Pelican Rapids

Top choice in 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 the tumultuous river. There are not that many pelicans here, but you can wander out onto the great slabs of pink granite rising from the water. The trip makes for a great bike ride.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Northwest Territories attractions

1. Mountain Rapids

2.97 MILES

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…

2. Cassette Rapids

5.87 MILES

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…

3. Rapids of the Drowned

8.04 MILES

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…

4. Fort Smith Mission Historic Park

8.14 MILES

This park commemorates the days when Fort Smith was Catholicism's beachhead into the North. Self-guided tour maps are available from the visitor center.

5. Northern Life Museum

8.41 MILES

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…

6. Wood Buffalo National Park

15.49 MILES

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

7. Salt Plains Lookout

25.05 MILES

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…