Mackenzie 238 canoe expedition. Retracing history. Recording change. Inspiring the future.
An ambitious two-year canoe and wilderness expedition across Canada, connecting exploration history, Indigenous communities, environmental change and the enduring links between Scotland and Canada.
2027–2028 | Pacific Canada to the Arctic Ocean
THE PROJECT
Mackenzie 238 is a two-season expedition following some of the great historic travel routes of western and northern Canada.
Travelling primarily by canoe and on foot, our team will journey through British Columbia, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, eventually following the mighty Mackenzie River to the Arctic Ocean.
The expedition takes inspiration from the journeys of Scottish-born explorer Alexander Mackenzie, while recognising that the rivers, trails and travel corridors he followed had been known and used by Indigenous peoples for thousands of years.
Learn more about Alexander Mackenzie in a blog about his life and adventures.
More than two centuries later, we will return to these landscapes to explore their history, meet the people who live along the route today and record some of the extraordinary environmental changes taking place across northern Canada.
TWO YEARS. ONE JOURNEY.
2027 – TO THE ARCTIC OCEAN
Our first expedition begins at Fort Chipewyan, travelling north towards Great Slave Lake before joining the Mackenzie River and following it through the Northwest Territories to the Mackenzie Delta and Arctic Ocean.
2028 – FROM THE PACIFIC
The second expedition begins near Bella Coola on Canada’s Pacific coast, crossing the mountains using historic travel corridors before joining the great river systems of the Canadian interior.
Together, the two expeditions tell the story of an extraordinary journey across Canada.
FOUR AIMS
RETRACE HISTORY
Explore the historic travel routes associated with Alexander Mackenzie while uncovering the much older Indigenous stories behind them.
RECORD CHANGE
Observe and document a northern landscape experiencing rapid environmental and climatic change.
CONNECT COMMUNITIES
Meet, listen to and learn from First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities along the route, where communities wish to engage with the project.
INSPIRE THE FUTURE
Share the expedition through stories, photography, film, articles, talks and education, inspiring people to explore, understand and care about wild places.
WHY 238?
238 years separate Alexander Mackenzie’s 1789 journey to the Arctic Ocean from the beginning of our expedition in 2027.
A great deal has changed in those 238 years.
Mackenzie 238 will explore what remains, what has changed and what the future might hold for the people, rivers and wild landscapes of northern Canada.
FOLLOW THE JOURNEY
Planning for Mackenzie 238 is already underway.
Over the coming months we will be developing the route, building relationships with communities, testing equipment, researching the history and preparing for the first expedition in 2027.
We will share that journey here as Mackenzie 238 develops.
Interested in the project?
We would love to hear from communities, researchers, outdoor organisations, potential partners, sponsors, schools and anyone interested in following the expedition.
FOLLOW THE PROJECT | GET IN TOUCH
MACKENZIE 238
Retracing history. Recording change. Inspiring the future.
2027–2028