Guided Canoe Expeditions on the Taku River in British Columbia
Join us on a canoeing adventure down the Taku River in British Columbia – known for outstanding fish and wildlife, scenic and geological values. The Taku River in British Columbia has been nominated for inclusion in the Canadian Heritage Rivers system. The lower section of the Taku flows through Alaska’s Tongass National Forest and has been found eligible for inclusion in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System because of its outstanding wildlife, scenic and geological values.
- Taku River watershed contains some of the richest wildlife habitat in North America
- Tlingit First Nations establish traditional fish camps along the river each summer
The headwaters of the Taku River lie approximately 168 kilometres (105 miles) northeast of Juneau, Alaska. The Taku River is a Coast Range River near the junction of the Sheslay and Nahlin Rivers, which form the Inklin River, to the western extreme of Taku Inlet on Alaska’s Inside Passage 200 kilometres (120 miles) with an elevation drop of 250 meters. After the Fraser and Skeena Rivers, the Taku is the largest salmon-producing river in Canada.
From the area that is now Juneau, Alaska, the Taku First Nation people controlled the trade routes on the river during the 18th and 19th centuries. Instead of allowing trade directly with white settlers, the Taku people compelled First Nations of the interior to use them as middlemen.
The main village of the Taku people was located up the river in what is now British Columbia. From this primary winter location, the different clans spread out to their separate subsistence areas during the warmer months.
The Hudson’s Bay Company established a trading post named Fort Durham in Taku Harbor in 1840 to take advantage of the trade route along the Taku River. As a result, the Taku people deserted their traditional winter village and relocated to the area surrounding the fort. By 1843, Fort Durham was abandoned as unprofitable, but the Taku remained until 1880 when gold was discovered in Juneau. They then moved to the region around Sheep Creek to work with the miners for wages.
