Of Fire and Ice

Departing Terrace, British Columbia
Duration of Trip: 8 days

Misty Fjords National Monument

Squeezed by Canada’s most recent lava flow, the Unuk is a gem of the temperate rainforest.

Three canyons hem the river, weeping hundreds of bright bridal falls from halfway up moss-chinked walls. With steep snow-capped mountains, intimate waters, and sitka spruces from the headwaters down, every day offers a new ‘bonus’: the cascading waters of Hell Roaring Creek, the thunderous waterfall entry of Blue River, the peaceful sedge-surrounded Border Lake with swans and geese, and an estuary brilliantly coloured with purple irises, yellow arnicas and red paintbrush.

We access the Unuk by land-shuttle through Canada’s second youngest lava flow and by helicopter, a brilliant flight with fairy tale scenes of sheer mountain passes and glacial bowls cupping sapphire lakes. On the Alaskan takeout side, cruising by boat through Misty Fjords National Monument we stop for a pampering soak in a steaming hotsprings at the remains of an island resort built in the late 1800’s.