Though it's still months away, we should probably start getting an idea of who expects to join the Canol Heritage Trail expedition. I say expedition because this is going to be long 6000km (?) round trip, time consuming (~3 weeks?), and likely rough (washouts and deep water crossings). The timing is expected to be last two weeks of August and the first week of September.
Participant ................... Vehicle
Pete L. ................... D110/300Tdi
Kris M. .................... D110/300Tdi
Dave F. ...................... S109/2.25
Norman .................... D90/200Tdi
Shawn D. ................... S109/2.25
Charlie .................... Unicat U500
Min. required
2 - Chain saw ....................... Kris, Dave F.
2 - Axe .................................. Kris, Dave F., Norman
2 - Ground anchor................. Pete, TBD
1 - Satellite phone ................ Pete
1 - SPOT transmitter ............. Norman
2 - Video camera .................. Pete, Dave F.
3 - Air compressor ................ Kris, Pete, TBD
1 - Welder ............................ Pete
1 - Boat ................................ Mark, TBD
8 - Large ratchet straps ....... Kris, Norman
20 - Small ratchet straps ...... Pete, Norman, TBD
3 - FRS, walkie-talkie, etc ..... Dave F.
2 - Sankey trailer .................. Kris, Mark, Dixon
2 - Traction/bridging plates .. Pete
4 - Winch .............................. Pete, Kris, Mark, Dave F., Shawn
Extension winch cable .......... Pete, Kris, Mark, Norman
http://i647.photobucket.com/albums/uu19 ... _21_43.jpg
At a previous Rover-Landers monthly meeting, there was talk of a trip over the Canol Road. Since I wasn't able to make this month's meeting where this year's event planning was to take place, I was wondering if the Canol was discussed. Has the timing been established? Route? Plan for crossing the deeeeep water....? :shock: Any info for those of us that need to plan in advance for the time off is appreciated.
Thanks,
Pete
Canol Road 2009
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Doc Tari
Canol Road 2009
Last edited by Doc Tari on Fri Dec 04, 2009 8:45 am, edited 35 times in total.
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Dave_F
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Canol
Hi Pete,
Is the Canol Road you are referring to the one in the Yukon? How far up would you go and when? My son and I are planning to drive up to Whitehorse this summer and I have been eyeing this road as a possible circle route. Up to Carmacks then east to Faro on #4, then onto Ross River and back down Canol Road #6, to Johnson's crossing.
Don't know much about the route other than it is very remote, virtually no services, but looks "freakin" incredible as far as scenery and wilderness.
You ever been up there?
Cheers,
Dave_F
Is the Canol Road you are referring to the one in the Yukon? How far up would you go and when? My son and I are planning to drive up to Whitehorse this summer and I have been eyeing this road as a possible circle route. Up to Carmacks then east to Faro on #4, then onto Ross River and back down Canol Road #6, to Johnson's crossing.
Don't know much about the route other than it is very remote, virtually no services, but looks "freakin" incredible as far as scenery and wilderness.
You ever been up there?
Cheers,
Dave_F
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DaveB
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Hi Pete,
I had pencilled in the first 3 weeks of August as a tentative date for the Canol Trail — road being south of Ross River and Trail being north and into the NWT.
Unfortunately Pamela and I are pretty sure this is not our year for that trip. I'd love to go, but you guys will have to go first and build all the bridges for us! :wink:
Dave F, yes it is one and the same, and gets more rugged the further northeast you progress, until it finally disappears somewhere around 80 km into NWT.
cheers, Dave
I had pencilled in the first 3 weeks of August as a tentative date for the Canol Trail — road being south of Ross River and Trail being north and into the NWT.
Unfortunately Pamela and I are pretty sure this is not our year for that trip. I'd love to go, but you guys will have to go first and build all the bridges for us! :wink:
Dave F, yes it is one and the same, and gets more rugged the further northeast you progress, until it finally disappears somewhere around 80 km into NWT.
cheers, Dave
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Doc Tari
DAVE B., YOUR NOT GOING? I thought you were in charge? Uh, anybody got a map...? :wink:
Bridges? I was thinking more like a raft or pontoons. Hardcore! Come to think of it, a nav chart may be more useful than a map. Maybe a Mog? (see picture to the left...)
