12 Unforgettable Months in the NWT

Home Story 12 Unforgettable Months in the NWT

The Aurora dances in the night sky in the Northwest Territories — 12 Unforgettable Months in the NWT

When is the best time to visit the Northwest Territories?

This is the question asked by many curious travellers from around the world who are seeking extraordinary experiences. The answer? Depends on the kind of life-changing adventure you’re looking for.

If it’s remote getaways on the world’s wildest and most pristine waters, then you’ll want to plan a trip in the summer to paddle the Nahanni or Keele rivers or to fly into the East Arm of Great Slave Lake. If it’s to gaze up at the stunning Northern Lights, then you’ll want to visit when the nearly 24 hours a day of sunlight draws to a close. The best times to see Northern Lights run from mid-August to mid-October and then again from late November until mid-April.

Want a glimpse of what you can do through all 12 exciting months in the NWT? Take a trip with us right here, from the comfort of your home.

Inukshuks stand in the foreground while Fireworks explode in the night sky at the Inuvik Sunrise Festival. NWT — **January**

Here comes the sun…

The Sunrise Festival in Inuvik celebrates the return of the sun to this Western Arctic town after a one-month absence, an annual period of near darkness that lasts from the middle of December to late January. Sunrise celebrations include local food, dance, music, artist markets, cultural workshops, snow yoga, indoor and outdoor family activities and a large fireworks display on the Saturday night. This three-day party on the permafrost is a must-do for those looking for an authentic adventure some 200 kilometres (125 miles) north of the Arctic Circle.

The lakes and rivers are now frozen thick to roughly one metre (three feet) down. So, now’s the time to let enthusiastic sled dog teams bring you on an authentic Northern adventure in the wilderness. Your excursion can start on the front steps of your warm Arctic cabin, on the frozen bays around Yellowknife or at the sled dogs’ kennels where they live as a team and family throughout the year. There, you’ll find the only group more excited about your dog sledding expedition than you are — the team of energetic sled dogs themselves.

The northern lights dance in the night sky at Aurora Village in the Northwest Territories — February

The world’s greatest light shows

With its glowing cosmic dances across the dark starry sky, the Aurora Borealis takes place almost nightly during the winter, from mid November until early April.Seeing the Northern Lights in the NWT is a different experience from seeing them anywhere else in the world; this stunning territory is located directly under the Auroral Oval, which leads to some of the most frequent and vivid light displays in the world — the colours brilliantly bright, the displays last longer and the movements are elaborate. Many Aurora tour operators can offer you the Aurora viewing experience you’re seeking on a day trip or longer stay.

Walk on water!

Northerners take a walk on the wild side, when many of the great Northern waterways become ice road highways in the winter months. For thousands of territorial residents, winter is the only time when their remote communities become road-accessible, as nearly 2,000 km (1,240 miles) of icy highways are plowed over lakes or through terrain that’s impassable in the summertime. More than just a means of connecting communities, winter roads grant a unique and scenic way to see the winter wonderland of the North. And you can step out in style and warmth on an ice road with a guided tour.

2 people slide down a tandem ice slide at the snowking festival on the great slave lake in the Northwest Territories — March

The most fun you can have with your mitts on!

The Snowking Winter Festival takes place in — and all around — a magnificently ornate and massive snow castle on Yellowknife Bay. The festival is essentially a month-long winter party of dance, theatre, music, ice slides, art, and “snow” much more! All inside a unique glittering palace made of snow and ice.

Drop the puck

Winter has arrived across the NWT. But you won’t hear anyone complaining. It just means pond hockey season has begun. In the town of Hay River they take pond hockey seriously. This is where the community’s spring Polar Pond Hockey Tournament follows in the rich tradition of pond hockey competition in the NWT.

a person ice fishes on a frozen lake in the Northwest Territories — April

Fishing on ice

The weather is warmer and the days are longer, but the ice is still thick enough to be driven on safely. So this is the perfect time to grab the auger, drop a line through the ice and jig for monstrous Northern Pike, feisty Arctic Grayling, succulent Whitefish and truly enormous Lake Trout. Ice fishing operators equip comfortable and spacious ice fishing huts with dedicated seating, a toasty wood-burning stove and all the ice fishing equipment you’ll need to make the most of your experience in modern comfort.

Indulge your artistic side

A quirky studio in Yellowknife’s Old Town (the capital’s oddest and oldest neighbourhood,) Old Town Glassworks encourages aspiring creatives to design and sand-blast recycled-glass works of art on its ingeniously repurposed equipment. And now’s the time to experience the true beauty of Canadian diamonds at the Diamond Centre, also in Yellowknife. You’ll see loose diamonds, mined, cut, and polished in the NWT. Stop to admire the diamond centre’s jewellry made with diamonds from the Canadian North, a perfect memento of your visit!

