Łutsël K’é, or “Place of the cisco fish,” is the only settlement on Great Slave Lake’s storied (and beautiful) East Arm – site of the new Thaıdene Nëné National Park Reserve. This scenic community of about 300 Dënesųłiné is only accessible by air, boat or snowmobile.
Marked by soaring red cliffs and seemingly unlimited Lake Trout, the breathtaking scenery around Łutsël K’é is bristling with dramatic landscapes and pristine wilderness. Ancient cliffs drop 180 metres straight down into the deep, cold waters of Great Slave Lake. It’s an ideal spot to launch bucket list-level angling and paddling trips in Christie and McLeod Bays, and over Pike’s Portage into the muskox- and caribou-rich Barrenlands.
Though Łutsël K’é has always been a gathering place for Dënesųłıné, a permanent settlement dates back to 1925, when the Hudson’s Bay Company established a trading post here. Known as Snowdrift (because of the nearby Snowdrift River), the community returned to its traditional name in 1992 to better reflect the generations of Dene who have lived on and cared for these lands.
Łutsël K’é is proudly traditional, with Dënesųłıné Yatı widely spoken and traditional hunting, trapping, and fishing serving as the economic mainstay. The community has been home to several famous Northerners, including celebrated painter John Rombough and revered priest, historian and activist René Fumoleau.
Since 2019, Łutsël K’é has been the operational hub of Thaıdene Nëné Indigenous Protected Area. Covering more more than 26,000 square kilometres of land and water extending from the East Arm of Great Slave Lake (known as Tu Nedhé, Tınde’e, Tıdeè, and Tucho to local Dene and Métis) to the tundra, Thaıdene Nëné, which means “Land of the Ancestors” in Dënesųłıné Yatı, includes Thaıdene Nëné National Park Reserve, territorial protected area, and wildlife conservation area. Management of Thaıdene Nëné is uniquely cooperative, with Indigenous, federal, and territorial governments all working together.
Although not accessible by road, Łutsël K’é is only a 45-minute flight from Yellowknife. Scheduled flights go between the community and Yellowknife at least once per day, every day of the week. An annual sealift is provided by the territorial government’s ships from Hay River in the summer.
