Firth River Rafting – Arctic Expedition
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Overview
The ancient Firth River winds across a vast glacial refuge ringed with dramatic mountain peaks and rugged expanses of tundra, flowing northward to the Beaufort Sea. The Firth is one of the world’s great rivers dubbed “the Serengeti of the North.” Yet for all of its inherent beauty, the Firth’s greater value is as the sole means of access to a high Arctic region that is the summer home for 150,000 caribou of the West Porcupine Herd. Migrating in small bands from their southern wintering grounds, the caribou congregate in coastal calving grounds before moving in huge herds across the Firth River. By special permit and in the company of professional guides, participants have a unique opportunity to witness this amazing event.
Itinerary at a Glance
- Our Arctic expedition begins with a flight to Inuvik, NWT for a pre-trip meeting and orientation
- Fly 190 miles to the headwaters of the Firth, landing on a remote gravel bar in the foothills of the Brooks Range
- After a safety orientation, we head downriver, drifting silently and scanning the landscape for caribou
- The pace quickens and we run our first major rapids, culminating with Fisher Rapid
- Sheer canyon walls begin to rise out of the river as we float past curious Dall sheep. We run a series of Class III rapids and stop for a hike at Sheep Creek
- Camp is set up on one of the many gravel beaches deep in this incised canyon. This portion of the trip holds the largest and longest rapids of the trip and we become engulfed by canyon walls, hundreds of feet high
- Hiking high above the river we are treated to a delightful view of the Arctic Ocean
- The river sweeps us out onto the vast North Slope as we pass through the summer aggregation grounds of the Porcupine caribou herd
- View icebergs floating in the Arctic Ocean, search for caribou, barren-land grizzlies and wolves
- Set up camp on the shores of the Beaufort Sea and watch for friendly seals and beluga whales
- Return to Inuvik and regroup for a farewell dinner to reflect on the Firth and its extraordinary wilderness
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