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Canol Heritage Trail

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Coordinates: 63°9′9.1″N 129°55′47.3″W / 63.152528°N 129.929806°W / 63.152528; -129.929806
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Telegraph pole beside Ekwi River

The Canol Heritage Trail is a 355-kilometre-long (221 mi) trail running from Norman Wells, Northwest Territories, through the Mackenzie Mountains, to the Yukon border. Because of its remoteness, length and river crossings, it is considered one of the most challenging trails in Canada.[1] It should only be undertaken by experienced, physically fit hikers.

The trail is in the process of becoming a territorial park[2] and consideration is being given to designate it as a portion of the Trans Canada Trail.

History

The trail follows the route of the Canol Road lying within the Northwest Territories where it is no longer maintained beyond the Yukon border. The road was constructed during the Second World War by the United States Army Corps of Engineers to build and service a pipeline bringing oil from Norman Wells to a refinery in Whitehorse, Yukon. Though built at huge expense the pipeline suffered from shoddy workmanship and technical difficulties. It was abandoned after only thirteen months of operation. Some of the steel pipe and other materials were salvaged but sections of pipe, abandoned equipment, pump stations and other buildings remain along the trail.

Logistics

The trail’s eastern terminus is across the Mackenzie River from Norman Wells requiring arrangements to be made to cross the river by either air or boat. The western terminus can be reached by plane from either Norman Wells or Whitehorse. In summer, it can also be reached by road along Yukon Highway 6/North Canol Road. The road receives minimal maintenance and can be a rough ride up to the Yukon-NWT border where it is no longer maintained and quickly becomes impassable to most vehicles. The western end of the trail is officially the airstrip at Mile 222 in the NWT. The small airstrip at Macmillan Pass near the Yukon border is also used, which brings the total distance to the Mackenzie River to 381 km.

Most hikers will take between 14 and 22 days to complete the trail. There are no services along the trail and, though it has been hiked with no resupply, most people arrange for one to three food drops to be made by aircraft.

There are three major river crossings along the trail in addition to innumerable smaller ones. Crossing the Twitya River, which has turned back many hikers, normally requires swimming or some type of raft to be used.

The trail crosses grizzly bear and black bear habitat, so precautions should be taken.

Environmental legacy

File:Canol-trail-moose-antlers-in-wires.jpg
Hikers find moose and caribou skulls - remains of animals that were caught in wires abandoned when the pipeline was abandoned.

According to the CBC News, after the Americans decided the pipeline was a failure they made no efforts to effect a clean up.[3] They reported that twenty percent of the oil that was pumped into the pipeline at Norman Wells is unaccounted for. They reported that hikers may see moose and caribou skulls - skulls of individuals who caught their antlers in wires abandoned when the pipeline was abandoned.

Other modes of travel

In 2012 the trail was completed in eight days, with no food drops, from Macmillan Pass to the Mackenzie River using mountain bikes and packrafts.[4]

The trail has been traversed by snowmobile and dog team[5] in the winter and by ATV in the summer.[6]

Trail damage from unsuccessful Land Rover attempts in 2009 and 2011 sparked controversy in the Northwest Territories over motorized use of the trail.[7]

Images

  • Abandoned trucks near Mile 222
    Abandoned trucks near Mile 222
  • Pump station at Mile 108
    Pump station at Mile 108
  • Wanagon on the Plains of Abraham
    Wanagon on the Plains of Abraham
  • Graders at Little Keele River
    Graders at Little Keele River
  • Dodo Canyon
    Dodo Canyon
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Canol Heritage Trail.

References

  1. ^ "5 most challenging hiking trails in Canada". Macleans. Retrieved 10 October 2012.
  2. ^ "Current status of the CANOL Heritage Trail Park Reserve".
  3. ^ "WWII-era telephone lines snag N.W.T. moose, caribou: Abandoned 1940s Canol pipeline cleanup still a work in progress". CBC News. 2014-07-08. Archived from the original on 2014-08-16. Retrieved 2014-08-19. The MLA for the Northwest Territories' Sahtu region was disturbed by several unexpected sites along the route: moose and caribou antlers, tangled up in old telephone wires that in some cases hang only inches off the ground. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ "Bikepacking the North Canol Heritage Trail". Retrieved 10 September 2012.
  5. ^ "L'Odyssee Blanche (The White Odyssey)". Retrieved 10 September 2012.
  6. ^ Peterson, Corrine. "The Canol Trail Gang". Village of Hythe newsletter.
  7. ^ Heiberg-Harrison, Nathalie. "Who owns the rights to Mother Nature?". NNSL.

Hawkings, Tim: “Hiker’s Guide to the Canol Heritage Trail”, Government of the North West Territories, 1996.

63°9′9.1″N 129°55′47.3″W / 63.152528°N 129.929806°W / 63.152528; -129.929806

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