An aerial view of 3 people sitting around a fire pit camping in the Northwest territories — May

Spring has sprung!

The NWT’s campgrounds are open for business so it’s time to hit the road. There’s no better way to spend a long weekend in the NWT than on a road trip to a territorial park where you can spend time relaxing in the great outdoors. There are 17 campgrounds on the doorstep of wilderness, but still within reach of modern community services and amenities. Campsites in the NWT are spacious, and many campgrounds provide showers and flush toilets as well as dumping stations for RVs.

A living, breathing roadside attraction

Motorists keep their eyes peeled on the Deh Cho route for hulking bison, famous for grazing along the shoulders of the highway or causing a unique NWT-style traffic jam. Bison congregate in three regions of the NWT, but the most famous herd is located around Wood Buffalo National Park near Fort Smith, where about 3,500 bison are commonly visible along Highway 5 and the Pine Lake Road.

a person plays golf under the midnight sun in the Northwest territories — June

Endless Days

Imagine all that you could do if the day just didn’t end? The Midnight Sun in the NWT offers so many possibilities. Tee off at midnight. Or fish to your heart’s content. On June 21 in Yellowknife, the Midnight Sun Golf Classic sees golfers tee off when they would normally be going to bed. And in Inuvik, it’s the same with joggers at the Summer Solstice Midnight Fun Run. Be spellbound by a two-hour twilight, where a sunset blends into a sunrise, creating an entirely breathtaking phenomenon. June 21 also marks National Indigenous Peoples Day in Canada. Throughout the Northwest Territories, this day is celebrated with a wide range of festivities and community events that include cultural demonstrations, workshops, art displays, traditional foods, and music.

Paddle on!

When the sun barely sets all month, whitewater enthusiasts spend as much time as they can on the world-class rapids in Fort Smith. Beginning at Fort Fitzgerald and ending 10 km (six miles) downstream at Fort Smith, are four furious sets of rapids — called Pelican, Rapids of the Drowned, Mountain Portage and Cassette. Contacting local paddling outfitters for guidance before tackling any of the more challenging rapid routes is a good idea.

A pingo on the tundra in the Northwest Territories — July

A Dempster adventure

A once-in-a-lifetime road trip on the Dempster Highway takes intrepid travellers through austere mountain landscapes, across mighty rivers, through welcoming Inuvialiut and Gwich’in communities and, finally, past the otherworldly Ibyuk pingo outside Tuktoyaktuk. The Pingos, unique Arctic landforms, provide a distinctive backdrop to this welcoming community at the end of the Dempster Highway. There, the road ends at the Arctic Ocean — the furthest North anyone can drive in all Canada.

Lo, the beasts below…

The NWT is home to some of the biggest, heaviest, and healthiest freshwater fish on the planet. It’s a fact that some monster Lake Trout patrolling the depths of Great Bear Lake are 50 years old and weigh more than a small child. So, fishing for Lake Trout in the NWT can often land you a catch weighing between 15 kg (33 lbs) and 25 kg (55 lbs.) Every year more anglers walk away with stories of record-setting Lake Trout coming in at as much as scale-crushing 35 kg (77 lbs.) In the NWT you’ll find fishing day trip operators and fishing lodges all promising an unforgettable Lake Trout fishing experience on waters across the territory — and they aren’t exaggerating.

A crowd of people watch musicians perform on stage at the Folk on the Rocks music festival in Yellowknife Northwest Territories

A Musical Mecca

Music lovers from all over the Country make the pilgrimage to Yellowknife for the Folk on the Rocks festival in mid-July. Featuring drum dances and hand game demonstrations, Folk on the Rocks is a blend of Northern-style celebrations and a variety of art, music and performances. On the festival grounds you’ll find local eats and beverages from Yellowknife’s diverse food scene, as well as crafts and artwork from artists across the NWT and Canada, all by the magnificent Long Lake in Yellowknife.

two canoes paddle down the nahanni river with mountains looming in the background — August

The North’s Eden

Towering canyon walls, backcountry alpine hikes, sprawling cave networks, burbling hot springs and wildlife at its purest, in its pristine, natural habitat — the South Nahanni River that winds through Nahanni National Park Reserve offers kayakers, canoeists and rafters the ultimate wild river experience. And one of Canada’s greatest wilderness waterfalls, Náįlįcho (Virginia Falls), is an easy flightseeing trip away from Fort Simpson.

