Excellent video so well done. I like how you showed the bow of the canoe in the frame just to show us what the boat was doing and then on to the scenery and the rapids you scanned. You are an excellent canoeist AND just as good behind the camera. NO blah blah and pointed out the things we should know. Thanks so much for taking the time to let us be with you on this gorgeous trip. P.S, Thanks also for not putting on tacky music ; -). Subbed and hit the alarm and will check out the others
Thanks very much Linda. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Yeah I'm not much of a talker, I prefer the sound of the water and waves. There are not many things I enjoy more than canoeing a beautiful river. Thanks you for taking the time to watch. Take care.
@@nickharland3795 Thanks for your reply and Yeah I hear you ditto for me also. Sooo where have you been canoeing lately ? Oh and what kind of paddle do you use ? Thanks in advance
I just stumbled across these videos recently. It started with the White Mud Creek... Then on to multiple sections of NSR and McLeod river. Good mix of quite views and providing information around landmarks and water features. From the comments it sounds like you are a fellow Edmontonian, keep up the good work.
Yeah born and raised in Edmonton. Hey thanks, I hope you are enjoying the videos. There are definitely some great rivers in Alberta, especially to the west. I try not to talk much, the sound of the water is much more enjoyable. Thanks for taking the time to watch. Take care.
Yes it was a very nice day on the water. Lots of beautiful creeks feeding the river in this stretch. I always enjoy paddling near a confluence. Thank you for watching.
I really enjoy your channel and wish you could be paid well to do this so you could make more videos. I've watched this more than once because the scenery is breath taking. I live so close but aren't as brave as you are. If I was I'd be doing what you are. I can't thank you enough for making your videos!!
Thank you very much. I'm glad to hear that you enjoy the videos. Yes, in a perfect world, I would be out hiking or canoeing every weekend. Last couple years it has been hard to get out much, but I try and film what I can. I'm hopeful I will be able to get more trips, and subsequent videos next year and beyond. Thanks again, I appreciate the positive feedback. Take care.
Almost wish I had not bumped into your videos Nick , too many lovely memories of the Rockies . Our first trip after arriving in Edmonton was to Jasper of course , in an old VW , somehow drove through Jasper and slept in the car up at Mt Edith Cavell . What a sight in the morning . Then spent most of the four summers we were there camping anywhere from Glacier park down south up towards Northern BC . A book I read from the Edmonton library stirred me on called " A journey from Prince of Wales fort in Hudson Bay to the northern Ocean by Samuel Hearne " 1769 to 1772 . Those early explorers had it pretty tough .
Yes, with experiences like yours, it would be hard not to have great memories of the Rockies. Glacier Park is fantastic, as are many places in B.C. I would have loved to be an early explorer, but it would have been a hard life. One can only imagine how it would be. Thanks for taking the time, take care.
Congratulations you’ve just completed a successful Voyageur interview. Neat to see the river from the river. As a kid we camped at Rampart lots and a couple years ago we hiked on that bridge to glacier lake. Nice to see the canyon upriver. I have fond memories of the mistaya as I crossed it on a trail ride in 88 when I was 11. Only about the 3rd time I was on a horse. The water was past the horses belly and I just hung on for dear life. We went up over Howe’s pass and a little bit down the blaeberry then turned around. Love your videos.
Hey thanks very much... haha yeah the voyageur life would be something else!!! That whole area is spectacular, Howse Pass and the Blaeberry valley are great, and the Glacier Lake trail is one I hope to hike in the future. Horseback would be an awesome way to travel. Thanks again for taking the time, take care.
@@nickharland3795 you can PM me on FB (Jason Waselenko) and I can give you some tips for that Glacier Lake area. You have the stamina to explore the west shore (so much avalanche debris it looked like, so we never did it.) There is an old camp at the end of the lake I believe. The glacier is still a ways around the corner. It is a deceptively long valley. From the Glacier Lake campsite, we did a little half day to a great viewpoint looking up the Howse Valley.
Thanks for the information Jason, I hope to try that hike in the next couple of years. Definitely sounds like it is worth the effort. The whole area is great, and any views of the Howse River Valley are always spectacular. Sounds like you had a great hike up there. Sorry, I am not on facebook. Thanks again, take care.
Hey thanks very much. Glad you enjoy. Yes there are all kinds of great channels, I enjoy watching many of them. I appreciate the kind words, thanks again. Take care.
Thanks very much Asko. Yes it is a very pretty area around Banff. Yeah that was my first solo class III, I was very happy to get it done clean and dry. Take care.
