For the Dogrib, portages represent an important part of summer travel. They are also a focal point for Dogrib oral history, as gravesites, camps and storage areas were often located on or near portages. Because of the abundance of activity associated with portages, they offer important clues for archaeologists as to how the Dogrib once lived off the land.

During a survey of the Idaa Trail in the early 1990s, the remains of several birchbark canoes were discovered around portages. Since camps were frequently set up at portages for considerable lengths of time, it was not uncommon for the lakes and rivers to freeze while camped. This forced travellers to cache their canoes for the winter and continue on by dog team, as was the case with Marie Mantla's family at Bea Lake.