Dave F., I've been through the area but never on the Canol Road. From what I've read, the road is decent until you reach the NWT border, then it becomes a trail and the fun starts. It's not really seen any use in many years and there are several water crossings, some of which may be kinda deep...
Bridges? I was thinking more like a raft or pontoons. Hardcore! Come to think of it, a nav chart may be more useful than a map. Maybe a Mog? (see picture to the left...)
Dave F., I've been through the area but never on the Canol Road. From what I've read, the road is decent until you reach the NWT border, then it becomes a trail and the fun starts. It's not really seen any use in many years and there are several water crossings, some of which may be kinda deep...
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ANDYD
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Event planning 2009
Hi Pete,
We did table the 2009 Event planning at the last meeting but, alas, we ran out of time (actually we were asked to vacate the room! :shock: )
So we will revisit the event planning at the next meeting.
Sounds like a great trip, the kicker for me is it will probably require 2 to 3 weeks for that kind of distance. What do you estimate for time line?
cheers,
Andy
We did table the 2009 Event planning at the last meeting but, alas, we ran out of time (actually we were asked to vacate the room! :shock: )
So we will revisit the event planning at the next meeting.
Sounds like a great trip, the kicker for me is it will probably require 2 to 3 weeks for that kind of distance. What do you estimate for time line?
cheers,
Andy
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Dave_F
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I figure 3 weeks for our trip...I'm in a Series :lol: I'm thinking of either going up the Stewart Cassiar for a little more scenery, so that adds a day to the junction up, but I think it would a much more interesting run up to the Yukon.
Pete... I've Google Earthed the route I was thinking of going on and didn't see any water crossings? Are they on Canola north of Ross River?
Pete... I've Google Earthed the route I was thinking of going on and didn't see any water crossings? Are they on Canola north of Ross River?
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Doc Tari
Hi Dave,
I was thinking we would try to go from Johnson's Crossing east on Canol Road (#6) and beyond. Over Macmillan Pass and on to Norman Wells. Maybe this link will help: http://canoltrail.tripod.com/ Click on "Trail Info & Map" near the top.
There are several water crossings, one or two may be too deep to walk across or ford. This is where the pontoons come in. Oh, and did I mention the boulders... 8)
Pete
I was thinking we would try to go from Johnson's Crossing east on Canol Road (#6) and beyond. Over Macmillan Pass and on to Norman Wells. Maybe this link will help: http://canoltrail.tripod.com/ Click on "Trail Info & Map" near the top.
There are several water crossings, one or two may be too deep to walk across or ford. This is where the pontoons come in. Oh, and did I mention the boulders... 8)
Pete
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Dave_F
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Dave_F
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I found this from a 1997 trip report...
"Fifty years ago it was possible to drive a vehicle along the Canol Road, from the Mackenzie River near Norman wells to Whitehorse in the Yukon. Today, only the western section of the Canol Road, from Macmillan Pass, at the NWT/Yukon border to Johnsons Crossing on the Alaska Highway, is maintained as a single lane gravel road. The eastern section of the original Canol Road, from the Mackenzie River to Camp 222 near Macmillan Pass, is the part that is now called the Canol Heritage Trail.
"In some parts of the trail the roadbed remains, but for the most part the Trail is a narrow track that follows boulder strewn river beds and steep mountain sides. All the original bridges were either removed at the end of the project or have been destroyed by the fast flowing rivers of the Mackenzie Mountains. Today it is not possible to drive a car or truck along the Canol Heritage Trail.
...just another challenge to the Roverlanders...???
"Fifty years ago it was possible to drive a vehicle along the Canol Road, from the Mackenzie River near Norman wells to Whitehorse in the Yukon. Today, only the western section of the Canol Road, from Macmillan Pass, at the NWT/Yukon border to Johnsons Crossing on the Alaska Highway, is maintained as a single lane gravel road. The eastern section of the original Canol Road, from the Mackenzie River to Camp 222 near Macmillan Pass, is the part that is now called the Canol Heritage Trail.
"In some parts of the trail the roadbed remains, but for the most part the Trail is a narrow track that follows boulder strewn river beds and steep mountain sides. All the original bridges were either removed at the end of the project or have been destroyed by the fast flowing rivers of the Mackenzie Mountains. Today it is not possible to drive a car or truck along the Canol Heritage Trail.
