With towering cliffs and pristine waters that are home to world-class fishing and majestic wildlife, Thaidene Nene (“Land of the Ancestors” in Dënesųłiné, or Chipewyan) is the newest national park reserve in Canada and a crown jewel of northern wilderness.

This is a land of spiritual and cultural importance to local Dene that stretches from Great Slave Lake‘s revered East Arm all the way north to the Barrenlands. Thaidene Nene National Park Reserve encompasses 14,305 square kilometres of ecologically diverse wilderness that transitions from boreal forest to tundra and positively explodes with life. Herds of muskoxen and stoic moose can be seen grazing along the lakeshore, while giant Lake Trout patrol the clean and clear waters of North America’s deepest lake. The welcoming community of Łutsël K’é is located in the Park Reserve, as is the national historic site of Fort Reliance.

Management of Thaidene Nëné is uniquely cooperative, with Indigenous, federal and territorial governments all working together through their own administrative laws. The Thaidene Nëné Indigenous Protected Area was created and is looked after by the Łutsël K’é Dene First Nation. Within that protected area is the National Park Reserve, which is administered by Parks Canada. The Government of the Northwest Territories also established the first territorial protected area in the NWT in Thaidene Nëné, and created within it a 3,165-square kilometre Wildlife Conservation Area. 

To get to Thaidene Nene, you can hop on a scheduled or charter flight into Łutsel K’e from Yellowknife. Currently this national park has little infrastructure and no amenities. It is an extremely isolated location, and visitors to Thaidene Nene National Park Reserve, must be self-reliant. Visitors can book an overnight fishing trip or a night at a traditional camp with a local Dene guide. Or take a guided, week-long paddling adventure to the East Arm to experience the grandeur, serenity and freedom of these unspoiled, wide-open spaces.