Yukon Territory - North/Black/Liard River Canoe Trip, Area Scenery

I would not consider the scenery as spectacular, though it is very pretty, and quite varied on the run. There are pictures throughout the Trip Report section. 6,000 foot (1830 m) and higher mountains are quite close to the lakes and rivers in the upper regions, but there are some wider vistas, too, usually along the lake length or river corridor direction. There will still be patches of snow on the hills, and maybe in some valleys if the rivers are runnable while you are there. Hiking in the North Lakes area is great as treeline is easily reached. The steepness of the North River below North Lakes can be seen from the hillsides. There should be moose and caribou around, plus lots of birds, and probably some small mammals like beaver, mink and marten. Moose are usually down low, near the water and probably more common around the lakes. Caribou will be most easily sighted through binoculars on snowfields on the mountain slopes.

Much of the run down the North River is in narrow, low walled canyons, and the grand vistas are lost, except in the wider sections. You won't have time to look in several places unless you stop. The river corridor, which I consider the flatter river bench between the mountain slopes, probably averages over a kilometer wide here (.6 miles), but steep banks often prevent seeing out very far.

Vegetation up around North Lakes is mostly low -- dwarf birch and willow, with some small conifers (black spruce and some pines) up to about 50 feet (15 m). The river banks are treed in all except the uppermost part, which further limits visibility. There has been no logging, except in a few places where it looks as if they are punching narrow roads through to the river in a couple places along the lower Liard. There are narrow strips with all high vegetation cleaned off for survey grid lines on the mountain sides and going away from the river bank along the North River. Don't remember such on the Black River. Trees get higher the farther down in elevation you get.

There is a mining bush camp located on Fire Lake which ruins the pristine wilderness quality of that lake, the main reason we didn't camp on it. Fire Lake is still a pretty place. Helicopters and planes taking off and landing several times a day would mar the natural silence. The log cabin vacation complex just before the lake outlet adds qaintness.

As soon as you paddle out of Fire Lake, you are in a canyon. Walls are steep, but usually not vertical rock, and wooded in most places, rather than bare. The river corridor is actually narrower through here than above Fire lake, only about a kilometer, maximum (.6 miles), until it widens back out to over two kilometers (1.2 miles) at the braids.

Take some extra time scouting the rapids just below Fire Lake if you can for just the scenery aspect. There are some low river banks below here to see out past, but they are often not easily accessible. There are bare rock walls, often 100 to 200 feet or higher, for about a mile below the waterfall mentioned in other pages of this section. You will usually not be able to see the mountains around you from the river below Fire Lake, except in flatter areas, and then again when you reach the braids.

The Black River is bigger and not as intimate, but again offers a view that spreads even more as Black Lake is reached. This is a pretty place. Spend some time here if you can. Snow on the mountains, still waters of the lake, and good weather are hard to beat.

More high banks and canyons below Black Lake cut off the view again until the Liard is reached. The river corridor width above the Liard is deceptive as the hills to the left are not very high. There is a definite canyon the last eight miles or so of the Black and you will not see out much. The walls are pretty, though.

Where you exit the Black, the Liard Plains river corridor is 3 to 4 kilometers wide (2+ miles), but you are over to one side. It gets much wider not very far down. The actual peaks are quite a ways away, usually five or ten kilometers (3-6 miles). Often you cannot see any at all. There are usually low banks along the Liard, but an occasional high cutbank is 50 to 200 feet (15-60 m) and several would be worth hiking up to see the lay of the land. There are a few trappers cabins you'll see along the Liard. There is much wood along the Liard, both in the river, and on the gravel bars. A couple miles from the Alaska Highway bridge you'll start seeing houses along the river banks.

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