Trekking to the Glacial Headwaters

June 19-28
The expedition team will begin their journey with a challenging climb in Jasper National Park to the Athabasca's glacial headwaters that flow from the icefields surrounding Mount Snow Dome.

The expedition team will begin their journey with a challenging climb of Mount Snow Dome in Jasper National Park, the source of the Athabasca's glacial headwaters.

Precipitation falling on Mount Snow Dome may travel to any of the three oceans that border Canada's landmass, making Mount Snow Dome the hydrological apex of North America. The Columbia Glacier, which flows from the northwestern side of Mount Snow Dome, is an extremely broken icefall that forms the true headwaters of the Athabasca River.

Upon descending from the climb, the expedition team will hike from the headwaters to the Sunwapta River confluence — approximately five days in some of the most remote wilderness in Jasper National Park.

Paddling Protected Waters

June 29 - July 3

Expedition members will test their advanced whitewater navigational skills on class II-IV rapids when they launch their canoes into the waters of Jasper National Park. Their paddle will become easier as the river begins to slow at Old Fort Point near the Jasper town site, although their view of the river bottom will remain clouded by the turbidity caused by glacial silt in the water.

Snowmelt and glacial water from the Columbia Glacier, the Athabasca Glacier, and many other moderately-sized rivers and creeks in Jasper National Park collectively drain from an area covering nearly four-fifths of the park into the Athabasca River.

Navigating Development, Past and Present

July 4 - 30

The second portion of the canoe journey will take the expedition members from the park boundary through Hinton, Whitecourt, Fort Assiniboine and finally Smith/Hondo, where the river takes a southerly bend towards the Town of Athabasca. As the team paddles past the boundary of Jasper National Park, the river's flow continues to slow, providing ample time to view the effects of human development and the Alberta forest industry along the river's edge. From here, camping along the river will frequently be limited to islands and suitable shoreline.

Just after the town of Athabasca, the team will paddle through a second major bend as the river returns to a northerly flow. This winding river feature was an important fur trade era stopping point, as travellers from eastern Canada would portage from Fort Edmonton and the North Saskatchewan River in order to access rich northern fur producing territory.

Further along the route to Fort McMurray, the team will confront a notorious class VI whitewater feature know as the Grand Rapids — an area designated as a Provincial Wildland. Here, the river drops a whopping eleven metres in less than 1.6 kilometres as the water rushes through boulders in a narrow sandstone channel formed by erosion over the past 110 millions years. During the fur trade, the Hudson's Bay Company considered these rapids one of greatest obstacles along its main northern trade route. The team will hear the rumble of the rapids' rushing waters up to nine kilometers away, which will serve as a warning of their approach to this dangerous feature. Like early travellers before them, the team will portage the Grand Rapids by carrying their canoes up the steep muddy bank.

Exploring a Tenuous Scenario: Ecological Balance and Industry in the Boreal Region

July 31 - August
The team will continue their journey by navigating a series of portages and whitewater stretches that will carry them into the northern boreal forest before coming upon the city of Fort McMurray. Muskeg dominates the landscape in this section of boreal forest, acting as a giant sponge storing vast quantities of water. Muskeg wetlands provide essential plant, wildlife and insect habitat, and serve as a vitally important water purification system that is both natural and free. Yet, despite the ecological importance of this area, the boreal is under threat as a result of industrial activities in the region.

Oil and gas development — notably oil sands mining — is having significant impacts on the rich muskeg and broader boreal ecosystem. Oil sands operations use vast quantities of water from the Athabasca River to extract the tar-like bitumen and turn it into synthetic crude oil (approximately 2 to 4.5 barrels of water for every barrel of oil produced). As the extraction process pollutes the water with oil and chemical residues, it must be contained within vast tailings ponds to avoid contamination of the watershed, Additional impacts, including the destruction of vast tracts of boreal forest, emissions of climate change pollutants.

As the expedition team travels through the oil sands, they will be joined by concerned Albertans, First Nations representatives and others in a flotilla connecting people to this most threatened area of the river. You are most welcomed to join us for this important gathering with your own canoe. 

[More on oil sands impacts]

Drawing to a Close: Into the Delta

August 7-15

Continuing beyond the Fort McMurray area, the team will paddle into the Peace-Athabasca Delta. At this stage, the river will more than double in width, become braided and slow moving. The team will take the only possible route through this unique, reedy marshland — no road crosses through the delta. The delta supports an abundance of wildlife; the team is likely to see nesting waterfowl, as well as beaver and muskrat for which the area was well-known in the fur trade era. The team's paddle through the delta and arrival into the oldest community in Alberta, Fort Chipewyan — which rest on Canadian shield rock — marks the final milestone in their two-month journey along the length of the Athabasca.