Yellowknife Airport (YZF) serves as a key connector for services across the entire territory and acts as a gateway to the northern regions of Canada. It serves as a vital hub for various operations, including cargo, charters, general aviation, medical travel, National Defense programs, and commercial air services.
The North Arm campground is located on NWT Highway 3 (km 232) west of Behchokǫ̀. Situated on the shore of The Great Slave Lake, the park offers 15 campsites that can accommodate a range of equipment types. Guests can enjoy beautiful lake views from the boardwalk, swimming, playground and day use area during their stay.
The Yellowknife Historical Museum and Interpretive Centre showcases Yellowknife’s Indigenous, sporting, cultural, geological, and mining history. Along with our exhibit hall, this Museum also has a gift shop that is stocked almost entirely by local artists and a Restaurant/Café area open for lunch and dinner.
Our Museum has a wide verity of interests for locals and tourists. In our exhibits, you will see a variety of displays highlighting:
Exhibits that have been of local interest for School tours are our exhibits featuring Inuit and Dene games, hockey, dog sledding, curling and an interactive play area for children and those who are children at heart. We also have an extensive public collection of information regarding the geological and cultural history of Yellowknife including that of the gold and diamond mining in the area, following that journey right up to the Giant Mine Remediation Project.
The Yellowknife Historical Museum and Interpretive Centre is located on Chief Drygeese Territory, the traditional territory of the Wiiliideh Yellowknives Dene First Nation and home of the North Slave Métis. We respectfully acknowledge our presence on the Indigenous land around Yellowknife.
This is a community-driven Museum run by the non-profit organization the Yellowknife Historical Society. Entry is by donation.
The hours for our Restaurant, The Miner’s Mess, operated by Hidden Gem are:
Monday Closed
Tuesday 9:00 am – 9:00 pm
Wednesday 9:00 am – 9:00 pm
Thursday 9:00 am – 9:00 pm
Friday 9:00 am – 9:00 pm
Saturday 9:00 am – 9:00 pm
Sunday 9:00 am – 9:00 pm
Known traditionally as Tinde’e, Tu Nedhé, and Tucho, among other names, the body of water today called Great Slave Lake is the second-largest in the Northwest Territories (after Great Bear Lake), the deepest lake in North America and the tenth-largest lake in the world. It covers an area of over 27,000 square kilometres and at some points is over 600 metres deep. Put in context, Great Slave could sink the CN Tower.
Along its shores stand the communities of Hay River, Behchokǫ̀, Fort Resolution, Łutsel K’e, Dettah, N’dilo and, of course, Yellowknife. Many of the locals in these places still utilize Great Slave Lake’s life-giving waters for sustenance and to provide for their families. Beneath its sparkling waves, this lake teems with Whitefish, Lake Trout, Grayling, Walleye, Cisco, Inconnu and many more species.
Great Slave Lake’s astounding East Arm is punctuated by countless islands and towering cliffs. It’s here you’ll find the bewildering beauty of Thaidene Nene National Park Reserve. On the vibrant North Arm, home to Yellowknife Bay, floatplanes soar overheard and houseboats bob with the current. In winter, the icy surface is alive with festivals and northern activities while incandescent Aurora dance above.
The lake’s name originates from “Slavey,” an outdated name used by early settlers to describe the Dene people of the region. The Indigenous people of the North were the first to make a home around these waters when glacial ice retreated nearly 10,000 years ago. Later in the mid-18th century the lake drew the attention of fur traders and the Hudson’s Bay Company. More explorers traversed and mapped the area up until the 1930s when, with the discovery of gold on the North Arm, Yellowknife and eventually other mining towns were established.
Great Slave Lake starts freezing over in late November and the ice remains thick (up to four feet or 125 cm thick) until early May. During that time an ice road connects Yellowknife to the nearby community of Dettah. The “shoulder seasons” of breakup and freezeup can be treacherous so always pay attention to local announcements and signs about ice safety.
By June, the open waters welcome back a chorus of fishers, boaters, and hobby craft. There are many operators who can show you around Great Slave Lake’s vast and impressive waters during both seasons.
One of Yellowknife’s special gems, this 297-seat theatre is the only fully-equipped live performance theatre in the NWT.
The Northern Arts and Cultural Centre is run by a non-profit charitable organization that’s hosted fine arts performances here for nearly 40 years. It was built in the 1980s with the help of the Globe and Mail, whose publisher implored donors across Canada to “Help us kill Macbeth in Yellowknife.”
Since then, the NACC has become the destination for local, national, and international performances in the territory, hosting artists, symphonies, live music, theatre, stage shows, film festivals and more. The NACC also brings a variety of artistic programs to communities throughout the NWT, from educational workshops to performing artist mentorships.
Tickets sell out fast so be sure to check the NACC website for upcoming performances.
Yellowknife’s most popular lookout rises high above Old Town, providing a stupendous view over Great Slave Lake, Back Bay and the northern reaches of the city. The monument rests atop “The Rock”—a six-storey hill where the town’s original water tower once stood—and is accessed via a winding wooden staircase.
Back when Yellowknife was still young, travel between communities and camps was long and dangerous. Bush planes were a vital resource for transporting supplies, food, medicine and people. This monument is dedicated to those pilots and engineers whose lives were lost as they flew the wild skies of the Northwest Territories. But it also serves a practical purpose: When the light atop the tower is flashing, residents and visitors are warned that floatplanes or skiplanes are active on nearby Yellowknife Bay.
Reaching the base of Pilot’s Monument is easy. Just head down Franklin Avenue towards Old Town and you’ll see it rising up above the houses. Getting to the top is a little trickier. The climb is steep and unfortunately not wheelchair accessible. There are two resting areas on the staircase for those that need them. At the peak are two viewing platforms where many travellers take photos and gaze out on the beautiful scenery of Yellowknife.
Perched on a pillar near the Yellowknife airport, the blue Bristol Freighter greets visitors, reminding them of the region’s vital aviation history.
The former Wardair freighter last flew in the 1960s and was owned by Max Ward, famed northern aviation pioneer. Bush planes such as this one fed the development of Yellowknife and other communities in the North, bringing in people and supplies and connecting the outside world before there were any roads.
This particular plane is a Bristol Type 170 and was retired from active service early in 1968 after making history on May 6, 1967, when piloted by Captain Don Braun it was the first wheel equipped aircraft to land at the North Pole.
After it was decommissioned in 1968, it was donated to the City of Yellowknife and is now one of approximately 10 Bristol aircraft that exist for display in the world.
Located at Bristol Monument the “Welcome to Yellowknife” sign is landmark at the entry to the city and a favorite spot for photos. A short path with stairs leads to the Bristol Air Freighter, which also features a picnic area. To the east of the freighter, you’ll find a 2.5-kilometer hiking trail that winds through the boreal forest and connects to the Frame Lake trail system.
Tucked behind the Chateau Nova and Explorer Hotels, this easy two-kilometre loop explores the shoreline of a small marshy lake in the heart of a Yellowknife residential neighbourhood. The short 35-minute walk is a popular destination for trail runners, walkers, and wildlife. Despite the nearby houses, Niven is full of beavers, muskrats, waterfowl and also great urban birdwatching opportunities. The trail features benches and several viewing platforms, plus a floating pontoon bridge over the water. Open year-round, and equally gorgeous in all seasons.
