Active Pursuits

Canoeing & Dogsledding -- If you want to see the land as early explorers and Natives did, try exploring the North via these two traditional methods. The following outfitters usually offer recreation in more than one part of the North or different recreational pursuits depending on the season.

Canoeing -- The early French-Canadian trappers, or voyageurs, explored the North -- particularly the Yukon -- by canoe, and outfitters now offer multiday expeditions down the region's wide powerful rivers. A good place to go for some advice on guided tours on Yukon and Northwest Territories rivers is Paddle Canada, P.O. Box 398, 446 Main St. W., Merrickville, ON K0G 1N0 (tel. 888/252-6292 or 613/269-2910; www.paddlingcanada.com). Kanoe People, P.O. Box 31149, Whitehorse, YT Y1A 5P7 (tel. 867/668-4899; www.kanoepeople.com), offers both custom and guided canoe trips on Yukon rivers and lakes. River trips pass historic mining ghost towns and First Nation villages. A guided trip on the Yukon goes for 8 days and costs C$1,596 (US$1,596/£798), and one on the Telsin lasts 10 days at C$1,649 (US$1,649/£825). Bring your own sleeping bag, pad, and small personal gear (including fishing tackle) of choice; everything else -- including camping equipment, food, and transportation from Whitehorse -- is included.

Dog Sledding -- An even more indigenous mode of transport in the North is travel by dog sled. While few people run dogs as their sole means of getting around any longer, the sport of dog sledding is hugely popular, and dog-sledding trips to otherwise-snowbound backcountry destinations make a great early-spring adventure.

In the Yukon, Uncommon Journeys, P.O. Box 20621, Whitehorse, YT Y1A 7A2 (tel. 867/668-2255; www.uncommonyukon.com), offers 7- and 10-day guided backcountry dog-sledding trips out into the northern wilderness. Seven-day trips start at C$3,290 (US$3,290/£1,645).