Nahanni National Park
Nahanni National Park covers a spectacular wild river landscape further adorned with features of ongoing geological processes.
The centerpiece of the park is the South Nahanni River. Four great canyons line this whitewater river and it also holds one of North America’s most impressive waterfalls, Virginia Falls. The area sees tectonic activity, which has resulted in spectacular granitic peaks and hot springs.
Community Perspective: this is a remote and costly area to visit – you generally fly in and then continue on the river by canoe or raft. Sid and Gary did so, but we’d like to hear from more reviewers who can add specifics.
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Gary Arndt
USA - 31-Jan-19 -Nahanni National Park might very well be the greatest national park in the world. That is a big statement, but anyone who has been to Nahanni (and few people have) can back it up.
Nahanni is home to one of the world's largest waterfalls (Virginia Falls) which is higher than Niagara Falls and has a flow comparable with Victoria Falls in Africa.
That alone would be enough to make it a world heritage sites. However, it is also home to the Cirque du Unclimables, which is a stunning collection of mountain peaks, and the Ram Canyon, which is one of the most impressive canyons in the world.
Nahanni only gets about 800 visitors per year. There are no roads to the park, so the only way to enter is by hiking or float plane. There is also a very short season of about 2 months where visitors can enter.
Read more from Gary Arndt here.
Sid Stark
It has been almost twenty years since I had the awe-inspiring and quite humbling experience of sticking my (and my buddy's) canoe into the river and wending down one of the most beautiful spots one could imagine on earth.
For the first three days after the plane dropped us off, we (veterans of canoe/kayak trips much longer than this one) were like tourists -- gawking agape at the size, beauty, and power of the river, its attendant mountain peaks, and the furry/feathered creatures that called this jewel home. It was, and is, like nothing I had seen before or since.
Enjoy your trip to this wilderness paradise!
Site Info
- Full Name
- Nahanni National Park
- Unesco ID
- 24
- Country
- Canada
- Inscribed
- 1978
- Type
- Natural
- Criteria
-
7 8
- Categories
- Natural landscape - Eroded Natural landscape - Karst landscapes and caves
- Link
- By ID
Site History
1978 Inscribed
Site Links
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6 Community Members have visited.