The Northwest Territories represent a composite of Canadian neighbors on either side. While encompassing some of the northernmost Arctic badlands similar to the eastern neighbor of Nunavut, the Northwest Territories also feature a good transportation network like that in Yukon. Move easily between forested river valleys and very extreme Arctic landscapes in this vast territory at the center of Canada’s northern realm.
Yellowknife is the Northwest Territories’ largest city and the capital, located on the north shore of the massive Great Slave Lake in the southern part of the territory. Visit the city’s Old Town on a narrow peninsula. Many of the city’s original 1930s buildings still stand, including the log construction Wildcat Café, established in 1937. During the winter, drive over the Dettah Ice Road, which crosses the lake’s hardened surface. Tour the ice castle built every year on the frozen lake.
Head to the mainland’s northern tip to the town of Inuvik. Visit Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church, a house of worship designed to resemble an igloo. First built in 1960, it was destroyed by fire in 2005 and rebuilt. Explore the broad nearby delta of the Mackenzie River, Canada’s longest river. This powerful waterway cuts through the entire length of the Northwest Territories.
From Inuvik, take a plane or boat to the Northwest Territories’ Arctic islands. Sachs Harbor on Banks Island is the territory’s northernmost town. Use it as a stepping-stone to Aulavik National Park, a 4,710-square-mile (12,200-square-kilometer) plot of expansive Arctic lowlands. Make a trip to Ulukhaktok on Victoria Island. Play an unforgettable round of golf at the unusual 9-hole course located on the tundra with artificial greens.
To begin your stay in the Northwest Territories, fly into Yellowknife from Edmonton or Calgary. From here, fly or drive to more northern parts of the territory. Throughout your stay, watch for the aurora borealis in some parts of the Northwest Territories, it is visible almost 250 nights of the year.