

DAY 4 – THE GATE & PULPIT ROCK

We drift past the confluence of the Flat River and then enter Third Canyon, the walls of which loom 1,200 metres above our heads. This 20 kilometres canyon is created by the river slicing through the mixed strata of shales, sandstones and limestone’s of the Funeral Range. We camp halfway through this canyon near The Gate (Tthetaehtłu ́ah), a 100 metre wide gorge where the walls tower 460 metre above us.

DAY 5 – BIG BEND

In the morning we do a short hike to the top of The Gate (Tthetaehtłu ́ah) and are awarded a magnificent view of Third Canyon and Pulpit Rock. After lunch it’s back in the rafts and on through Third Canyon to camp at Big Bend.

DAY 6 – DEADMEN VALLEY (DAHAEHTTH’Į)

On through Second Canyon and into Deadmen Valley (Dahaehtth’į), where we will stop for a spectacular two hour walk up a dry creek bed for an overview of this immense region. After drifting by Headless Creek, we continue on to Sheaf Creek. Here R. M. Patterson and his partner Gordon Mathews wintered in 1928. We will camp for the night at Deadmen Valley (Dahaehtth’į).

DAY 7 – PRAIRIE CREEK (TŁO DEHÉ)

This may be selected by the trip guide as a layover day. If so you can spend a relaxing day around camp or exploring the massive alluvial fan of Prairie Creek (Tło Dehé). For birders it is the nesting grounds for upland sandpipers, common nighthawks, whitewinged crossbills, chipping and savanna sparrows. Fishermen will find both bull trout and Arctic grayling inhabiting the pools and eddies of the creek.

DAY 8 – INTO THE CANYON KINGDOM

We start the day with a short hike up Dry Canyon, followed by the big waves of George’s Riffle. These rapids are at the western entrance to First Canyon (Ala Tthe Zhíhgojʔa). We will camp near its end at Lafferty Creek.

DAY 9 – LAFFERTY CANYON

We spend the day hiking up Lafferty Creek canyon to view some of the hundreds of caves in the area.

DAY 10 – KRAUS’ HOTSPRINGS (TUŁETSĘĘ)

After the waves of Lafferty’s Riffle, we take a quick dip in Kraus’ Hotsprings (Tułetsęę) before bidding farewell to the canyons and entering the braided channels of The Splits. Here a broad valley is revealed and the surrounding mountains, ridge piled upon ridge, form a dramatic contrast to the enclosure of the canyons. Lush boreal forest bordered by steep ridges form a “storybook” setting.

DAY 11 – GREAT DENE WALL & NAHANNI BUTTE (TTHENÁÁGÓ)

Stopping in the village we will have an opportunity to see this traditional community. Here we board a charter plane for our flight down the Liard Valley back to Fort Simpson (Lįįdłįį Ku ́e). You will need to book accommodation for this final night in Fort Simpson (Lįįdłįį Ku ́e). The group can meet for dinner at a restaurant in town for a final farewell meal and good-bye to your guides (accommodation and meal not included).

DAY 12 – HOMEWARD BOUND

This is the last date listed for your trip. After a relaxing morning and time to look around the Village of Fort Simpson (Lįįdłįį Ku ́e), you will board your homeward plane with a load of fond memories and a relaxed and renewed spirit! Please note: The above 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. We adhere to the departure regulation system of the Park which works to ensure that all river travelers have the same wilderness experience. Under certain conditions (weather, forest fire, plane availability and upriver conditions), it may be necessary to make our upriver flight soon after arrival. On the other hand, we have occasionally found ourselves waiting for safe flying conditions. In any event, we will have supper and find ourselves camped in Ft. Simpson or on the shores of the Nahanni. If we are required to overnight in Fort Simpson you are welcome to camp or take a hotel room. Please note that hotel costs and meals while in Fort Simpson are not included in the trip fee. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks are included from the pre-trip meeting until the final river meal. Any other meals off the river are your responsibility.

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