Moose Hunt Canoe Trip > Wilderness Area
The South Canol Road, Nisutlin River and Teslin Lake
On
our way to the Nisutlin River we
will travel the beautiful wilderness corridor created by the Canol
Highway, which in reality is a mere dirt road through pristine
wilderness. The Canol Highway is actually short for “Canadian Oil” and
was originally built during World War II. It was thought that with the
construction of the Alaska Highway and the presence of the military in
the area a source of fuel was needed. So, a road and pipeline were
built from Norman Wells in the NWT all the way to Whitehorse, Yukon,
where a refinery was built. The total length on the pipeline was an
impressive, 1000 km or 600 miles. Oil actually only flowed for one
year from 1944-1945 before the project was mothballed due to poor
production from the oil fields at Norman Wells. The Canol Road, now
maintained by the Yukon Government during the summer months, is the
only remains of this considerable endeavor.
The Nisutlin River is named for a Tlingit word from the local First Nation language, meaning "quiet waters". This river is just that, gentle and unassuming. However, the beauty of this river is the excellent moose habitat that it travels through. Where the river enters Nisutlin Bay, an eastern-oriented bay attached to Teslin Lake, the sediment carried by the river has formed a
large shallow delta that is a protected habitat area and home to rich bird populations, waterfowl populations and of course lots of moose. The Nisutlin River is also excellent fishing habitat with grayling and northern pike in abundance and your guide may also be able to provide a meal of fresh duck during the canoe trip.
