Must-see attractions in Northwest Territories

  • Nahanni National Park Reserve

    Northwest Territories

    A place of unparalleled natural beauty in the southwestern NWT near the Yukon border, this 30,000-sq-km, Unesco World Heritage national park is bisected…

  • Virginia Falls in mist and water mist rainbow at South Nahanni river, Northwest Territories, Canada
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    Virginia Falls

    Northwest Territories

    Yes, there is a higher set of falls in British Columbia, but for the sheer gushing power of two mighty torrents of water, falling from a height of 96m …

  • Wood Buffalo National Park

    Northwest Territories

    Established in 1922 to protect a large, dark and distinctly Northern subspecies of bison, and straddling the Alberta–NWT border, is Wood Buffalo National…

  • Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre

    Yellowknife

    Acting as NWT's historical and cultural archive, this well-laid-out museum overlooks Frame Lake. Expertly assembled displays address natural history,…

  • Aulavik National Park

    Northwest Territories

    This seldom-visited park has the world's largest concentration of musk ox, as well as tundra and archaeological sites. This is true Arctic wilderness,…

  • Pingo Canadian Landmark

    Northwest Territories

    The Tuk Peninsula has the world's highest concentration of pingos. Some 1350 of these huge mounds of earth-covered ice, that form only in a permafrost…

  • Great Slave Lake

    Yellowknife

    Yellowknife sits on the shores of Great Slave Lake – the 10th largest lake in the world and the deepest in North America. It takes its name from the…

  • Pelican Rapids

    Northwest Territories

    Twelve kilometers south of Fort Smith, an old road leads east towards the river, with a footpath dipping down to a creek and ascending a bluff overlooking…

  • Rapids of the Drowned

    Northwest Territories

    Named after a fatal 19th-century boat accident, these turbulent rapids are the northernmost pelican nesting site in the world. Walk 10 minutes from the…

  • Hidden Lake Territorial Park

    Northwest Territories

    At Hidden Lake Territorial Park you'll find the attractive Cameron Falls, reachable via a 15-minute walk through forest and over rocks.

  • Tuktut Nogait National Park

    Northwest Territories

    This wilderness is a major calving ground for bluenose caribou. It's an excellent place to observe birds of prey and has spectacular pingos, beautiful…

  • Glacier Lake

    Northwest Territories

    Flanked by the Britnell Glacier in the northwest reaches of the park, this spectacular lake is surrounded by the granite mountains of the Ragged Range and…

  • Ivvavik National Park

    Northwest Territories

    Spanning a chunk of northern Yukon, part of the Northwest Territories and bordering Alaska, the tundra and craggy British Mountains of 94,500-sq-km…

  • Aklavik

    Northwest Territories

    On the west side of the Mackenzie Delta, Aklavik ('Barrenground Grizzly Place') was the region's administrative center before Inuvik took over. This Gwich…

  • Legislative Assembly

    Yellowknife

    In the impressive, igloo-shaped Legislative Assembly, you can learn about the territory's aboriginal-style government by joining their free hour-long tour…

  • Sambaa Deh Falls Territorial Park

    Northwest Territories

    Around 88km east of the turnoff for Fort Simpson and 138km west of the turnoff towards Yellowknife, this protected area is centered on the spectacular…

  • Old Town

    Yellowknife

    Many living people are older than Yellowknife but, despite the fact the Old Town only dates from the mid-1930s, its ramshackle streets wedged between Back…

  • Sod Houses

    Northwest Territories

    Toward the northern end of Tuk are examples of the traditional Inuvialuit igluryuaq (sod houses), made from driftwood and covered with sod. With a tunnel…

  • Ulukhaktok

    Northwest Territories

    Sitting on the shores of the Arctic Ocean on the western half of Victoria Island, Ulukhaktok (formerly Holman) is a small Inuvialuit community famous for…

  • Yellowknife Cultural Crossroads

    Yellowknife

    On a huge boulder by the road there's a striking work of art: a soaring eagle, a whirl of colorful handprints and the skeletal outline of a tipi. In front…