...just another challenge to the Roverlanders...???
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Doc Tari
From what I've read, it seems that the long stretches are pretty easy going, but then there are sections that are rough, and of course there are the fordings.
Are we mere mortals or Rover-Landers? Do we not have the "metal"? Did we give up when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?! :shock: We choose to go Norman Wells not because it is easy, but because it is hard!
FOR PETE'S SAKE, WE DRIVE LAND ROVERS, WE CAN DO IT!
Are we mere mortals or Rover-Landers? Do we not have the "metal"? Did we give up when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?! :shock: We choose to go Norman Wells not because it is easy, but because it is hard!
FOR PETE'S SAKE, WE DRIVE LAND ROVERS, WE CAN DO IT!
Last edited by Doc Tari on Wed Jan 21, 2009 9:26 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Doc Tari
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ANDYD
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Canol Heritage Trail Challenge
Canol Heritage Trail Challenge
Quote...
"The trail runs over 200 miles from Macmillan Pass at the eastern edge of the Yukon Territory to Norman Wells, Northwest Territories.
Macmillan Pass, at the border of Yukon Territory and the Northest Territories, is one end of the Canol Heritage Trail. Here, Yukon Highway 6, the Canol Road, ends and the Canol Heritage Trail begins. In actual fact, another twenty or so miles of the trail may be driven, but only by 4WD vehicles at a recommended maximum speed of 20 MPH."
I guess the first step is to find out what the first obstacle is at the 20km mark (just in case its a big yellow goverment gate!)
For Pete's sake ... the challenge is on!
Quote...
"The trail runs over 200 miles from Macmillan Pass at the eastern edge of the Yukon Territory to Norman Wells, Northwest Territories.
Macmillan Pass, at the border of Yukon Territory and the Northest Territories, is one end of the Canol Heritage Trail. Here, Yukon Highway 6, the Canol Road, ends and the Canol Heritage Trail begins. In actual fact, another twenty or so miles of the trail may be driven, but only by 4WD vehicles at a recommended maximum speed of 20 MPH."
I guess the first step is to find out what the first obstacle is at the 20km mark (just in case its a big yellow goverment gate!)
For Pete's sake ... the challenge is on!
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Dave_F
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LMAO...:lol:
I've been doing some "investigating" and it seems you can easily drive to MacMillan Pass just into the NWT. Then the info gets a little sketchy. It's classified as a Heritage Trail and is considered a difficult hike...25 days with three difficult, deep and fast water crossings. Pictures that I've seen are stunning!!!
I'm thinking if there is a "northern" 4x4 club or association they would be able to help. I've done some webing and so far nothing, but will keep trying. If anyone knows someone up there speak up.
I've been doing some "investigating" and it seems you can easily drive to MacMillan Pass just into the NWT. Then the info gets a little sketchy. It's classified as a Heritage Trail and is considered a difficult hike...25 days with three difficult, deep and fast water crossings. Pictures that I've seen are stunning!!!
I'm thinking if there is a "northern" 4x4 club or association they would be able to help. I've done some webing and so far nothing, but will keep trying. If anyone knows someone up there speak up.
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DaveB
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http://www.motorcycleexplorer.com/
Click on the Yukon and NWT buttons to see the trip and photos they did on the North Canol. I believe they got about 80 KM into the NWT on motorcycles before turning back. I think the Land Rovers can do much better than that.
Not wanting to change the topic, but another interesting trip referred to on this site can be found by clicking the BC link and reading their page on Spatsizi. The railbed they ride here is supposed to go through all the way southeast to Fort St James...
They also have several other side trips off-road in Yukon and Alaska that are worth a look.
Dave
Click on the Yukon and NWT buttons to see the trip and photos they did on the North Canol. I believe they got about 80 KM into the NWT on motorcycles before turning back. I think the Land Rovers can do much better than that.
Not wanting to change the topic, but another interesting trip referred to on this site can be found by clicking the BC link and reading their page on Spatsizi. The railbed they ride here is supposed to go through all the way southeast to Fort St James...
They also have several other side trips off-road in Yukon and Alaska that are worth a look.
Dave
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HeadDamage
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Dave_F
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Dave_F
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Look what I found...
Travelling on the North Canol Road...
