Since that time, the Nahanni has become one of the prime wilderness rivers in Canada, frequented as a whitewater destination by adventure seekers around the world.

The South Nahanni River originates on the western slopes of Mount Christie of the Mackenzie Mountains, at an elevation of 1,600 metres (5,200 ft).

From headwaters to mouth, the South Nahanni River receives waters from the following tributaries:Download coordinates as: The history of the area began 550 million years ago beneath a tropical sea.

At its head waters, it runs through the much more rugged Selwyn Mountains, formed from the colliding North American and Pacific Plates roughly 200 million years ago.

Sometime during the Illinoian Stage (352,000 to 132,000 years ago), a glacier severed the spur, and the river took its present course, cutting into the land and forming the Fourth Canyon.

Because the Nahanni's course was already established before the mountains rose, it formed steep canyon wall that plummet hundreds of feet to the river's edge.

[4] The Company quickly lost interest when they realized that the river did not support a large native population and was not a viable route to the west.

During the following decades several more prospectors and trappers disappeared or were found dead along the Nahanni and its tributaries, starting rumors and giving the river a reputation of being extremely dangerous.

[5] The arrival of floatplanes in the mid 20th century greatly increased access to the river, and allowed it to be visited without extended back country journeys.

In 1964, parachutist explorer, Jean Poirel from Montreal, jumped at the Nahanni source 500 km (310 mi) north of Yellowknife, during a snow storm.

Followed by his teammate Bertrand Bordet, Jean Poirel imagined the idea of going down the river with inflatable dinghies, opening the path to a new rafting sport.

[6] In 1972, during his last expedition, Jean Poirel guided Pierre Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, who came in person to evaluate this mysterious and fascinating region.

Pierre Trudeau discerned the award of The Explorers to Jean Poirel, declaring: "It required an uncommon determination to venture there and bring to our knowledge this still untouched portion of Canadian territory.