The Mountain Portage Rapids and the Rapids of the Drowned on the Slave River are considered among the finest whitewater in northern Canada — serious kayakers seek them out specifically. The rapids are also a gathering point for white pelicans in summer, which congregate here in remarkable numbers to feed in the churning water. You can watch both the birds and the paddlers from the riverbank without getting wet. The "Rapids of the Drowned" takes its name from a party of fur traders who came to grief here in the early nineteenth century — a reminder that this stretch of river commands respect.
Slave River Rapids
Northern whitewater rapids where pelicans gather in summer