travel / travel magazine / summer 2007
TenBest
Rivers to paddle
By Max Finkelstein
June 10 is Canadian Rivers Day. To mark it, veteran canoeist Max Finkelstein
lists his favourite Canadian river journeys — so far
SINCE HE FIRST steadied himself in a
tippy red fibreglass canoe at age 16 and
floated with a friend down a river near
Gatineau, Que., Max Finkelstein figures
he's logged some 25,000 kilometres paddling
through Canada, Africa, Australia and
the British Isles. The canoeist and conservationist
has retraced historical water routes
in Canada and regularly commutes by canoe
on the Ottawa River to his day job as a communications
specialist for the Canadian
Heritage Rivers System, our national riverconservation
program. Here are his ten best:
Thelon River (N.W.T./Nunavut)
Sublime
and majestic, the Thelon sweeps out of
spruce-lined valleys into treeless barrens.
You can paddle under the gaze of muskox,
grizzlies on riverbank patrol and herds of
migrating caribou. This is as close as you
can get to pure Pleistocene wilderness.
Mountain River (N.W.T.)
From its humble
origin high in the Mackenzie Mountains,
this river descends like a liquid locomotive,
surging through steep-walled canyons, past
bubbling hot springs and spouting cold springs, until it merges with the mighty
Mackenzie. Spray covers are mandatory!
Bonnet Plume/Wind/Snake rivers (Yukon)
They all flow out of the Mackenzie
Mountains, but each is unique — from wild
(Bonnet Plume) to gentle (Wind), or somewhere
in between. But each takes you
through ranges of alpine meadows, where
grizzlies and Dall sheep roam, and miles of
braided gravel flats, where grayling leap.
West Road (a.k.a. Blackwater) River (B.C.)
It begins as a stream burbling past meadows,
where cattle graze and rainbow trout
gather like leaves in every eddy. It suddenly
drops over waterfalls and boulder-strewn
rapids into black-basalt canyons. The latter
half of its 275 kilometres cuts into B.C.'s
interior plateau, then descends 1,000 metres
on its way to the Fraser. Bring a fishing rod!
Milk River (Alta.)
The Milk River (the colour
of milky tea) cuts across the badlands and
prairies of southern Alberta, before heading
into Montana. Following its waters through
the land of big skies, you can ogle a petropetroglyph
or a prairie falcon on a riverside cliff
or find bleached bison bones. Bring drinking
water and your passport.
Clearwater River (Alta./Sask.)
Stand on the
Continental Divide, as explorer Peter Pond
did in 1778, along the 19-kilometre Methye
Portage, and gaze at the Arctic-bound waters
of this river. It was the main link to the
North for fur traders, and remains a wild
ride over waterfalls, rapids and sandy swifts.
Rivière Rupert (Que.)
A big river in country
full of big rivers. In places, the Rupert
seems to drop out of the sky, rushing, foaming,
leaping and sweeping over standing
waves as tall as apartment buildings. It is
hard to imagine it reduced to a trickle, but
that's what will happen now that Hydro
Québec has begun damming it for power.
Rideau River (Ont.)
Linking Ottawa and
Kingston, the route combines wildlife and
city life, fine restaurants, historic hotels,
quiet lock stations and pastoral scenery,
secluded lakes and backwaters. Here, the
past and present, nature and culture, intermingle.
Bring your credit card!
Yukon River (Yukon)
Swift waters and shifting
sandbars caused the demise of many
dreams. Along its banks lie the wrecks of
luxury paddlewheelers and abandoned goldrush
towns, all framed by magnificent
mountains. Bring your kids. Pan for gold.
Hood River (Nunavut)
Flowing through
lakes, often ice-choked in July, the river
tumbles over rapids and waterfalls on its way
to Bathurst Inlet. The absence of trees and
humans makes those familiar with forested
habitat feel vulnerable. At Wilberforce Falls,
it plunges 50 metres, and intimidation turns
into intoxication. Secure your gear in your
pack, and live in the moment.
For more on the Canadian Heritage Rivers
System and Rivers Day, visit www.chrs.ca.
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