The Remote Canyon Many Adventurers Are Calling ‘Unforgiving’
Most people who visit Nahanni National Park Reserve in Canada never see Scimitar Canyon. It’s hidden in a section of wilderness with no roads or human footprint. The park itself covers more than 30,000 square kilometers of mountains, rivers, and valleys, yet this canyon remains one of its most isolated features.
For the rare few who attempt it, Scimitar proves why it has earned a reputation as one of the most punishing landscapes in North America.
Carved by the Ram River
Image via iStockphoto/David Butler
Scimitar looks like a hallway carved straight through stone. Its cliffs rise nearly 400 meters above a narrow ribbon of water. The Ram River created this gorge as it cut into the Ram Plateau over thousands of years.
Depending on how it is measured, the canyon runs between five and twenty kilometers in length. Beneath the surface lies karst rock that’s riddled with voids that can collapse without warning.
A River That Doesn’t Forgive Mistakes
Inside the canyon, the water is both fast and constricted. At the entrance, the river drops over a 60-foot cascade known as The Slot. Not far downstream, the passage tightens into the Lightning Bolt, a narrow chute where the water surges through a sharp bend.
Kayakers who have seen it describe it as nearly unrunnable, with currents that change without notice. The risk of flash flooding makes it even more dangerous, since rain far upstream can send sudden torrents into the canyon. Once you are inside, the towering walls remove almost every possibility of escape.
Getting There Is an Adventure in Itself
Image via iStockphoto/Eppicphotography
Getting to the Canyon is no simple task either. Nahanni National Park spans more than 30,000 square kilometers of wilderness with no roads leading in. Reaching it requires either a float plane or a demanding backcountry approach.
Most journeys begin in Fort Simpson on the Mackenzie River, where outfitters arrange flights and canoe trips. The Northwest Territories are also massive and cover over a million square kilometers, yet only about 40,000 residents live there. This shows just how isolated Scimitar Canyon really is.
The First Descent Took Years to Happen
Image via Wikimedia Commons/Paul Gierszewski
Perhaps this is why for much of modern history, Scimitar Canyon was a mystery known only to bush pilots, geologists, and a few locals. Explorer Mike Fischesser made several attempts to reach it but never succeeded. It wasn’t until 2017 that a team of kayakers finally managed the first full descent. The group included Ben Marr, Chris Korbulic, and brothers Aniol and Gerd Serrasolses.
Before they could even start, they had to convince Nahanni National Park officials that they had the skills and safety planning to handle such a challenging objective. Once inside, they faced their most serious test at the Lightning Bolt. Their chosen solution was an eight-meter launch from a rock shelf into a shallow surge of water below. It was risky, but it worked.
The team completed the run and later released the short film Inside the Scimitar Canyon, which showed just how intimidating the descent had been. The footage also gave audiences a chance to see a place almost no one will ever enter.