Sans Sault Rapids

The Sans Sault Rapids are a navigational impediment on Canada's Mackenzie River, in the Northwest Territories.[1] The river narrows, and takes a tight turn north, near the river's confluence with the Mountain River, near mile 630.[2] Barry Gough, in his account of explorer Alexander Mackenzie's transit of the river, recounted how Mackenzie's guides described the rapids as "the most difficult, dangerous stretch of the river to canoe." However, he found that his party was able to transit the rapids, and avoid a tedious portage, after all.

Above the rapids the river is several kilometres wide.[3] At the rapids it narrows to less than one kilometre. A rock ridge extends into the river channel, from the east bank. Boaters can avoid the rocks by sticking to the west bank.

The river's only other rapids, the Ramparts, are found 56 kilometres north.[3][4]

In 1979 a tourist described transiting the river, in Motorboating magazine.[5] He wrote authorities had marked hidden navigational hazards, within the rapids, with navigational buoys—and that many of the buoys were missing, or submerged.

References
  1. Barry M. Gough (1997). First Across the Continent: Sir Alexander Mackenzie. University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 9780806130026. Archived from the original on 2020-12-17. Retrieved 2017-04-29.
  2. "Great Slave Lake and Mackenzie River Pilot". Canadian Hydrographic Service. 1968. Archived from the original on 2020-12-17. Retrieved 2017-04-29.
  3. "Mackenzie river trip" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2016-08-03. Retrieved 2017-04-30. The Sans Sault Rapids are formed by a rocky ledge that extends into midstream from the east bank. Although a portage is not necessary, they are best skirted by keeping to the west/left side of the river. There is a sign posted here to warn all boaters of this rapid.
  4. Lloyd Keith (2001). "North of Athabasca: Slave Lake and Mackenzie River Documents of North West Company, 1800-1821". North West Company. p. 353. ISBN 9780773520981. Archived from the original on 2020-12-17. Retrieved 2017-04-29. The Mackenzie Mountains come near the river just above the Sans Sault Rapids (between Great Bear Lake and Fort Good Hope), where 2-thousand-foot East Mountain dominates the eastern skyline.
  5. Keith Hammond (July 1979). "Stern drive to the Arctic". Motorboating magazine. p. 78. Archived from the original on 2020-12-17. Retrieved 2017-05-01.
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