Aha! Adventure - Clearwater River, SK/AB

Dates: June 27-July 9, 2024

​

Cost: $3500 plus gst

​

Join us on one of Canada’s heritage rivers which was made famous with the fur trade and early explorers. From Fort McMurray we’ll take a float plane to the starting point at Careen Lake where we will portage to the river. The river journey will include spectacular canyons, scenic waterfalls, numerous portages, boulder-strewn rapids and scenic wilderness campsites. We will hike a portion of the Methye portage which was the fur trade link from the Churchill system to the Athabasca. Smoothrock Gorge, Skull Canyon and Whitemud Falls are explored on the route and we hope fresh fish will be on the menu! At the end of the trip, we will take a motor boat shuttle from the last rapid back to Fort McMurray.

 

There will be a pre-trip meeting via Zoom.  After you register, you will receive an email when this will occur.  At the pre-trip meeting, you will meet your group and we will discuss clothing selection, food planning, packing techniques, meals and travel logistics.

 

All of our Aha! Adventure trips are "community catered".  All participants and guides take their turn providing and cooking breakfasts and suppers on the trips. Everyone looks after their own lunches and snacks. This is a fun way to share, try new meals and learn how to bake and cook in the backcountry. Guides will help at every meal and give you lots of assistance! 

 

Prerequisites: You need to have intermediate canoe skills for this trip and be comfortable paddling class 2 rapids and proficient at doing eddy turns and forward ferries. You should also have a good fitness level for the portages.  Come join one of our spring canoe courses!

 

Cancellation Policy:  A $500 non-refundable deposit is required to register. The balance is due 30 days before the trip start date. No refunds on or after this date. We recommend trip cancellation insurance.

​

Itinerary:

June 27: We will either meet just outside of Edmonton (location TBA) if you would like to join the van or you can meet at the floatplane base (https://maps.app.goo.gl/ufm7QSAb5pxnEBAy6 ) in Fort McMurray by 3pm.  We hope to get a flight to the river the same day if possible.  If the weather is not favorable, we will camp and fly out the next morning.  We will be dropped off at Careen Lake and portage to the river where there is excellent fishing.

June 28– July 7:  Enjoy 10 full days of paddling the Clearwater.  We will enjoy this rugged river with scenic waterfalls and a hike on the Methye portage which is part of the famous fur trade route that connected the east to west.   The river has numerous exciting rapids and ledges to navigate.  We will have a few portages to get around some of the larger rapids and waterfalls. 

July 8:  We will be picked up by a motor boat and shuttled back to Fort McMurray. We will enjoy a nice supper in Fort McMurray and camp for the night at Gregoire Lake Provincial Park (showers available).

July 9: Drive the rest of the way home.

​

Cost Includes:

• Safety equipment (throwbags, first aid kit, emergency communication)

• Group camping gear (tarp/shelter etc.)

• Group cooking equipment (pots, stoves, utensils, fuel)

• Experienced and qualified guides

• All canoe gear (canoes, paddles, pfd's)

• Floatplane for the put-in and a motor boat shuttle at the last rapid

 

Transportation Details:

You can meet the group in Fort McMurray, or you can come in the van from Edmonton where there will be parking for your vehicles.

 

Medical Form and Waiver:

In order to participate in this trip, you are required to fill out all your registration and medical information.

​

EMERGENCY EVACUATION AND TRIP CANCELLATION: In rare cases, if you have an emergency and need to be evacuated from the trip, you will be responsible for any extra charges.  The quickest way to get off our remote trips is via floatplane or helicopter and if we contact these companies directly for the quickest service, you will be responsible for the expense.  To ensure that there are no surprises, we recommend that you get evacuation insurance.  An evacuation could be very costly in remote locations, so we recommend that you are covered through your credit card or another plan.  One option available is Tugo Insurance at:  https://www.tugo.com/en/travel-insurance/canadians/.  You may also want to consider purchasing trip cancellation insurance if for some reason (i.e. illness) you are unable to go on the trip.  If cancellation is required at the last minute, you will need to have trip cancellation insurance. This will protect yourself and Aha! Adventures and allow us to offer great trips into the future.