Slave River

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Beginning northwest of the north shore of Lake Athabasca, the Slave River takes in water from the Peace and Athabasca Rivers, rushes past Fort Fitzgerald and Fort Smith, into Great Slave Lake in the Northwest Territories.

Activities on and near the river include
* canoeing
* kayaking
* rafting
* birdwatching
• dog sledding
• snowmobile
• ice fishing
• cross-country and backwoods skiing

All this happens amidst the backdrop of one of the most breathtaking and surreal sights on earth -- the Northern Lights.

Slave River Rapids

The Slave River Rapids, between Fort Fitzgerald and Fort Smith, are an attraction for kayakers. A broad, terraced belt of granite that cuts across the Slave River below Fort Smith, just along the border of Alberta and the Northwest Territories is responsible for creating a series of four violent rapids in the midst of the river's course.

The four extreme drops that make up the rapids between Fort Fitzgerald and Fort Smith include the Cassette, Pelican, and Portage Rapids, and the Rapids of the Drowned. This stretch of the Slave River has been the site of many whitewater slalom kayaking races. It was home to the Canadian National races in 1994, and hosts the Territorial competition each year.

The swirling water that once claimed the lives of early explorers, and forced river traders to haul their fur-laden barges through the woods; now it’s known as "The Playground."

Birds

The Peace-Athabasca Delta west of the Slave River basin hosts migratory birds from all four North American flyways. Thousands of ducks, geese and swans seek shelter in the shallow lakes, marshes, sedge meadows and meandering channels of the largest inland freshwater delta in the world. The delta may be accessed by water from the community of Fort Chipewyan.

On Highway 5 in Wood Buffalo National Park, en route to the Mackenzie Highway, there’s the Whooping Crane Pull-Off Interpretive Exhibit. But you won't see a whooping crane -- the birds' northern habitat is so remote, so fragile, there is no public access to their nesting sites.

Salt Plains

One of the most unusual geological features of the Slave River basin are the Salt Plains, stretching through a 250 square kilometre area on the eastern bank of the river. Here in the Slave River Lowlands, running up against the edge of the Canadian Shield, underground springs transport salt from below the surface, depositing it in sheets and mounds on the flat, open areas of the plain.

Salt-tolerant plants that are normally found only in marine environments thrive on the Salt Plains, and saline marshes provide habitat well suited to bison, waterfowl and shorebirds.

Visitors to Wood Buffalo National Park can stop at the Salt Plains Viewpoint on Highway 5, where they will find an interpretive exhibit, a short trail and a lookout.