Klinaklini River: About the Region

A letter from Brian McCutcheon

In the autumn of 1996 we flew into the Coast Mountain Range of Southwestern British Columbia for an exploratory look at a river expedition.  Some colleagues that worked on the film, Seven Years from Tibet, had told us about an impressive watershed they had flown over during filming and descriptions alone prompted the flight.

With Knight Inlet, a stunning fjord penetrating 60 miles into the mountains from the Pacific Ocean on our left and flanked by British Columbia’s highest mountains, the Klinaklini River did not disappoint us.  Wrestling its way from the Chilcotin Interior to the Pacific Coast it harbors some of the most dramatic scenery we had every seen.

I realize that is hard for people to comprehend that there are vast tracks of wilderness and un-navigated waterways less than 200 miles north of Vancouver.  However, if you ever fly over this region you will see how this can be true.  The Coast Mountains have proven over the test of time to be a formidable opponent to development let alone explorers.  Stretching up as far as the Yukon, these mountains are the birthplace of many raging rivers flowing out to the Pacific.  The Klinaklini is one of the prize jewels.

After months of preparation, and Men’s Journal Magazine along to cover the event, we attempted the first ever descent of the Klinaklini.  Our expedition utilized two floatplanes, a helicopter and a host of professional river runners.  In August of the same year, we operated the first-ever commercial trip.  It is exciting to have been involved in a part of history and be able to develop a state of the art expedition allowing participants to travel where it was once thought unimaginable.
It is ironic that technology now allows us to access regions of the earth where we go to escape technology.  Like a magic carpet, you visit untouched alpine meadows and diamond blue glaciers. Unlike explorers of the past we are blessed with the comforts of home as well.

The Terrain

Our trip begins with a dramatic flight into the only calm stretch of the river system at Klinaklini Lake. On the way, we will ride up and over the Coast Mountain range passing many peaks shrouded by glaciers. We spend the first days on the main river of the Klinaklini, a narrow, intimate part of the river with many stretches of big, steep splashy whitewater. Later, we detour to the western arm for a layover day of walking on a glacier. Then, the final days are spent dodging icebergs while the rivers course literally loops around Mt. Waddington, B.C.’s highest peak. With the river finishing at sea level and Waddington’s summit in excess of 14,000 feet, the vertical difference is greater than that of Everest base camp and its’ peak. Our trip culminates with a steady current carrying us through giant forests of cedar and valley meadows before spilling into a tidal lagoon on the Pacific Ocean.

The River

Rafting the Klinaklini River offers the adventurous traveler a bounty of images and experiences. No previous experience is required, yet there are exciting stretches of whitewater ranging from class III – V rapids. Both of the class V drops are optional as portage routes are available. The Klinaklini Canyon is impassible and heli-portage is mandatory.

Wildlife and Flora

Provincial wildlife officials estimate that there are hundreds of resident grizzly bears living in the Klinaklini Valley and sightings are virtually guaranteed. Other mammals often seen include wolf, wolverine, lynx, marten, mink and moose. In the latter parts of the season, hundreds of bald eagles congregate on the river to feast on the spawning salmon and steelhead. Other birds of prey include the golden eagle, rough legged hawk, red tailed hawk and peregrine falcon.

Mergansers are found throughout the river system and we may see flocks of Canada geese on their migration southward. A variety of songbirds also call the Klinaklini home. All five species of Pacific salmon and steelhead spawn in the Klinaklini during the months of August and September; rainbow trout mingle in their midst. The main insect season is over by the middle of summer and the few remaining mosquitoes will be of little concern.

The forests in the Klinaklini are in their natural state. The upper Klinaklini is forested with pine, spruce and fir. The lower river valleys are forested with stands of giant cedar and hemlock and carpeted by verdant, rich layers of thick mosses and ferns.

Cultural Notes

In June of 1919, a rowboat powered by a 2 1/2 horse motor, headed into the 90 mile long Knight Inlet. In it were Jim and Laurette Stanton, abandoning city life to seek contentment in the wilderness. For decades they eked out a precarious living by trapping, fishing and hand logging the mouth of the Klinaklini River. Both of the Stantons considered the abundant grizzly bear as their friends, not enemies. At times, four bears slept within 100 yards of their cabin. So plentiful were the bears that Jim would encounter six a day on his trap line and Laurette even helped raised three orphaned cubs.