2025: July 18 - 29 or July 29 - Aug 11
104 km (64 miles)
$14, 910 CAD + 5% gst
12 days
Canoe
Novice to Intermediate
Yellowknife, NWT
The Elk River lies on the tundra in the south-central Barren Lands and is one of the most remote places left in the world. It is a main tributary of the fabled Thelon River. The 65 mile long route is a mixture of lake and river paddling. The Elk has some of the largest and most beautiful eskers in the Barren Lands, and we’ll certainly be taking a number of hikes in these very scenic places. In fact, at least half of our campsites will be on eskers fronted by white sandy beaches.
The topography of the Elk is very hilly. The landscape, however, is dominated by a number of significant sandy eskers, up to 200 feet in height. Although the Elk lies on the tundra well north of the treeline (edge of the forest), there are clumps and stands of spruce along its entire length. Spruce are most numerous in sandy areas, especially along the eskers, where they can reach three feet in diameter and be close to 1,000 years in age.
The eskers along the Elk River are the most prominent topographical features in the region. Eskers are the scenic crown jewels of the Barren Lands and some of the largest and most spectacular in the world can be found on the Elk River. Eskers are inverted beds of long-dead rivers that form a single ridge of sand and gravel, formed under melting glaciers 9,000 years ago. The scenery and vegetation along our route is varied and beautiful.
The Elk River is rich in wildlife and arctic birds. This is a great trip to spot Muskoxen, usually between a few and 30 animals. We often see moose on this trip, sometimes black bears and grizzly bears. Wolves are another possibility on this adventure, and have been seen on recent Canoe Arctic Inc. trips here. Small mammals include red squirrel, arctic ground squirrel, otter, weasel, arctic hare and red fox.
The Elk has superb fishing for Arctic Grayling – most rapids are full of them. Lake trout up to 25 lbs have also been caught on this trip in the past.
By the dates of this trip, it’s starting to get dark around 10 pm. And with the darkness may come some good displays of northern lights.
We’ll also find several archaeological sites on this trip, some of which may be thousands of years old. Cultural artifacts which we’ll look at but leave as they lie include tent rings, arrowheads, spear points, stone knives and numerous tipi poles. Today, the Elk River and surrounding region are completely uninhabited and remain one of the most remote areas of pristine wilderness left anywhere in the world.
Contact us at (867) 445-4512 to chat about joining this adventure of a lifetime in the Northwest Territories!
For birders looking for a canoe trip to take advantage of the spring migration, check out our Taltson River canoe trip!
PB is quite a character, would go with him again for sure.
What a great experience! Our guide PB did an excellent job scouting and navigating by the maps.
Departing from Yellowknife, we'll start this canoe trip on the Elk River, where we will land in our float plane on Day 1. We will not likely travel far, if at all, on the first day of this trip. We'll set up camp and begin to take in our beautiful wilderness surroundings. During this evening and others on this trip, participants will have plenty of time to pursue their interests whether they be photography, fishing, hiking, birding, swimming or just taking a nap.
More than half of our campsites are likely to be on big eskers which present wonderful hiking opportunities. Exquiste white, sandy beaches will front our campsites that are ideal for swimming. The eskers along the Elk River are the most prominent topographical features in the region.
The scenery and vegetation along our route is varied and beautiful. The landscape is hilly, dominated by eskers and keeps changing every day so that it's anything but repetitive. And the water in the Elk River is crystal-clear, as pure as any water on Earth. There's nothing within hundreds of miles to pollute it.
Our float plane arrives around noon to take us back to Yellowknife. We say goodbye to the Elk River and some of the largest and most beautiful eskers in the Barren Lands. Back in Yellowknife, we meet up for a farewell dinner and cold beers (after hot showers)!
– Charter flight from Yellowknife to the Elk River, return
– Shuttles from the airport when in Yellowknife, NWT
– Certified guides with a maximum ratio of 5:1
– Expedition canoes
– Paddle, lifejacket, and paddling helmets
– Group gear for each expedition (tarp, kitchen equipment, utensils, water filtration, etc)
– Expedition first aid kit and canoe repair kit
– Emergency satellite phone, two-way radios for guide staff
– Expedition tent (based on double occupancy, extra fee for solo)
– Hearty and nutritious meals including snacks while on trip
– Group will be limited to 10 participants + 2 guides
– Off-river accommodations in Yellowknife or Edmonton.
– Commercial flights to and from Yellowknife
– Personal gear including drybag, sleeping bag, sleeping pad (avaliable for rent)
– Meals in Yellowknife before and after the trip (Day 1 Breakfast and Day 12 Dinner)
– Gratuity for guides
– Wine or spirits
– Insurance including evacuation, medical and trip cancellation
– Northwest Territories fishing licence available online
Really good. We’ve fine-tuned a delicious, nutritious and well-balanced backcountry menu of unique and tasty dishes from years of expedition tripping – and look forward to sharing it with you. Our flexible menu can accommodate vegetarian and gluten-free preferences, and will be tailored in advance for participants on each trip. Guests are always welcome to join guides in cooking and learn to cook our authentic, backcountry recipes.
