Canada’s Yukon Territory is a paddler’s dream. Remote wild rivers, many that rarely see humans, offer packrafters an opportunity for true immersion in wilderness. This is a place that requires serious pre-trip preparation, as you may find yourself hundreds of kilometers from the nearest road or settlement.
The Yukon River drains an area of more than 850,000 sq. km., making it the fourth largest drainage basin in North America. There’s no universal agreement as to the source of the Yukon River, but most believe its source to be the Llewellyn Glacier, near Atlin Lake, in northwestern British Columbia. From this point, the Yukon flows for more than 3,200 km. in a broad arc through Yukon Territory and Central Alaska, emptying into the Bering Sea. The divide between the Yukon River basin and the Mackenzie River basin forms the central boundary between Yukon and Northwest Territories.
The Peel River rises in the Ogilvie Mountains in the central Yukon at the confluence of the Ogilvie River and Blackstone River. The Peel and its many tributaries are in turn a tributary of the Mackenzie River, which flows through the Northwest Territories before reaching the Beaufort Sea.
Trip Reports
The Best Packrafting Routes in the Canadian Rockies
Packrafting the Jarvis, Kaskawulsh and Alsek Rivers
Breaking Trail the Packraft Way
Backyard Classic: Watson River Packraft; A Long Time Coming
The Classic Donjek Packraft Route
Kayakanada: A Packraft Adventure on Blackstone and Peel Rivers
Packrafting the Tatshenshini River, September 2021
Packrafting Seagull Creek to the Nisutlin River
Packrafting the Hart and Peel Rivers
A Packrafting Journey over the Hart and Peel River
Packrafting the Little Rancheria River
Upper Watson River Packrafting
High Water Times in the Coast Mountains
Big Creek Exploratory pack rafting in BC and Yukon
Packrafting the South Nahanni Region
The Traverse of the Donjek Rounte in Kluane
Pre-Daddy Donjek Packrafting Trip
Packrafting Hess River from Keele Lake to Mayo
Packrafting Adventure Yukon Wilderness
Packraft exploration of the Tatonduk Valley – Yukon Territory