World Heritage Identification Number: 24
World Heritage since: 1978
Category: Natural Heritage
WHE Type: Protected Areas & National Parks
Transboundary Heritage: No
Endangered Heritage: No
Country: 🇨🇦 Canada
Continent: Americas
UNESCO World Region: Europe and North America
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Exploring the Majestic Landscape of Nahanni National Park
Nahanni National Park, located in the Dehcho Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada, offers visitors a glimpse into one of the most pristine and breathtaking landscapes in North America. This UNESCO World Heritage Site, officially named Nahatta Dehe, meaning "river of the land of the Nahatta people," was designated as such in 1978 due to its stunning wilderness, diverse waterways, towering limestone canyons, and rich biodiversity.
More to come…UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site
Located along the South Nahanni River, one of the most spectacular wild rivers in North America, this park contains deep canyons and huge waterfalls, as well as a unique limestone cave system. The park is also home to animals of the boreal forest, such as wolves, grizzly bears and caribou. Dall's sheep and mountain goats are found in the park's alpine environment.
UNESCO Justification of the World Heritage Site
Criterion (vii): The South Nahanni River is one of the most spectacular wild rivers in North America, with deep canyons, huge waterfalls, and spectacular karst terrain, cave systems and hot springs. Exposure of geologic and geomorphologic features includes the meanders of ancient rivers, now raised high above present river levels.
Criterion (viii): In Nahanni National Park, there is exceptional representation of on-going geological processes, notably fluvial erosion, tectonic uplift, folding and canyon development, wind erosion, karst and pseudo-karst landforms, and a variety of hot springs. The major geologic and geomorphologic features provide a combination of geological processes that are globally unique.
Encyclopedia Record: Nahanni National Park Reserve
The Nahanni National Park Reserve, sometimes known as "Headless Valley" or "Valley of The Headless Men", in the Dehcho Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada, protects a portion of the Mackenzie Mountains Natural Region. The centrepiece of the park is the South Nahanni River. Four noteworthy canyons, called First, Second, Third and Fourth Canyon, line the whitewater river. Each canyon has walls reaching some 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in height. The word nahanni comes from the local Dene name for the area, Nahʔa Dehé, which means "river of the land of the Nahʔa people". The park was one of the earliest locations to be inscribed as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO; this designation was given in 1978 due to the area's picturesque wilderness, its various waterways and giant falls, and its 1,000 meter-deep limestone canyons, among other features.Additional Site Details
Area: 476,560 hectares
Number of Components: 1
(viii) — Outstanding example representing major earth stages
Coordinates: 61.54722222 , -125.5894444
IUCN World Heritage Outlook
The 2025 Conservation Outlook on Nahanni National Park reports the following assessment:
Source: International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) · View assessment
World Heritage Research
Discover scientific research and academic studies that deepen our understanding of Nahanni National Park from its history and significance to its conservation, management, and contemporary challenges.
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Persistent Changes to Ecosystems following Winter Road Construction and Abandonment in an Area of Discontinuous Permafrost, Nahanni National Park Reserve, Northwest Territories, Canada
Disturbances to discontinuous permafrost terrain, such as those caused by winter road construction and abandonment, can lead to large and persistent changes in ecosystem composition and structure. A study conducted 32 years after the abandonment of a winter access road in Nahanni National Park Reserve (NNPR) found that these changes are driven by interactions between soil conditions and vegetation communities. The research compared disturbed (road) and undisturbed sites across four terrain types: spruce peatland, black spruce parkland, deciduous forest, and alpine treeline terrain. Findings suggest that when disturbances fundamentally disrupt stabilizing interactions between soil conditions and vegetation, lasting changes to ecosystem structure and function are likely, even in the context of climate warming.
Cameron, E. A., & Lantz, T. C. (2017). Persistent Changes to Ecosystems following Winter Road Construction and Abandonment in an Area of Discontinuous Permafrost, Nahanni National Park Reserve, Northwest Territories, Canada. Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research, 49(2), 259–276. https://doi.org/10.1657/aaar0016-012
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Bats of Nahanni National Park Reserve and Surrounding Areas, Northwest Territories
A groundbreaking bat survey in Nahanni National Park Reserve, Northwest Territories (NWT), Canada, significantly expands the known range of several bat species. Researchers confirmed the presence of seven bat species, including five not previously recorded in the region: Long-eared Myotis, Long-legged Myotis, Big Brown Bat, Hoary Bat, and Eastern Red Bat. Notably, this study documents the most northerly records (61°N) for Long-eared Myotis and Long-legged Myotis in North America, extending their range approximately 300 km northward. The survey employed mistnets and AnaBat ultrasound detectors over 23 nights, capturing four species and acoustically detecting three others. While reproduction was confirmed only in Little Brown Myotis and Northern Myotis, the findings highlight the region's ecological significance as a potential northern range limit for multiple bat species.
Lausen, C. L., Waithaka, J., & Tate, D. P. (2014). Bats of Nahanni National Park Reserve and Surrounding Areas, Northwest Territories. Northwestern Naturalist, 95(3), 186–196. https://doi.org/10.1898/13-16.1
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