I'm looking for any info on this route that begins at Clarke Lakes, goes through a series of creeks, then the Beaver River(not the one in SE YT) and then the Stewart River to Mayo. It is possible to fly in to Clarke Lakes form Mayo, I have also heard it is possible to access Clarke Lakes from near Elsa. Any information, especially first hand information is appreciated.
Erich

Nothing first hand, sorry, but have you seen this site?

http://www.yukon-wild.com/trips/summer- ... tewart.htm

-jmc

Yep, saw that. I also know that some school groups have done at least part of it. Information on access is sketchy except flying in, which is what the two or three guiding companies do.

Hey Erich,

have done the trip three times. You can start from McQuesten Lake and there is a side road from the Silver Trail to there (32 kilometres). You paddle to the end of the lake and then the fun begins: Against the slow current of the nameless small creek, lots of trees in the creek, some small lakes, 3-5 short (a few hunderd metres) portages, route finding, several beaver dams etc. Good moose country.

The two Clark Lakes are great spots and at the end of Scougale Lake 1 there is a good trapper's cabin you can use. The Beaver is similar to the Big Salmon but only about 50 k. On the Stewart you have 7 Mile Canyon with some choppy water. Lot's later there are 5- and 3-Mile-Rapids (WW II and III). They can be a little bit scary at high waters - at least they were to me last time .

They are followed by Fraser Falls (WW V-VI) with a good portage trail of 800 metres. It's something like heaven for mosquitoes . It's about 300 K from McQuesten Lake to Mayo and you'll usually need 10-14 days. You could go on to the Stewart Crossing bridge at the Klondike Highway (1 more day) or to the Yukon River and Dawson City (3-5 days).

The flight plane base is just in front of Mayo on the Stewart River, so if you fly out you can paddle back to there and you car or whatever. Black Sheep is flying from there.

If you have any further questions...

Bert

PS. There is a river guide about this trip, but only in German: http://www.kanuverlag.de/McQuesten_Rive ... river.html . Maps and discription are not as good as Mike Rourkes guides (I know because I wrote this part )

http://www.kanuverlag.de/index.html
Another amazing resource!

_________________

A literal mind is a little mind. If it's not worth doing to excess, it's not worth doing at all. Good enough isn't.  None are so blind as those who choose not to see. (AJ)

Bert, it's great to find someone who has done it. I'm wondering about time of year. We're looking at the two middle weeks in August. I suspect the bugs were bad in the area above McQuesten Lake, and down to the Scougale Creek. Does it get better lower down. I assume we're talking Yukon bad, not Barrens bad. Besides moose, is it good country for other animals?

If you've done it three times, you must enjoy it.

Best,

Erich

More than a little off topic, but I couldn't resist posting a link to a Geological Survey of Canada report on the Beaver-Stewart region (and others).
http://books.google.com/books?id=sfC7AA ... MQ6AEwCDge

EDIT.
Better link.
http://books.google.com/books?id=sfC7AA ... &q&f=false

_________________

A literal mind is a little mind. If it's not worth doing to excess, it's not worth doing at all. Good enough isn't.  None are so blind as those who choose not to see. (AJ)

Hey Erich,

well, you know, it's different with the bugs every year, but usually it's for the whole trip. And sure, August is much better than June. Can't compare, cause I didn't paddle in the Barrens, so I think it's "just" Yukon bad.

For wildlife it's really lot's of moose, but usually earlier in the year before hunting time. Very swampy. All in all I've just seen one black bear and one wolf, many beavers, several swans, ducks, other waterfowl and bald eagles. Very good pike fishing in the lakes - some as huge as crocodiles .

By the way, the Mayo school doesn't do it's annual McQuesten Lake-Beaver-Stewart trip anymore. Some liability issues. Therefore it's a lot more sawing in the small creek. The guy to ask about it in Mayo is Brian McGregor, the former principal.

I have a cabin in Keno City, which is my basecamp for canoeing the Yukon and McQuesten River and Lake are close. This tour is a challenge every time and not just a nice floating down the river. Last time I tried to line up the Beaver to get to the Wind River, but that was to hard for me, so I turned around.


Have fun

Bert

[quote="BertBaumann"]Hey Erich,

Last time I tried to line up the Beaver to get to the Wind River, but that was to hard for me, so I turned around.

I understand it has been 8 years since this post up but has anybody ever been up the Beaver river into the Hart or Wind watersheds?

It seems possible to me.

Thanks....

_________________
 

I have never done it, but of course all things are possible. Its just hard to know exactly how difficult. If you can't find anyone, and you are on another trip in the YT, you could do a low flyover with Black Sheep and see what potential issues there might be. I did that on the Gataga-Kechika before Laurel wrote her book.

Best,

Erich

Regarding overland access to the Wind River, to those who have contemplated it or attempted it or to those familiar with the area, I'm curious what route would be best? In reviewing the maps and satellite images, moving up the Beaver River and then Braine Creek to Braine pass seems the only feasible route from the Yukon basin.
From Braine pass one could portage 4-5 km over to Nash Creek, which from satellite seems to have enough water to carry a canoe down to it's confluence with the Wind just below McKlusky Lake. Alternately, one could proceed easterly from Braine pass, clawing up the last trickles of Braine Creek, portaging over a shorter (1-2km) height of land to reach a creek system emptying into McKlusky Lake. From satellite, the later route seems less certain to me but potentially easier if there is sufficient runoff in that small creek to carry one down to McKlusky. Thoughts?