Exploring the Northwest Territories

The Northwest Territories are the second-largest and most populous of the three territories in Northern Canada. The most populous community and only city in the territory is the capital, Yellowknife. The climate here is a bit warmer and there are both boreal forests (taiga), and tundra. The most northern regions form part of the Arctic Archipelago.

Here the summer is very short, lasting only a few weeks, At this time the sun hardly sets and the region has the nickname of the “land of the midnight sun.” In the winter it remains dark all around the clock so the name given to this period is the “polar night.”

Nahanni National Park Reserve offers visitors many outdoor adventures. The fast-flowing Nahanni River flows through the canyon scenery of the Mackenzie Mountains.

The South Nahanni River tumbles over the 90-meter precipice of Virginia Falls.

The Rabbitkettle Hot Springs provides a rich landscape for rare plants. The springs cannot be bathed in, just visited.

Wood Buffalo National Park is the biggest national park in Canada and a UNESCO World Heritage site. It encompasses land in both the Northwest Territories and Alberta. This park was intended for the protection of wood buffalo herds. The delta region is home to extremely rare whooping cranes.

Fort Smith which was once a fur-trading post is now the starting point for exploring this park and bison can be seen from the highway near town.

The capital, Yellowknife sprang up during the Gold Rush in the 1930s. Today you can see wooden heritage buildings, art and cultural institutions such as the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Center. Community life is supported by the mining industry.

Highlights here include taking boat tours or house boating on Great Slave Lake. This is the fifth largest lake in North America and has depths of over 600 meters in places. It is frozen for eight months of the year. During the summer it is home to the Commissioner's Cup, the world's longest freshwater sailing race.

Fishermen love to try their skills for one of the legendary giant trouts with some fish weighing up to 40 pounds.

Hidden Lake Territorial Park has amazing waterfalls.

The Bush Pilots Monument is impressive.

Hay River is located on the southern bank of Great Slave Lake and is the southernmost port on the Mackenzie River System. It was home to the First Nations people and became the first Hudson's Bay Company trading post in 1868. It is mostly a community of fishermen. You can see little wooden houses of the Old Town at the mouth of the Hay River.

The Diamond Jenness School in the newer area of town is an impressive example of northern architecture. It was named after an anthropologist, who became the first to study northern native culture in 1910. The school is known for its purple color making it the landmark of Hay River.

Twin Falls Gorge Territorial Park located southwest of Hay River features the Hay River Canyon and the Alexandra and Louise Falls. There are viewing areas and trails.

Inuvik means “Place of Man” in Inuit. It is a modern settlement in the Arctic Circle on the Mackenzie River. Today this is a trading, administrative, and supply center for the western Arctic. There is an airfield, several schools, and a hospital. You can get sightseeing flights over the Arctic from here.

Our Lady of Victory Roman Catholic Church has an unusual igloo shape and is a landmark in Inuvik.

West of Inuvik you'll find the city of Aklavik, in Inuit, “home of the polar bears.” It is only accessible by a winter ice road.

Tuktut Nogait National Park is located east of Inuvik and was established in 1996. Here you can enjoy some amazing arctic rock scenery with canyons and cliffs. Access to the park is by air only.

The Northwest Passage is a waterway that provides access from the Atlantic Ocean through the Arctic to the Pacific Ocean. The search for this waterway began in the 16th century by English and Dutch navigators. After many navigators tried but failed the Norwegian polar explorer, Roald Amundsen navigated the Northwest Passage from east to west in 1900-03.

Great Bear Lake is the 8th largest lake in the world and is covered by ice for eight months of the year. The Great Bear River flows into the MacKenzie River. The shores of the lake have a lot of wildlife, especially martens. In the summer grizzly bears roam the shores and the pinewoods are full of elk in the winter. The lake is known for its big trout, grayling, and whitefish.

The Mackenzie River is the second longest river in North America and is navigable in the summer by steamers as far as Fort Smith. The Dehcho Bridge was opened in 2012.

The Mackenzie Highway was built shortly after WW II. This is an all-weather road, covering 600 kilometers from Peace River in Alberta to Great Slave Lake and the territorial capital, Yellowknife.

Fort Simpson is located where the Liard River flows into the Mackenzie River, west of Great Slave Lake. It was founded by the North West Company in 1804 for the trans-shipment of furs and skins.

Victoria Island is the third largest island in the Canadian Archipelago. It is located north of the Arctic Circle.

Iqaluktuutiak means “good place to fish” in Inuit and administers and supplies the central Arctic region. It is located on the island's southeast coast.

On the west coast, you'll find Ulukhaktok at the tip of the Diamond Jenness Peninsula It is a small community attracting tourists to the North and even has a golf course with views of the Beaufort Sea.

Banks Island has rich tundra vegetation.

It is home to a lot of wildlife, particularly to over 65,000 musk-oxen, the largest population anywhere in the world. On the southwestern part of the island, there is a bird sanctuary.