Nahanni Butte (Oct 20/06) - It's been a busy year for Nahanni National Park Reserve.

Despite poor weather in July, an 8,000-hectare forest fire, and spring flooding, around 600 people made their way along the renowned park's rivers.

That doesn't include the 400 day-users.

"It was a good season," said Chuck Blyth, the park's superintendent.

Blyth said the number of people using the park was about average compared to other seasons.

Last year there were more visitors, but Blyth blamed rainy weather in July for delaying travel plans.

And that's not all the weather was responsible for.

"The infamous Figure Eight Rapids' gravel bar washed away in the spring flood," said Blyth.

The rapids, affectionately called Hell's Gate by some, are almost completely washed away.

Now it's a nice, gentle turn, and is much easier for people," added Blyth.

A large volume of spring melt and rain made the river swell and rise.

The Deadman Valley forestry cabin, filled with thousands of mementos, including carved paddles left behind by canoeists, had to be moved away from the shore in August, lest it be swept away.

Olinto Beaulieu, the park's maintenance supervisor and assets manager, said the cabin had to be moved using rollers.

"We used 20 feet of track to move it, dismantle (the track), then move it again," he said.

It took the work crew - some of them specially flown in for the project - 10 days to move the cabin more than 100 feet from the shore, he said.

Blyth said the park is continuing to work with Northerners to showcase aboriginal culture.

Dene youth work as interpreters at Virginia Falls, a place tourists made good use of with all the fix-ups and the new boardwalk.

But what many in the Deh Cho are waiting for is the possibility the park will be expanded in the future.

Working on the project is the Nahanni Expansion Working Group.

Gordon Hamre, the Northern Parks Advisor, said the group is looking at making a proposal to the Deh Cho First Nations and Parks Canada early next year.