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One of the most remote trails in the world, the Canol Heritage Trail follows the remains of the Canol Road, built during World War II to support an ill-fated oil pipeline.
The trail runs 200 miles from Macmillan Pass at the eastern edge of the Yukon Territory to Norman Wells in the Northwest Territories. The trail is hiked, but is also a rugged venue for adventurous mountain bikers.
The Canol (short for Canada Oil) project was one of the most expensive of World War II. Undertaken at the same time as the Alaska Highway project, the CANOL project was designed to provide oil for vehicles used in construction of the Alaska Highway and to ensure an oil supply for U.S. and Canadian troops in the far north.
With the Japanese occupation of the Aleutian Islands, the U.S. Army was very concerned about the security of Alaska, then a U.S. territory. The Army decided it needed land-based access to Alaska and set out to build the Alaska Highway, connecting Dawson Creek in British Columbia to Fairbanks, Alaska.
At the same time, the Army decided to run a pipeline from Norman Wells on the Mackenzie River to Whitehorse in the Yukon, to provide oil for the machinery working on the Alaska Highway.
Then, oil in Norman Wells was more easily accessible than that in Alaska's North Slope.
Although more easily accessible than Alaskan oil, the oilfields in Norman Wells were not easily reached. Construction of the pipeline and a road to support the pipeline took up most of the war. Construction began in and lasted until February 1944.
Horrible conditions slowed construction process, and even after the pipeline opened, it operated for a very short time until March 1945. Problems in welds meant large amounts of oil were lost from the pipeline. The effects of these oil spills can still be seen on the land along the trail today.
After the pipeline was closed, the road fell into disuse except for the section in the Yukon Territory. The CANOL project remained largely forgotten until the 1960s, when increased interest in wilderness hiking led to the establishment of the Canol Heritage Trail.
While not maintained, the trail offers an opportunity to see this unique part of the Northwest Territories and visitors can also see the remains of one of the most colossal wartime projects in Canadian history.
The trail follows paths traditionally used by the Mountain Dene native people.
The Sahtu Dene and Métis Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement, passed in 1994, establishes a territorial park that is to include a narrow corridor along the Canol Trail and a larger area in the scenic Dodo Canyon area, about 25 miles southwest of Norman Wells.
A Management Planning Committee is currently looking into how to balance historical and environmental concerns, and whether development efforts should be spread along the entire trail or concentrated at key points such as Dodo Canyon.
Macmillan Pass, at the border of Yukon Territory and the Northest Territories, anchors one end of the Canol Heritage Trail. Here, Yukon Highway 6, the Canol Road, ends and the Canol Heritage Trail begins.
The trail ends in Norman Wells, the largest city in the Sahtu region. Norman Wells is the city closest to the trail with scheduled airline service.
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