Athabasca Sand Dunes Expeditions and Tours

The Athabasca Sand Dunes are one of the most exciting and enticing wilderness destinations in Northern Saskatchewan. That they are in a part of the country that is so difficult to access only adds to the adventure of visiting them. A voyage to the Sand Dunes is for many a once in a lifetime journey of discovery. In the true spirit of exploration, our expeditions to the dunes are a quest to seek out some of their ancient secrets. We'll look for some of the rare plant species that exist nowhere else on Earth, seek out signs of the ancient Athabascans, and explore first hand this rarest of Canadian landscapes.

Athabasca Sand Dunes: Majestic sand dunes against an impossibly blue sky

Athabasca Sand Dunes expeditions are truly an exciting wilderness adventure. To reach the dunes you may have to travel by airplane to a remote northern village, by four wheel drive truck up a remote northern trail, on a bush plane designed to land and take off on water, or possibly all of the above. If you like the kind of tour where you and fifty other people share the same stretch of wilderness and camp side by side only a few miles from a camp or community, then this is not for you. This is real wilderness where only a scarce few travel in this day and age. It is a primeval, almost surreal landscape, one that will leave its mark on your soul.

Athabasca Sand Dunes: Forest growing at the edge of the sand dunes

The Athabasca Sand Dunes are actually a group of dune fields scattered across 100 kilometers of the south shore of Lake Athabasca in Northern Saskatchewan and Alberta. The sand originates from an ancient sandstone bedrock formation underlying 4000 square kilometers of the region. It has been a place of curiosity and reverence to people for thousands of years. Today the Athabasca Sand Dunes Wilderness Park encloses most of the dune formations and active sand fields in Saskatchewan, including the two largest dunes fields, near the William River. It is the William River Dune Field where the largest dunes can be found, some extending over 200 feet in height.

Click here for a map location the Athabasca Sand Dunes Wilderness Park.

Athabasca Sand Dunes: The William River below steep sand banks

A genuine Wilderness adventure, travelling to the Athabasca Sand Dunes takes you to a world you never imagined. This is far beyond common recreational hiking and canoe country; this is true northern wilderness. Regardless of how you get there, travelling to the Sand Dunes will be an adventure. There are several options to reach the area depending on your objectives. Typical options include flight, boat and northern road travel. Once you get to the park you still need to think about getting around. Park regulations limit us to either hiking or paddling, not that there is another option.

Itinerary and logistics:

June of next summer is when our next expedition to the Athabasca Sand Dunes will take place: A paddling expedition on the Carswell and William Rivers through to the Thomson Bay/William River region. Dates are not yet set for either expedition, but we anticiapte travelling during the last two weeks of June.

Our paddling expedition will be scheduled to run from 10-12 days, depending on the selected route, and does not include travel days to and from the trailhead. Participation will be limited to eight people. Our canoes and expedition supplies will be shipped most of the way overland, driving on what could possibly be the most remote northern road in Saskatchewan. As an option guests can travel with the overland caravan through most of Northern Saskatvchewan to the trailhead on Carswell Lake. We are budgeting two complete days in each direction to allow for errors, mishaps breakdowns and sight seeing. Travelling with the convoy is one of your options for transport, but if that does not suit your taste we can arange to have you flown to the trailhead for the beginning of the canoeing phase of the expedition. We encourage you to consider participating on this exciting and challenging overland convoy. Once at our destination we begin a 100 km paddling trip down the William River towards Thomson Bay. Along the way we'll be stopping to do plenty of exploring. The route along the way will provide plenty of opportunities for wildlife viewing, photography, and exploring the ecological, geological and archaeological history of the area. This is a challenging trip due to shallow and rough waters so we are budgeting enough time to take it slowly. Once on Lake Athabasca we paddle around Thomson Bay where an easy portage will bring us to the tiny lake where we'll meet the floatplane that will fly us out.

Click here for a composite map of the regions we will be exploring.

For more information or to register for one of these tours contact us.

Custom Sand Dunes Expeditions:

We are an expedition company, and as such we can plan and expedite your custom group tour to this exciting region. We have the knowledge, contacts and experience to help you and your group take the trip of a lifetime. Regardless of the age or experience of your participants we can help you put together an itinerary that will meet your needs with safety and security. We can take care of: food, equipment, transportation, guides and porters, safety and communications. Contact us if you would like to learn more about chartering a custom tour for your group to this or any other exciting wilderness region.