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/10468809
I believe this picture was taken around the mid to late 70's, perhaps early 80's.
Travelling on the North Canol Road...
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/10468809
I believe this picture was taken around the mid to late 70's, perhaps early 80's.
Last edited by Dave_F on Wed Jan 21, 2009 7:46 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Doc Tari
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DaveB
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This is turning into an interesting discussion!
so here's a few more things to toss into the mix. From what I've read you have a window from early August until the 15th of September where the rivers are lower and the weather hasn't deteriorated. 6 weeks, basically to do the full trip.
So lets assume that with various bridging equipment, floats, cranes and lifts that Mark is able to build, etc. that we were able to pass the really big water obstacles and get through to Norman Wells. I think we can also assume that theres some fairly good roads down from the mountains into Norman Wells so it wouldn't be a slog the entire distance, but we really don't know.
We've arrived at Norman Wells and discover its 4 hotels, 6 restaurants and 1 bank. Sounds like good fun, but 2 days later, its time to go home.
Some scenarios...
Plan A is to go back the way we came, but... we came through several fierce rivers that just about wiped us out, so we're not too excited about doing that again!
Plan B is to take another road route or trail south. Is there such a thing? Guess we gotta start looking at possibilities.
Plan C we use the marine highway down, by barge from river and lake to lake, until we hit highway again.
Plan D, we try and find a compound to safely stow the trucks for a few months, fly home, and fly back in January and Drive the official ICE ROAD down.
Just a few ideas... I for one don't like to retrace my path, and I think in this case there may end up being some good reason why we don't want to go back the same way we came in.
I'm still very game for the trip, but financially and time-wise with my work right now, I'm trying to be realistic and for us 2010 provides more time to plan and save...
cheers, Dave[/url]
so here's a few more things to toss into the mix. From what I've read you have a window from early August until the 15th of September where the rivers are lower and the weather hasn't deteriorated. 6 weeks, basically to do the full trip.
So lets assume that with various bridging equipment, floats, cranes and lifts that Mark is able to build, etc. that we were able to pass the really big water obstacles and get through to Norman Wells. I think we can also assume that theres some fairly good roads down from the mountains into Norman Wells so it wouldn't be a slog the entire distance, but we really don't know.
We've arrived at Norman Wells and discover its 4 hotels, 6 restaurants and 1 bank. Sounds like good fun, but 2 days later, its time to go home.
Some scenarios...
Plan A is to go back the way we came, but... we came through several fierce rivers that just about wiped us out, so we're not too excited about doing that again!
Plan B is to take another road route or trail south. Is there such a thing? Guess we gotta start looking at possibilities.
Plan C we use the marine highway down, by barge from river and lake to lake, until we hit highway again.
Plan D, we try and find a compound to safely stow the trucks for a few months, fly home, and fly back in January and Drive the official ICE ROAD down.
Just a few ideas... I for one don't like to retrace my path, and I think in this case there may end up being some good reason why we don't want to go back the same way we came in.
I'm still very game for the trip, but financially and time-wise with my work right now, I'm trying to be realistic and for us 2010 provides more time to plan and save...
cheers, Dave[/url]
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HeadDamage
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DaveB
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From what I've there is regular ferry/barge service that can be arranged to the other side of the Mackenzie, so if thats all thats stopping us, I don't think its that big of deal. I think the challenges getting from Mile 150 down to Mile 0 and all the washouts, water-crossings and hazards that exist just getting to the Mackenzie River.
Dave
Dave
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HeadDamage
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There is no road from or two Norman Wells other than the ice road in the winter. If we drive in the Canol we have to drive out the way we came. Unless we have the trucks all barged out to Hay River.
[edit] Transportation
Norman Wells is accessible by navigating the Mackenzie River, in summer, or by driving over the winter ice road, December to March, that connects with Wrigley and Fort Simpson.[5] The most common method of travel into Norman Wells is by air via the Norman Wells Airport and the town is connected with both Yellowknife and Inuvik.[5] Scheduled flights are provided by Canadian North and North-Wright Airways. In the summer floatplane access to the town is possible at the Norman Wells Water Aerodrome. There is an annual sealift to the town by Northern Transportation Company Limited from Hay River.[5] Other aviation companies that have a presence in the community include Canadian Helicopters and Sahtu Helicopters.[9]