Porcupine River Canoe Expedition

Flowing south from Selwyn Lake on the Northwest Territories border, the Porcupine River carves through the remote taiga of the Selwyn Lake Upland — a land known to the Dene as the “Land of Little Sticks.” Here, the boreal forest gives way to rugged granite ridges, ancient eskers, and gorges so dramatic they feel almost alpine. This is the North at its most elemental: water, rock, sky, and silence.

Over twelve unforgettable days, you’ll paddle 150 kilometres through clear, fast water punctuated by waterfalls, deep canyons, and thrilling whitewater runs. Some rapids invite play; others demand respect — and portage. Each night, camp along crescent beaches or among stunted spruce beneath a sky streaked with northern light. Few others ever travel this far north, so it’s likely you’ll have the entire river to yourselves — just you, your small group, and the rhythm of the current.

Along the way, your guides share the deep history of this country — the Dene “Caribou Eaters” who once hunted these valleys and named this river, the geologic story written in billion-year-old stone, and the delicate balance of life in the subarctic. You may spot moose grazing along the shallows, golden and bald eagles circling above, or perhaps a black bear wandering the shore.

By journey’s end, most paddlers describe not just awe at the landscape, but a deep sense of renewal — the quiet realization that wildness still has the power to restore us.