Breakfast will include fresh fruit and a main course, like eggs and bacon or blueberry pancakes. Lunch features locally-smoked sausages, fruit, hummus, salads, breads and naan with a spread of cheese, jams, and a variety of nut butters. Dinner will offer an hors d’oeuvres, main course, and dessert! Snacking will take place throughout the day.
“Five-star campsites, with gourmet meals included” – Dave S, USA
You bet!
We are proud show off our local fresh fish recipes while on trip. There is good fishing for arctic grayling at the base of rapids and lake trout in the many lakes.
Jackpine Paddle is excited to offer Barren Ground Coffee on all of our paddling tours. Barren Ground Coffee locally-roasts fair trade and organic speciality coffee, 5 kilos at a time, on a beautiful craft roaster in Old Town, Yellowknife. Thanks to our partners at Barren Ground Coffee, we look forward to serving you the freshest roasted coffee in the Northwest Territories.
“We picked wild blueberries to top of the cheesecake” – Sophia D, Canada.
The Elk is a small to medium-sized river on the Canadian Shield with scattered small lakes and river sections between these lakes. There’s plenty of river paddling on this trip with about four dozen short, and short shallow, rapids. These are all class 1 and 2 rapids except the five or six we’ll portage. This is not a technical river but whitewater experience will be an asset. Good flat-water canoeing skills are a prerequisite for this river.
“Our guide was always thinking, keeping the abilities of his clients in the forefront” – Kim M, USA
A detailed personal clothing and gear checklist , specific to your trip,
will be emailed to you in a registration email.
Check out the Youtube videos below with our tips and advice for packing your gear and personal clothes:
Essential Gear – Packing Tips for a Canoe or Kayak Trip
Clothes & Outwear – Packing Tips for a Canoe or Kayak Trip
Before you register for an expedition, please ensure each participant for whom you will be submitting a deposit payment (including yourself) has carefully reviewed the following:
– our Safety & Risk Awareness webpage
– information on your trip webpage (inclusions, exclusions, dates, etc)
– our Liability Waiver
Once you have reviewed the information above and you are comfortable with proceeding, we require a 10% deposit of the trip fee and online booking form completed, done through the “Book Now” button on the trip webpage.
Your trip deposit is fully refundable up to 90 days prior to your expedition start date. On this date, your remaining trip fees are due and all payments become non-refundable.
Once your expedition is within 90 days of departure we are unable to offer a refund for any reason if you cancel your participation.
Please read carefully: Should your expedition departure have to be cancelled, postponed or altered by a force majeure (including but not limited to: weather, poor visibility, or mechanical breakdown causing delayed or cancelled charter flights or helicopter journeys, fire, flood, pandemic, highway closures, community evacuations, ongoing or newly introduced travel ban or government statement), Jackpine Paddle and its partner operators are not obligated to provide a refund or offer alternative travel services.
We strongly encourage you to purchase:
1) Emergency Medical/Evacuation Insurance,
2) Trip Interruption Insurance and
3) Trip Cancellation Insurance – so that you are covered in the event of an unexpected change of plans.
To review our complete Terms & Conditions for Booking, Payment, and Cancellation – please click here.
Yellowknife is served by direct flights from southern hubs such as Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver with Air Canada, Westjet and Canadian North.
Age is a mindset, and canoeing is an activity that is truly for everyone. Age is not important. What counts is your spirit and that you are reasonably fit. We have had people paddle with us in their early nineties.
tundra swan, red-throated loon, common loon, long-tailed jaeger, parasitic jaeger, Arctic tern, herring gull, American Robin, Northern Pintail, long-tailed duck (oldsquaws), scaups, bald eagle, willow ptarmigan, various sandpipers, common raven, rough-legged hawk, merlin, gyrfalcon, peregrine falcon, American golden plover, cliff
swallow, northern shrike. white-footed goose, common merganser, white-crowned sparrow, fox sparrow, lapland longspur, golden eagle, semipalmated plover
If you are a single paddler, you are more than welcome to join us on one of our trips.
There are additional fees if you opt for a solo tent, or local accommodations when provided – as these are based on double-occupancy.
Our trips typically have 2-3 guests who are traveling alone, so you will have the opportunity to meet and paddle with other like-minded individuals. Our guides are skilled at organizing paddling partners based on skill level and personality, ensuring that each trip is safe and enjoyable for all.
One of the best parts of our guided trips is the chance to meet and get to know other paddlers. We hope to see you on one of our trips soon.
If you have questions, we are happy to answer them!
You can get in touch with us at the bottom of this page, or at info@jackpinepaddle.com.
To check out our detailed Getting Started trip planning resource, click here!
62°52’N 105°31’W
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62°09’N 111°52’W
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69°51’N 126°56’W
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62°59’N 129°01’W
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