Thanks very much Terry. It was a real nice trip that I had been wanting to try for a couple years now. I felt I was finally ready, and everything went great. Had a blast!! Take care Terry. Nick
Thanks for another great vid and my next day trip idea! Just did the Athabasca in Jasper but pulled out at the bridge to shorten it up as I knew I would be biking back in the wind. Great shuttling idea too! Thanks again :)
Hey it's my pleasure William. Yeah the Athabasca really slows down after the Hwy. 16 bridge, you picked a good spot to pull out. I really enjoy biking myself for a shuttle on these day trips, except the stronger winds. This one is a very nice trip. Obviously your main concern would be not to missing the portage. Other than that, it's pretty straight forward.
Thanks very much John. I scouted it for a good while before I ran it. I managed to hold the line I was aiming for, and everything turned out great. Thank you for watching, take care.
Hi Nick, I really enjoyed watching this video, another great video. One of my favorite campgrounds on the Banff Ice-field parkway is Rampart Creek campground. Some of the sections of the river looked more challenging than other videos I watched from you, it pays to notice the stop sign. Very scenic nice video.
Hello. Thanks very much. Rampart Creek seems like a very nice campground. Though I've never actually camped there, I'm going to make a point of it in the next couple summers. Yeah the last rapid on this trip was a bit of a step up for me. I still have much to learn in regards to whitewater canoeing. Thanks again, take care.
Goodness me Nick some of that looked pretty scary, good job you stopped at the stop sign mate! stunning stunning scenery, you have it all there, mountains, blue blue rivers and good weather. Really enjoyed watching, it looked like your skill levels in those kayaks has been upgraded too :) Tim
Thanks very much Tim. Yeah Banff National Park is a beautiful area, and the river gets more pristine the further up-stream you go. Slowly working my way to canoeing some more challenging whitewater. I had a great time out there, glad you enjoyed. Thanks, take care. Nick
I'm now certain you have the canoe in a bath tub someplace and CGI in the scenery.... Seriously though that was brilliant, you wouldn't have caught me doing that lll without flotation in the boat, so I tip my hat to you :)
Haha, with my lack of computer skills, the CGI would be much more challenging than the actual paddling. I should have used my air bags in hindsight... You just never know, and it is very cold water. I scouted it for a good while beforehand, and managed to hold my line. Got a little lucky this time. All in all, it was a very exciting paddle. Thanks, and take care.
Not enough people out there doing paddling vids - great work in a beautiful area here! I found you via MTWoodsrunner's gear tag. I mix in a little canoeing, kayaking myself, but scenery doesn't compare to Saskatchewan by a long shot! New sub and looking forward to getting to know you!
Thanks very much. Yeah the North Saskatchewan River is very pretty in Banff National Park. Definitely a fun and scenic trip. I agree, there is not enough paddling videos and/or channels out there. Thanks again, take care.
Thanks very much. Yeah it's a great little section to paddle. Aside from the class III rapid by the foot bridge, it's mostly flat with some easy class I and II here and there. Obviously the class V canyon would be the main concern... not to miss the portage. Thanks for watching, take care.
Thanks very much. Yeah it's a real nice river, my favorite for paddling. Kayak... well maybe someday... I definitely love canoeing and will be sticking with that now:) Thanks, take care.
Yes it is a nice mix of whitewater and easy flat water. Makes for a great day of paddling. I really enjoy spending time in Banff national park, and hope you enjoyed your visit as well. Thanks you for watching, take care.
Wow this is a great video. I live in Saskatchewan and canoe this river here quite often. Not quite the same views and less current and no rapids but still a great paddle.
Yeah it's a great river for canoeing. I hope to do a trip near Battleford or Prince Albert one of these years. Thanks for taking the time to watch, take care.
@@nickharland3795 I live in Battleford so if you make it this way feel free to let me know and I would gladly join you. The battle river is also a great paddle that runs into the Saskatchewan right by town here.
That drop at 13:10 looks fun, Nick I am waiting for you to write a book on all your adventures so I can have something to use as a guide. I will never paddle 95% of these rivers but if you could put all of your experiences into a paddling guide it would be much appreciated. Then I could pick a few trips to take over the rest of my life… Let me know when your guide becomes available.
The whole run is excellent, and that rapid is a good one for sure. Running this rapid successfully gave me a lot of confidence to do more solo trips in the mountains. Haha, well I'm not much of an author, and unfortunately have no plans for a guide book. Most of the runs can be found in a few different guide books, although some are now out of print.
