The Valley of Headless Men

The spectacular scenery of the Nahanni Valley is enough to make you lose your head.

Liam Hall
5 min readNov 30, 2020
Virginia Falls, Nahanni National Park Reserve. Photo Public Domain

The National Park Reserve

The Nahanni River Valley forms the Nahanni National Park Reserve in the Northwest Territories. This large, nearly 12000 square mile (roughly 30,000 square kilometres) park contains some of the most breathtaking landscapes that Canada has to offer, including Mount Nirvana — the largest mountain in the Northwest Territories, many hot springs, whitewater rapids, and an incredible waterfall.

The Virginia Falls in the Nahanni Valley is a massive 295-foot drop (90m), and if you include the Sluice Box Rapids above the falls, it is more than twice the height of Niagra Falls. In the middle defiantly stands a large spike of rock, named Mason’s Rock. It is absolutely breathtaking.

“A tropical valley set in the midst of Arctic wastes,” one writer called it. “An evil, poisonous Shangri-La in the heart of the Yukon.”

Mason’s Rock, Josh Steinitz

The falls are so large that the mist it creates actually makes the perfect habitat for many species of rare orchid.

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Liam Hall

I like to write about crime, among other things. Studying computer security. Join Medium using my referral link https://zeph456.medium.com/membership