When you cross the Alberta border into the NWT you’ll find Sixtieth Parallel Territorial Park, with a small riverside campground and a visitor centre – open in the summer – full of fascinating displays about the North. From here it’s an easy jaunt to Enterprise and your first junction for road-tripping adventures.
Enterprise is synonymous with the open road. The community got its start back in 1948 to serve travellers on the first highway constructed in the Northwest Territories. Then, as now, this was the place where two exciting paths diverged. Highway 2 leads northeast to Great Slave Lake and the communities of Hay River, Fort Resolution and Fort Smith and Wood Buffalo National Park; the Mackenzie Highway, meanwhile, sets off northwest – toward Yellowknife, Fort Simpson, and beyond.
In 2023, Enterprise was one of the communities affected by the wildfires across the territory. Although the community of approximately 100 residents lost some important landmarks and saw many changes, its heart stayed the same. Enterprise is still home to its residents, and the community is undergoing efforts to revitalize what have always been its enduring and spectacular qualities.
Just steps away from the heart of Enterprise is one of the North’s most dramatic attractions – the plunging Hay River Gorge. Here, the honey-brown Hay River slices its way through a dizzying limestone canyon. Follow the flat, forested trail upriver a few kilometres and you’ll reach two spectacular waterfalls: the multi-level Louise Falls, and her taller, flashier sister Alexandra, a 107-foot-high earthshaking torrent.
Nearby you’ll find viewing platforms, picnic facilities and Lousie Falls Campground – Twin Falls Gorge Territorial Park, one of the most popular campgrounds in the Northwest Territories, and a perfect base to explore the Enterprise area.
Additional accommodations and attractions can be found half an hour north of Enterprise in Hay River