@@nickharland3795 How can tell Im gonna watch all you videos. LOL. Getting my friends on board also. Nice to see someone so close to home with a great RU-vid channel. Good on you.
I'm beginning to think you may be running out of rivers and streams. Have you paddled all of Saskatchewan yet? You capture some amazing scenery my friend. I'm envious.
Yeah I paddle this river a lot. Been slowly working my way up-river over the last few years. It's been worth it to paddle these upper sections. The Rocky Mountains are gorgeous, I just push record and try not to bugger it up. Thanks very much, take care.
oh wow what scenery...thats beautiful stuff there id love to do this...i go away with my dad every year to Quetico Provincial Park and it has streams like this or rivers its soem nice scenery tehre and really good fishing its a huge park like 2000 plus lakes but this is soemthing else teh sight of those mountains id love to do this i guess the thing would be findining someone else to do it with one person can be lonesoem i suppose but maybe one day even if it is by myself id check this out ive never been far west but stuff like this makes me want to check it out
Thanks very much. Yes there are some nice rivers here, and it is definitely a pleasure to canoe in the mountains. Banff National Park is in Alberta, the name of the river is the North Saskatchewan River. It starts in Banff National Park, and flows east to Saskatchewan.Thanks again, I appreciate you taking the time.
These are great videos, Nick. You can get a real lay of the water via your gopro. I am going to go down this stretch this week and want to clarify something. Does the portage trail extend to the Glacier lake Trail bridge so that we can skip the Class 3 plus rapid just before it? I would prefer that as opposed to running it. Thanks so much.
Yep, the trail goes all the way to the Glacier Lake Trail bridge. I haven't hiked downriver of the bridge, but I'm sure the trail continues down to a put-in on the river. Have fun, it's a great section of the river. Thanks for watching and commenting. Take care.
You know Nick, all these rivers you canoe up there have alluvial gravel shorelines. Alluvial gravel is well known for holding gold nuggets. Canada is well known for having gold fields. You should buy a metal detector and take it along on these expeditions. When you stop somewhere just swing the coil over the ground for a few minutes and it could really pay off one day. You're going into areas that most people would never prospect.
Downstream from here, and out of the national park, the North Saskatchewan River is very popular with gold prospectors. While paddling, I see many people looking for gold. Some just pan, but most sluice with generators and such. I don't know that anyone is getting rich, but I think some do all right. Enough to pay for the hobby anyhow. Haha, I'm still waiting for the day when I pull over to shore, and stub my toe on a football sized piece of gold sticking out of the ground :) Thanks again, take care.
Hi Cindy. This canoe is a Mad River M.E. It has been out of production for a few decades now, but I absolutely love it. Old school whitewater canoe with lots of rocker. The rapid is a very exciting one, and I definitely scouted it. Thanks very much, take care.
Yeah it was tough this past year to be able to get away as much as I'd like. I have lots of trips in mind, hopefully this year I can get some time available. Lots of places I'd like to go and film.
Thanks. I've seen it run at lower levels and it didn't look too bad, but I had no interest in it at this water level. I hope to get back paddling in the Rockies very soon, have a few trips in mind. Take care.
It was definitely a lot of fun, very exciting. I am not aware of any tour companies that operate on this part of the river. There are some down river near Rocky Mountain House though. As far as I know, all paddling trips on this part of the river are private ventures by the general public, and sometimes canoe clubs.
If I missed that sign, good chance of serious injury, or worse. Definitely more than I can handle. A few people have died in that section. I'm sure the canoe would get battered pretty good too. Thanks for watching, glad you enjoyed. Take care.
For most day trips, I shuttle myself with my bike. I start by driving to the put-in and stashing my canoe/gear. Then drive to the take-out and park the truck. Then I ride my bike back to my canoe at the put-in, and stash the bike. Then canoe downriver to my truck. After that I drive back to get my bike. In some cases, I can bring my bike with me downriver. Thanks for taking the time.
hey Nick, great video! i was surprised to hear there was a stretch of that river you've never run before. You've floated the North Saskatchewan a lot. i do love the Mad River Canoe. you handled the class III easily. no floatation in the boat. do you wear a PFD? take care Nick.
Thanks Martin. Yeah I have been slowly working my way up this river. But his might be the uppermost section I get to paddle. There is some easy flatwater and serious whitewater between here and the headwaters. A few waterfalls too. There are a few older kayak trip reports, but I don't think people canoe up there... so we'll see. I had my float bags with me, but didn't use them as I was quite confident in my line. It went just as I hoped it would. Definitely wear a PFD, wet-suit, and sometimes a helmet. Thanks again, take care.
