Paddling in Aulavik National Park

Aulavik sits on the northern end of Banks Island in the Northwest Territories, reachable only by charter aircraft out of Inuvik, roughly 750 kilometres to the southwest.

The park protects more than 12,000 square kilometres of arctic lowlands, and its paddling is built around a single river that defines the entire experience.

The Thomsen River is one of the most northerly navigable waterways in North America and holds Canadian Heritage River designation. It runs 160 kilometres north through the park, Class 1 throughout — no rapids, no portages, no obstructions.

The current is slow and the valley broad, which means paddlers move at the pace of the tundra around them.

Trips typically put in near the park's southern boundary, or at the headwater lakes, or at Green Cabin, and take out at Muskox River or Castel Bay on M'Clure Strait.

Plan on two to three weeks on the water, which also leaves room for weather days and hiking the river corridor. Timing matters more here than on almost any other river.

The Thomsen can stay iced over into mid-June, and by early August the lower reaches may be too shallow to float a loaded canoe. The window is late June to late July, riding the spring freshet after ice-out.

Miss it in either direction and the river may not cooperate. Anyone entering the park — including all marine areas — requires authorization from Parks Canada, normally through a visitor use permit.

Fishing in park waters is permitted only by angling; check with Parks Canada in Inuvik for current regulations before you go.

Campfires are not permitted anywhere in the park, so bring a camp stove and fuel — purchase it in Inuvik, since scheduled aircraft won't carry it.

There are no designated campsites; you can pitch anywhere except at archaeological sites, and everything you carry in comes back out with you. Canoe rentals are available in Inuvik for those flying in independently.

The park's isolation is real: search and rescue operates out of Inuvik, response times can run a day or more depending on weather and aircraft availability, and self-sufficiency is not optional.

The Thomsen doesn't ask much of your paddle strokes — it asks everything else.