"A Map of Mackenzie's Track from Fort Chipewyan to the Pacific Ocean in 1793", (1801) courtesy Library of Congress.
The Route (so far)
By paddle: 3850km;
By air: 2440km.
Select a section of the route by clicking the map
Our route is that taken by the North West Company explorers of the 1790s and 1800s as they canoed furs from the remote Athabasca region back to Montréal to be loaded onto ships sailing for Europe. Next year's journey to the Pacific will follow Mackenzie's route up the Peace River and over the Rockies. Then we'll "race the roaring Fraser" 1 to Vancouver, British Columbia. It's a jolly long way.
1 Northwest Passage (1981), by Stan Rogers.
Our Itinerary
| Section | From | To | Distance (paddle/air) | Days Active |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ottawa River | 26 Apr | 15 May | 450/370km | 10* |
| Nipissing District | 16 May | 24 May | 214/189km | 7.5 |
| Lake Huron | 24 May | 03 Jun | 287/259km | 9.5 |
| Lake Superior | 07 Jun | 04 Jul | 709/437km | 20 |
| Boundary Waters | 05 Jul | 18 Jul | 397/282km | 12 |
| Rainy River and Lake of the Woods | 21 Jul | 28 Jul | 250/150km | 8 |
| Winnipeg River | 31 Jul | 07 Aug | 257/164km | 6.5 |
| Lake Winnipeg | 07 Aug | 18 Aug | 495/349km | 11.5 |
| Saskatchewan River | 22 Aug | 09 Sep | 354/217km | 9.5 |
| Sturgeon-Weir River | 11 Sep | 22 Sep | 277/178km | 9.5 |
| Churchill River (part 1) | 22 Sep | 25 Sep | 73/68.5km | 3.5 |
| La Ronge Detour (part 1) | 26 Sep | 30 Sep | 90/57.6km | 4.5 |
*Cheating involved.