Inuvik

Introducing Inuvik

Inuvik (population 3484), a few dozen kilometers from the mouth of the Mackenzie River, is the NWT’s third-largest town and the Paris (ahem!) of the Western Arctic. The town was artificially erected in 1955 to serve as a government administrative post, and with its rainbow-colored rows of houses and warren of above-ground heated pipes, it still feels like a work in progress. From late May through late July, Inuvik has ceaseless daylight. During that time, lots of visitors arrive via the rugged, awesome 747km Dempster Hwy from the Yukon. When winter sets in, ice-roads open up, including a virtual superhighway north to Tuktoyaktuk.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009