About the River
The river flows over 500 km from its headwaters in the Mackenzie Mountains and drops over 4,000 vertical feet in swifts, rapids, and waterfalls. It is home to caribou, bison, grizzly and black bears, Dall sheep, and moose. A mountainous wonderland with breathtaking canyons, a magnificent waterfall, diverse wildlife and exciting paddling on a fast-flowing river await you.
For over 40 years, Black Feather has run guided, outfitted canoe trips throughout the Nahanni National Park Reserve (NNPR). We are proud to offer a wide variety of trip options that match different skill levels and interests. Our trips in this region range from 10 days to four weeks.
In 2007, after a ten year effort by Parks Canada, local First Nations, groups such as CPAWS, scientists, outfitters including Black Feather and thousands of individual Canadians, it was decided to further extend protection to encompass the entire Nahanni watershed. In 2009, the Canadian federal government announced legislation increasing protection of the watershed from 4,766 km2 to over 30,000 km2, a process which was finalized in December 2014. “Nááts’ihch’oh” (pronounced Nah tseen cho) was the name given by the Sahtu Dene Elders to this new National Park, which borders the Nahanni National Park Reserve. In the Dene language, nááts’ihch’oh means “stands like a porcupine”, referring to the surrounding mountains’ unique shape, which is sharp and pointed on the top.