All-Canadian team completes successful expedition to the top of Canada
What does an expedition do while it's on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic?
First all-women team makes successful summit of Mount Lucania
Great films and podcasts Fellows have had a hand in
Research projects examine the Arctic, conservation conflict, climate change and more
RCGS-funded expeditions take on peaks, rivers and trails across Canada
Meet the explorers
Through expedition, geographic appreciation and knowledge expand
The Royal Canadian Geographical Society supports an Expeditions Program to encourage and support geographic expeditions taking place largely within Canada, by Canadians. Extending our current knowledge of Canada’s geography through exploration and scientific expeditions, the Society has a long history of funding both major and modest expeditions across the country.
Expedition of the Year 2020
The Thelon Esker Hike
Northwest Territories
Major Grant
Into the Newfoundland Wilderness
Bay du Nord Wilderness Reserve
Justin Barbour will follow a 270 kilometre circuit of lakes and rivers within the Bay du Nord Wilderness Reserve beginning near Medonnegonnix Lake. Barbour will follow a historic route that was followed by explorer/geologist/surveyor James Patrick Howley and his team of Mi’kmaq guides as they mapped Newfoundland’s interior in 1887. He will also visit the seldom seen Mt. Sylvester and will attempt to document Newfoundland’s Middle Ridge Caribou along the way.
To complete his journey, Barbour will paddle down to the ocean via the Bay du Nord River (a Canadian Heritage River), and capture photos of the 100 foot waterfall, named “Smokey Falls.”
Major Grant - Postponed until 2021
PikiPikialasorsuaq (The Great Upwelling) & Ellesmere Island 2020
Ellesmere Island
Explorer-in-Residence
Jill Heinerth
Explorer-in-Residence
Mylène Paquette
Explorer-in-Residence
George Kourounis
Women's Expedition
Mt. Lucania
Mt. Lucania
Explorer-in-Residence
Ray Zahab
Seed Grant - Postponed until 2021
The Great Island Expedition
Burin Peninsula, Newfoundland
In one of the worst disasters in U.S. naval history, the Truxton and Pollux vessels ran aground and sank off the coast of Newfoundland during WWII. Explorer-in-Residence Jill Heinerth, along with a team of RCGS Fellows, will explore and document the sunken U.S. Navy vessels off the Burin Peninsula of Newfoundland. This expedition will document these wrecks and share the stories of survivors, one of whom became an icon in civil rights and underwater exploration.
RCGS Explorer-in-Residence Jill Heinerth, along with a team of RCGS Fellows, will explore and document the sunken U.S. Navy vessels, Truxton and Pollux, off the Burin Peninsula of Newfoundland.
Westaway Explorer-in-Residence
Adam Shoalts
Flag Expedition - Postponed until 2021
Mount Logan Ice Expedition
Mount Logan, Yukon
