Northwest Territories (NWT)

Flag of the Northwest Territories

• Capital » Yellowknife
  • Current Weather
  • Current Date and Time

Geography

• Area » 1,346,106 sq km (519,734 sq mi)
• NWT borders Canada’s two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, as well as three provinces: British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan to the south.
• Victoria Island (Inuktitut: Kitlineq), which straddles the border between Nunavut and the Northwest Territories, is the eighth largest island in the world, and at 217,291 sq km (83,897 sq mi) in area, it is Canada’s second largest island after Baffin Island.

Tourism

• Gov’t » Spectacular NWT
• NWT boasts nearly 20 territorial parks, and six national parks
• Campsites in the Northwest Territories are generally open from May 15th to September 15th.
  • Those in NWT’s Western Arctic Region generally open in June.

National Parks

• Wood Buffalo National Park
  • Parks Canada Discovery Pass waves entry fee
  • The largest national park in Canada, and the 2nd largest in the world
  • Wood Buffalo National Park is road-accessible year-round from Fort Smith, NWT, just 60 kilometres away
  • The World’s largest Dark Sky Preserve (Royal Astronomical Society of Canada)
    • However, the sun barely sets May through July.
  • UNESCO World Heritage Site
    • This is the traditional territory of the Dene, Cree, and Métis and is home to many spectacular species, including whooping cranes, bison, and wolves.
    • Spanning the Alberta-Northwest Territories border, and more than 44,800 square kilometres, this is the largest national park in Canada and second largest in the world.
    • Protects a large swath of the Northern Boreal Plains ecosystem, the largest herds of wood bison in the world, vital whooping crane habitat, extraordinary examples of karst and caves, and the Peace-Athabasca Delta.
  • Highway 5/Wood Buffalo Parkway runs through Wood Buffalo NP from Hay River to Fort Smith (272 km)
    • Hwy 5 is fully paved two lane highway.
    • NWT DOT Highway conditions 
  • Getting there overland (Parks Canada)
  • There is a winter road through Wood Buffalo NP from Fort Chipewyan, Alberta and Fort Smith, NWT (228 km)
  • Wood Buffalo National Park » 867-872-7960
  • Winter road hotline » 867-872-7962
    • The winter road through Wood Buffalo National Park generally closes for the season in early spring » eg April 8 in 2023.
  • Spectacular NWT site
  • Promotional Video
• Nahanni National Park Reserve of Canada
  • Reservations and permits required. This park is excluded from the Discovery Pass.
  • UNESCO World Heritage Site
  • Spectacular NWT site 
  • Located along the South Nahanni River, one of the most spectacular wild rivers in North America, this park contains deep canyons and huge waterfalls, as well as a unique limestone cave system. The park is also home to animals of the boreal forest, such as wolves, grizzly bears and caribou. Dall’s sheep and mountain goats are found in the park’s alpine environment.
• Thaidene Nene National Park Reserve
• Aulavik National Park
  • No roads. You could fly into Aulavik, the northernmost of the NWT’s national parks on Banks Island in the High Arctic .
  • On an island as big as Ireland but with just 112 residents
  • Aulavik National Park has no hiking trails
  • A draw for paddlers looking to canoe the placid and crystal clear Thomsen River, Canada’s northernmost navigable river.
  • Home of Muskoxen
  • Off the Charts
• Nááts’ihch’oh National Park Reserve
• Tuktut Nogait National Park

Territorial Parks

• NWT boasts nearly 20 territorial parks
• NWT Parks website

Adventures

• Tuktoyaktuk » on the Arctic Ocean. Connected to the rest of Canada by road.
  • July mean temperature is barely above 10 °C (50 °F)
  • Highway 10 (Inuvik–Tuktoyaktuk Highway), a 138-km gravel road, connects Tuktoyaktuk from Inuvik.
    • From Dawson City, Yukon, travellers take Yukon Highway 5 and Northwest Territories Highway 8, known together as the Dempster Highway to Inuvik.

Overland

• Driving in the NWT allows visitors to appreciate the vastness of Canada’s northern boreal forest and provides many opportunities to see northern wildlife.
  • Keep an eye out for bison, bears, moose, lynx, and foxes.
• Distances between gas stations and other services is significant. Plan ahead.
• NWT Wilderness Survival Tips

Notes

• Bear country. Don’t feed the wildlife.
• Summer (June through August) visitors should travel with mosquito jackets and/or mosquito repellent, as an unexpected stop on the highway may result in a mosquito feeding frenzy.
• Autumn (September through October) and spring (April and May) are lovely times of year to visit as the bugs are fewer and weather is less extreme, though much cooler. Intermittent snowfalls start end of October
• When travelling in the winter (October through April), please remember that temperatures can be very cold (as low as -40℃) and it is very important to be prepared for unexpected stops. As well as your regular safety kit, be sure to pack warm outdoor clothes, matches and candles, and a very warm sleeping bag.

Resources

• Government of Northwest Territories
• Wikivoyage
• Wikipedia

This page was updated June 14, 2023