  • Northern Life Museum

    Northwest Territories

    This museum has intriguing displays on local history, from the first Dene arrivals 10,000 years ago to the founding of the 19th-century fur-trapping post…

  • Salt Plains Lookout

    Northwest Territories

    Some 25km west of Fort Smith, along the road to Hay River, an unsealed 11km access road branches off toward a viewpoint overlooking the great salt…

  • Our Lady of Victory Church

    Northwest Territories

    The town landmark is the wooden Our Lady of Victory Church, also called the Igloo Church, designed to reflect the local Inuvialuit culture. It has a…

  • NWT Diamond Centre

    Yellowknife

    A great place to buy your diamond bling, this gallery also provides a good overview of diamond mining in Canada's frigid north. The accompanying video…

  • Twin Falls Gorge Territorial Park

    Northwest Territories

    South of Enterprise, the Mackenzie Hwy parallels impressive Twin Falls Gorge Territorial Park. The eponymous pair of falls are linked by a lovely 2km…

  • Cassette Rapids

    Northwest Territories

    The Slave River's southernmost rapids are in Fort Fitzgerald, part of Smith's Landing First Nation, 24km south of Fort Smith. Follow the road to the river…

  • Mountain Rapids

    Northwest Territories

    Eight kilometers south of Fort Smith, towards Fort Fitzgerald, these rapids are accessible via a 2.5km dirt road just past the golf course. There are…

  • Icehouse

    Northwest Territories

    The Icehouse is the community freezer. The entrance looks like an outhouse, but inside you descend into a tunnel system excavated 10m into the permafrost…

  • Our Lady of Lourdes

    Northwest Territories

    Beautifully restored and sitting off the main street by the Catholic mission, this schooner delivered supplies to far-flung Catholic missions in the…

  • Reid Lake

    Northwest Territories

    At Reid Lake, 61km from Yellowknife, you can swim, canoe or fish. The campground has a beach, boat ramp and walking trail, plus campsites on the ridge…

  • Blackstone Territorial Park

    Northwest Territories

    Halfway between Checkpoint and Fort Liard, and well-situated on the Liard River, Blackstone Territorial Park is rich in wildlife, framed by mountains and…

  • Prelude Lake

    Northwest Territories

    There are two short nature trails at Prelude Lake, as well as a large and busy, full-service campground, boat rentals and activities for children.

  • Norman Wells Historical Centre

    Northwest Territories

    A labor of love, this small museum showcases regional history, geology, arts and crafts, and has information on the rivers and the Canol Heritage Trail…

  • Lady Evelyn Falls Territorial Park

    Northwest Territories

    Lady Evelyn Falls Territorial Park is 7km down the access road to tiny Kakisa from Hwy 1. There's a short path to the splendid 17m falls. There's a…

  • Fred Henne Territorial Park

    Yellowknife

    Located opposite the airport off Hwy 3, Fred Henne Territorial Park is popular with campers, and in summer there's chilly swimming at Long Lake Beach.

  • Tibbitt Lake

    Northwest Territories

    In summer, the Ingraham Trail ends here, where locals come to fish. In winter, this is the beginning of the 570km ice road to the diamond mines.

  • OSC Gallery

    Northwest Territories

    This gallery, located in the town's library building, displays contemporary and traditional Dehcho art, some of it for sale.

  • Cameron River Ramparts

    Northwest Territories

    These small, pretty falls are reachable via a 400m stroll through the forest from the parking lot.

  • Bush Pilot's Monument

    Yellowknife

    Perched atop 'The Rock,' a large outcrop in the middle of the Old Town, this simple needle pays homage to the gutsy bush pilots who opened up the NWT a…

  • Ragged Ass Rd

    Yellowknife

    Named by prospectors who had gone stone-broke (ragged ass), this road was immortalized in a song and album by Tom Cochrane, himself the son of a bush…