Hello Jim. Yeah it was very exciting, I had a blast out there. Other than the pay campsite at the start, there is no camping allowed. It is all in a National Park. It would be great if you could though. I don't have much info to give you about your fall canoe trip unfortunately. The Athabasca and N Saskatchewan are the only dependable late season rivers. Bow River is very low. McLeod River is probably doable, just have to watch for rocks and gravel bars. Red Deer River is low, but would probably be OK too. Hope that helps, and hope you have a great trip.
Hey Kal. It indeed can be a problem at times. I have been shuttling myself with my bike for day trips. It has been working great. For longer trips, I have used family, friends, taxi cabs and other paid shuttles.
Is it just a standard canoe you're using Nick? Or do you use one of those ultralight packboats like joe robinet? these freakin paddling videos are getting addicting now. My bank account is starting to really worry, lol
Yeah it's a standard canoe, 15.5' long and about 50 lbs. It's an old whitewater canoe that I bought used for a pretty good deal. Brand new canoes can be quite expensive. I think kayaks and packrafts are more affordable, and definitely easier to transport and portage. Packrafting would likely suit your needs best, as they are designed for the backcountry.
Thank you very much. The canyon doesn't have a name as far as I know. My canoe guidebook describes an "Upper Canyon", which is quite a few km's above this, so I guess this could be called "North Saskatchewan River Lower Canyon"? It's an easy hike to get there, about 1 km or so upstream of the Glacier Lake Trail bridge.
Hey NIck, great video man!! I recently stayed at the Rampart Creek hostel, beautiful area. How many types of canoe do you own? or do you rent them all?
Hey thanks Pablo. Yeah it's a fantastic area. I have two canoes. This red one is an old whitewater canoe, very maneuverable and good for these kind of trips. The yellow one is a bit bigger, tracks in a straight line better, is faster, better for tripping.
With the low late season flow, and depending how hard you paddle, it might be 4 or 5 hours minimum. I think it is 45 km from Saunders to Horburg, so possible up to 6 or 7 hours. In a canoe, it is a pretty full day of paddling. Also a beautiful trip in the fall.
Hi Jamie. It's a Go-Pro Hero 5 Session. Has all the features I need, and is less expensive than the Hero 5 Black. They are probably into the 6 series now.
A bit of the opposite actually, work has been very slow. Need to try and pay a few bills and fix up the truck a bit. Hopefully sooner than later. I have lots of trips in mind that I would like to do. I'll try my best... I'm itching to get out there.
Yeah maybe something closer... we'll see. But I really want to go to the mountains. It's a 2002 model, 420 000 km, and starting to go I think. Lots of little things, and some pretty serious suspension issues. Do not feel safe driving at highway speed. I'm hopeful work will pick up and I can get some full paychecks. Anyway, enough of my sob story... I'll do my best to get out, I have some backpacking trips in Jasper and Bighorn back country that I really want to try. Thanks, take care.
Nick Harland I feel for you, my 2500 is a 2003 with almost 370,000. It has been fairly good but they don't last forever. The only good thing about it, is that it is a chev. You take care also.
Gorgeous! What a way to spend the day! One of my bucket list items is to do some backcountry camping on a kayak or canoe trip. Just put in on a Friday afternoon, go as far as we want, camp overnight, do it again the next day, and then maybe have a rendez-vous point on Sunday so we can get back home. Do you have any recommendations for that (I'm Albertan, near Red Deer but willing to drive to a good location.) You have a new fan (623). Feel free to visit my channel and say hello (I do lots of local travel videos) and follow back if you like! :)
Thanks very much. Yeah canoe trips are very enjoyable. I think there are some very nice trip options on the Red Deer River. Two and a half, or three days should make for a nice river trip. Haven't paddled it myself, but it should be pretty easy paddling east of the foothills.
Hello from a fellow Canadian! Wow, those mountains look amazing! I really have to get out to that area of the country! So beautiful. Hitting some of those rapids would have been fun, but probably a lot easier if it would have been a kayak! If you enjoyed outdoor stuff like this I think you would also like my channel! Check it out when you have the chance and let me know!
Hello. Yeah the Rockies are fantastic. No shortage of activities to enjoy... hiking, canoeing, skiing, sightseeing, etc. It's paradise to me. Thanks for watching, I'll be sure to check your videos. Take care.
