Looking back on this trip I don't think I've ever come close again to that feeling of elation when we made the shores of the Mackenzie River. This was the first really big trip I'd done and in many ways it might have been the very best one.

It's impossible to know when or if anyone last biked the entire tail but it's fairly certain that we were the first in many years at least. Our story appeared in a number of magazines and websites and since that time a few more people have completed the trail by bicycle and packraft.

The Mackenzie Mountains get hold of you and I've always wanted to go back. In 2015, I found myself at Mile 222 once again, with a group of friends taking a more paddling-oriented route to Norman Wells with some sections of the Canol Heritage Trail thrown in. Read about our packrafting trip in the Mackenzie Mountains.

The Canol Heritage Trail itself is changing. It is in the process of being cleaned up and turned into a park. Wire and other materials are being collected and the work crews have been clearing trail to use their ATVs. Many of the buildings will soon be demolished. A cable ferry crossing was installed on the Twitya while a landslide has created an almost impassable lake in Dodo Canyon. The Simpsons have sold their outfitting concession. In five or ten years who knows what it will be like.

You can read and see more about our trip at the following:

Bikepacking the Canol Heritage Trail write-up and photos by Paul, also see his excellent video
Canol Heritage Trail: Doomed to fail, they said by Ryan Stuart on the MEC blog
Along the Canol by Ryan Stuart in Adventure Cycling Magazine
Canol Heritage Trail Photo Gallery by Ryan Creary
The story also appeared in Bike Magazine as well as some German outdoor magazines

I feel like I've blathered on long enough. If you made it this far, thanks for reading!

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