The route that changed Canadian history – Methye Portage
The Methye Portage is a 20-km overland route linking Lac la Loche to the Clearwater River. When Peter Pond crossed it in 1778 he realized the potential for the fur trade. Lac la Loche is at the headwaters of the Churchill River which flows to Hudson Bay, while the Clearwater River is part of the Mackenize River watershed flowing to the Arctic Ocean. Here was a land bridge linking two oceans, opening vast areas of the north to the fur trade, and providing a route for a who’s who of northern exploration, the likes of Sir John Franklin and Alexander Mackenzie.
Getting there – Methye Portage is part of Clearwater River Provincial Park but it is not accessible by road. The closest road access is the town of La Loche and the nearby Clearwater River Dene Nation on the opposite side of the lake from the Methye Portage trailhead. Travelling by boat is the only way to get to the trail.
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