The Hart River is one of the finest Yukon wild rivers for paddling trips. It offers a wide variety of landscapes from beautiful wetland channels to mountains towering above the valley. It is wild, remote, and inspiring. It is also one of the least traveled Yukon rivers. This is what drew six paddling partners to do a nearly three-week, self-guided canoe trip there in July and August 2022.
The 20-day trip began with arrival by bush plane on Elliot Lake, approximately 50 miles from the nearest road. Once dropped off, the only way out was by paddling 190 miles downriver to the prearranged pick-up point-or by satellite- communications-summoned emergency rescue. Once they waved goodbye to the pilot, the group of six paddlers in three tandem whitewater canoes did not see another soul for the next 19 days. So it was a very good thing they all get along well and like each other!
They used their own gear, except for the canoes and some incidentals which were rented from an outfitter in Whitehorse, Yukon. Paddling began with 16 miles down Elliott Creek, which ends in the Hart River, then 164 miles downriver until the Hart ended in the Peel River, followed by
10 miles paddling substantial Class II+ and Class III whitewater on the Peel. While the most challenging whitewater was at the end, the entire trip featured very fast moving current in ice cold water, often with blind corners and dangerous sweepers (down trees) across the river.
The itinerary included six non-paddling days for rest in camp, fishing, laundry, or bush- whacking across bogs, up steep, thickly covered terrain, and over scree fields, to partially scale 5,000- to 6,500-foot mountains to reach stunning views.
While the sky never got dark, the sun did go down over the horizon for a few hours each day before rising again. The paddle was a trip of a lifetime, and it inspired the group to begin planning their next adventure for summer 2023-a three-week trip down the Broken Skull, Nahanni, and Liard Rivers in the Northwest Territories.
As presented by Jeffrey Mead to the Adirondack Mountain Club, Genesee Valley Chapter, Rochester, NY February 8, 2023.