Yukon Wilderness Mountain Biking > Wilderness Area
The South Canol Road, Lapie Lakes and the Pelly Mountains
On
our way to the Lapie Lakes and our mountain wilderness base-camp 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.
Quiet
Lake, where we will stop for lunch on the way, is nestled in the Pelly
Mountains. The lake is deceptively named as winds can quickly whip up
waves and create anything but a “quiet lake”. After Quiet Lake we will
travel north gaining in elevation along side the scenic Rose River. As
we climb our chances of seeing caribou, moose, sheep or even grizzly
bears increases as the density of the growth decreases and we get
clearer views of the surrounding mountains. Frequently a little time
spent with the binoculars yields sheep sightings.
The Lapie Lakes, where are base-camp will be located, are known for the quality of lake trout that grow in their cold, clear waters. Arctic grayling, another favorite species among Yukon anglers, populates the Upper Lapie River in such quantities that you literally paddle over schools of them as you drift down the river. The lower Lapie River, which we will mountain bike along, but not paddle, is well-known for its exciting whitewater and stunning beauty. The watershed has a healthy population of moose, grizzly bear, wolf, caribou, beaver, and more. The Lapie River watershed flows through the traditional territories of, the Kaska Dena. The surrounding mountains, known as the Pelly Mountains, were names so by Robert Campbell, another famous early traveler of the Yukon, in honour of Sir John Henry Pelly, a former governor of the Hudson’s Bay Company.
The
community of Ross River, where our trip ends, is the home of the Ross
River Dena Council and its citizens are mostly of Kaska First Nation
origin.
Historically, First Nations people used and area near, but not at Ross
River, as a seasonal gathering place. By the early 1900s prospectors
started arriving seeking their riches, and by 1903 a trading post was
opened in the area. In the early 1940s, the United States army built
the Canol Pipeline, from Norman Wells in the Northwest Territories to
Whitehorse, Yukon, increasing visitors to the area. The Canol Road,
built simultaneously with the pipe-line opened the Ross River area to
overland traffic and for administrative purposes the Yukon Government
in the 1960's relocated the community to its current location, on the
shores of the Pelly River opposite the inflow of the Ross River.
On the way home we will travel the Robert Campbell Highway with views of first of Big Salmon Lake and then the majestic Yukon River.
