The Dempster Highway serves as a boundary for this 8,800-hectare park, which includes two campgrounds (Vadzaih Van Tshik Campground and Gwich’in Territorial Campground), two day-use areas (Ehjuu NJik and Nihtak) and Tithegeh Chii Vitaii Lookout. The park is home to a number of natural wonders of the Mackenzie Delta region: limestone cliffs, rare Arctic plant communities, migratory bird staging areas, and Campbell Lake, an excellent example of a reversing delta.
Situated along the Ingraham Trail, about 61 kilometres east of Yellowknife, is this excellent basecamp for fishing, swimming, canoeing, hiking, bird-watching, wildlife viewing, and power boating. Basically, if there’s a summer experience worth having in the NWT, you can find it at Reid Lake.
The park’s short 0.70-kilometre hiking trail runs from the campgrounds to the beautiful shore of Reid Lake, passing over Shield rock deeply scored by glaciers and colourful patches of wild berries. Watch for eagles, whiskeyjacks and ravens along your route.
The campground itself features 65 non-powered campsites and 11 tent pads, along with washrooms, drinking water, firewood, a kitchen shelter, picnic areas and a playground.
Reid Lake Territorial Park is also a great launching point for extended canoe trips into the surrounding lake systems. From here, canoeists can access the Lower Cameron River, canoe routes to Jennejohn Lake, and more.
Make the trip to see Lady Evelyn Falls Territorial Park, a road-accessible destination just outside the little village of Kakisa, even if you don’t plan to camp overnight. The Kakisa River is a warm and boulder-strewn waterway with many lovely spots for wading and swimming. The fishing is also excellent – Northern Pike, Pickerel and Arctic Grayling can be caught by casting small spoons into the pools at the base of the falls.
But Lady Evelyn Falls is really the star attraction. It occurs where the Kakisa River jumps off an ancient coral reef, forming a crescent-shaped, 17-metre-high curtain of spray. A staircase leads into the gorge at the base of the falls.
There are 23 powered campsites in the territorial park, plus washrooms and showers, a kitchen shelter, drinking water, firewood, interpretive displays and helpful staff. From the Mackenzie Highway, an access road leads 6.8 kilometres south to the park. From the parking lot, a short trail leads to Lady Evelyn Falls.
Towering 400 metres above Tulita, Bear Rock has been a sacred site for the Dene for thousands of years. Dene oral history speaks of a great law-giver and traveler, Yamoria, who confronted a pack of giant beavers that had been terrorizing hunters. Yamoria killed three of the beavers and draped their vast pelts upon the rock, forming three dark circles that can still be seen on the mountain to this day. Bear Rock is a traditional place of prayer and reflection for the Dene. This ancient outcrop is pocketed by caves and sinkholes. Marine fossils of ancient fish and corals have been found in these crevices. Hikers can take a tour with a local guide to follow the trail to the summit of the peak where they’ll find a scenic lookout above the confluence of two spectacular rivers and sweeping views of the Sahtu.
Adjacent to the visitor information centre, this park has a scenic picnic area overlooking the beautiful Hay River, plus seven non-powered campsites nestled amongst birch and aspen trees. Entering the Northwest Territories from Alberta, the friendly staff at the 60th Parallel are available to welcome you. The Visitor Information Centre is open from May 15 to September 15. Brochures, maps, fishing licences, camping permits, pay phone, drinking water, washrooms and fresh coffee area available. Aboriginal arts and crafts are on display in the centre. Audiovisual presentations depict the Northern way of life and what you might expect to see on your travels in the Northwest Territories.
In the depths of December 1931, an enigmatic loner calling himself Albert Johnson shot and injured a policeman near the Rat River, not far from Aklavik. He then led authorities on a month-long wild goose chase that was broadcast via radio around the world. As the sign beside his grave says, “With howling huskies, dangerous trails, frozen nights, the posse finally caught up with him.”
Despite the Arctic conditions, the madman miraculously led officers on a chase through the deadly frozen wilderness, single-handedly scaling a cliff wall before he disappeared. Exhausted, and a little amazed at Johnson’s survival skills, the Canadian police hired a small plane to assist in the search. Finally, 40 days after fleeing his cabin and 240 kilometres away from their first encounter, Johnson was found and shot down by RCMP.
During the whole ordeal, Johnson is said to have been completely silent and no further information on the man’s past was ever uncovered, leaving nothing but questions. His corpse carried some $2,000, but lacked clues as to who he really was, where he’d come from, or why he seemed hellbent to kill.
In death, his legend only grew. He is said to be buried in the remote hamlet of Aklavik and a crude sign emblazoned with his story still marks his passing.
The oldest and certainly the most ornate place of worship in the North, this tiny cathedral crowns a bluff overlooking the Mackenzie River in Fort Good Hope. Constructed back in 1865 by Oblate missionaries — including the famed Father Émile Petitot –— the whitewashed church looks from the outside quite plain and stately. The inside, however, glows with elaborate frescoes. The vaulted ceiling depicts a Northern winter’s night sky, while Christian imagery is intermixed with depictions of local plants and wildlife. The 19th-century Gothic Revival church was designated a National Historic Site in 1977 but it still hosts regular services for parishioners.
Located alongside the Hay River, as you head onto Vale Island, Fisherman’s Wharf is the place to come for local arts and crafts, market-garden produce, and fresh-caught Great Slave Lake fish – or simply to sit in the sunshine and people-watch. It operates on Saturdays in summer from 10 am to 2 pm. The fresh, fried fish served up at the market is legendary throughout the Northwest Territories and shouldn’t be missed.
For a pretty little hike through classic Northern shield-country, drive 45 kilometres east of Yellowknife to the Cameron Falls Trail. The path twists through evergreen forests, across boardwalks and over undulating outcrops until, 20 minutes later, you arrive atop a lookout facing the waterfall, where the Cameron River tumbles 17 metres down a slanting stone face. From here, you can continue upstream, where a bridge permits access to the far side, with excellent picnicking, fishing and (on hot days!) swimming at the base of the falls.
Gaze upon the mighty Sambaa Deh Gorge, which gapes where the Trout River slices through thick spruce woodlands, not far from the community of Jean Marie River. Most visitors stop here to photograph the roadside falls, where the river surges through a limestone slot and over a dazzling drop, but there’s plenty more to see if you follow the network of trails that trace the canyon rim.
Take a stroll 1.5-kilometres upstream and you’ll arrive at the beautiful Coral Falls, named for the numerous coral fossils still found in the area. Coral is a sweeter, shyer waterfall than Sambaa Deh Falls, and one that you’ll likely have all to yourself. Downstream, meanwhile, the path will take you down to the water, where you’ll find stellar fishing for Arctic Grayling and Pickerel. Please take care, because the rocks may be slippery when wet, and there are no fences.
Both the falls and trails are found within Sambaa Deh Falls Territorial Park, a must-see for any visitors that’s located at the junction of Highway 1 and the Trout River. This river was a traditional transportation route before and during the fur trade. The falls forced travellers to portage around this dangerous stretch of water.
Today, the park and campground contains hiking and walking trails, a viewing platform overlooking the gorge and 20 non-powered camping sites with washroom facilities.
Sambaa Deh Falls, gorge, trails, and Territorial Park are all located along Highway 1 between Fort Providence and Fort Simpson.