Canol Heritage Trail

The road was constructed during the Second World War by the United States Army Corps of Engineers to build and service a pipeline bringing oil from Norman Wells to a refinery in Whitehorse, Yukon.

The road receives minimal maintenance and can be a rough ride up to the Yukon-NWT border where it is no longer maintained and quickly becomes impassable to most vehicles.

The small airstrip at Macmillan Pass near the Yukon border is also used, which brings the total distance to the Mackenzie River to 375 kilometres (233 mi).

[9][10] Work to remove contaminants, collect bundles of wire, secure standing buildings and address physical hazards was completed between 2017 and 2019 and long-term monitoring is now underway.

[11] Remediation of the trail will allow the creation of a territorial park to proceed as set out in the Sahtu Dene and Metis Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement.

[13] The first successful summer motorized expedition, crossing from Ross River, YT to Norman Wells, NWT, occurred in July 1973.

[15][16] In 2012 the trail was completed in eight days, with no food drops, from Macmillan Pass to the Mackenzie River using mountain bikes and packrafts[17] and since that time cycling attempts have become more common.