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ATHABASCA SAND DUNES
More of IVAN ROBERTSON COLLECTION

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  The famous Athabasca Sand Dunes are a rare natural phenomenon stretching a 100 kilometers along the south shore of Lake Athabasca. The locals often refer to the area as the "South Shore"

The sand dunes situated north of the 59th latitude are well documented and several books have been published on them.

In this isolated place there are several plants struggling to exist that grow nowhere else in the world. It is a very unique and facinating place to visit.

 In September of 2012, Ivan and Jim Murphy and Jimmy MacDonald paddled down the MacFarlane River past the Athabasca Sand Dunes on the way to Lake Athabasca. These are the pictures that Ivan took.

  CLICK HERE to see pictures of different canoe trips from Saskatchewan to the Arctic Ocean 

 

MAP -  Helmer Lake Sask.  74O 04

91   MacFarlane River near the Sand Dunes 92        MacFarlane River near the Sand Dunes  
93 94  
 
95     Sand spillinging over the left bank 96  Jimmy ascending the Sand Dunes  
 
97       MacFarlane River down below 98  
99 00   Lake Athabasca in the distance  
 
01    Lake Athabasca in the distance 02  
 
03      MacFarlane River down below 04  
 
05 06  
 
07     Lake Athabasca in the distance 08    Jim Murphy  
 
09 10  L to R  Ivan, Jimmy MacDonald, Jim Murphy  
 
11 12  
 
13 14  
 
15 MacFarlane River flows into a small un-named lake 16     Lake Athabasca in the distance  
 
17 18  
 
19 20  
 
21 22  
 
23 24  
 
25 26  
 
27  Shifting desert sand 28  
 
29 30  
 
31 32  
 
33 34  
 
36 40  
 
41 42  
 
43 44  
 
45  Ever moving sand 46  
 
47 48  Far shore Lake Athabasca on the horizon  
 
49 50  
 
51  Only the strong survive 52    Far shore Lake Athabasca on the horizon  
 
53 54  
 
55 56  
 
57 58  
 
59 60  
 
61 62  
 
63 64  The  Lone Sentinel  
 
65 66  
 
67 68  
 
69 70  The sand is constantly creeping forward  
 
71  Beaver Lodge Mountain visible on the horizon. North shore Lake Athabasca near Uranium \city 72     A Tsunami of sand moving at glacier speed !  
 
73 74  
 
75 76  
 
77 78  
 
79 80  
 
81 82  
 
  83  Near river mouth 84   Lake Athabasca delta  

  BACK TO TOP
 
home 85  The mighty Lake Athabasca - rarely this calm 86   Next stop Fond du Lack - before big waves start