Dark Starry Nights and Northern Lights

It’s one of those paradoxes of Northern life: when the sun goes down, the skies really start to light up. From late-August until mid-October, the fall Aurora comes out to play. During the Fall Aurora season– also known locally as Summer Aurora — the Northern Lights are visible across the NWT dark and starry skies. So, as the spectacular Midnight Sun fades, fall can be the best time to see the Northern Lights. At this time of year you can see the Northern Lights dancing above you while taking a boat tour, fishing, hiking or camping in a territorial or national park.

An aerial view of Ram Plateau in the Northwest Territories — September

Spectacular Canyon flyover

Bush plane pilots guide flightseers over some of this Country’s most dramatic landscapes. Flightseeing tours in Nahanni National Park Reserve can make stops in several places and get you close to the Nahanni’s stunning sights like the Cirque of the Unclimbables and the thundering Náįlįcho (Virginia Falls) — which are twice as tall as Niagara Falls, four acres (1.6 hectares) in size and 300 ft. (91 m) high.

Awesome autumns

Fall may be the shortest season in the North, but it’s a spectacular one. That’s most apparent on the Barrenlands, where the landscape explodes in vibrant hues of red. You’ll realize that the Barrenlands are not really barren at all when the colour of tiny plants, shrubs and miniature willows change to rich dark reds, yellows, and oranges.

Alexandra Falls Enterprise NWT - Mark Jinks — October

Waterfalls for all

The NWT’s Waterfalls Route boasts an abundance of awe-inspiring cascades, just a short hike from the highway. The Waterfalls Route starts after you cross the 60th parallel from Alberta into the NWT and Alberta Highway 35 becomes NWT Highway. The Waterfalls Route runs then from the Alberta/NWT border to Enterprise continues to Checkpoint at the junction of Highways 1 and 7.

Along this route, you’ll find several territorial campgrounds: the 60th Parallel, Twin Falls Gorge, Lady Evelyn Falls and Sambaa Deh Falls, all immersed in pristine wilderness.. Each campground has unique natural features and many offer picturesque hiking trails, sandy beaches, thundering waterfalls and great fishing spots.

A person snowshoes through the snowy forest in Wood Buffalo National Park in the spectacular Northwest Territories — November

Fresh fish and full-on fun

As temperatures begin to drop, it’s time to hunker down. Visit Bullock’s Bistro in Yellowknife’s Old Town, a regular title holder of Best Fish and Chips in Canada. Often offering “caught-that-day” Trout, Burbot, and Walleye. Bullock’s is also famous for its colourfully decorated walls, its heaping plates and the chorus of laughter that plays in the background to an unforgettable meal. Customer favourites include pan-fried Whitefish with fries and salad and grilled Lake Trout.

With the cooler temperatures also comes snow and cross-country ski trails galore. Imagine skiing in darkness under a cover of stars and the green swirls of majestic Northern Lights, or under the spotlight of a bright full moon. Yellowknife Ski Club’s two-kilometre (1.2 miles) Snowflake Trail is also lit every evening during the ski season. You can link up with active cross-country clubs in the NWT, including Hay River, Fort Smith, Fort McPherson and Inuvik. In these locations, you find well-groomed cross-country skiing trails and cozy ski chalets where you can exchange tips with local skiers about the best trails around.

As the snow accumulates, snowshoeing is one the best ways to enjoy the stunning landscapes of the boreal forest. Many operators offer guided snowshoeing trips that include pickup and drop-off, equipment rentals and hot drinks.

a craftswoman works with caribou hide and tufts in the Northwest Territories — December

Tis the season

Throughout November and December, let the NWT’s expert artists and craftspeople help you with your holiday shopping. At art fairs and craft sales, you can find original masterworks that may incorporate traditional Dene and Inuvialuit designs and innovations with unique styles and signatures. Each region in the NWT has its own traditional crafts — from the birchbark baskets characteristic of Fort Liard, to the cozy beaded moccasins of Deline, the porcupine quillwork designs of Fort Providence and the star-burst parka hoods of the Western Arctic.

New year, new trails

Every month in the Northwest Territories is full of countless exciting experiences. Visit the NWT, embark on your next big adventure and make memories that will last a lifetime.

Watch the unforgettable video here

Wilderness Camping Adventures

Red Cliff Adventures

Activities

Camping Cultural Demonstrations Fishing Nature and Wildlife Nature Tours On the Land

Thaidene Nëné Authentic Wilderness Camp Spend two days and two nights getting a completely authentic experience of the area around Thiadene Nëné and Łutsël K’é. Tour the community itself and enjoy a scenic boat trip out to Red Cliff Island, learning the history and hearing Indigenous storytelling from Ron himself. Hearty meals and an authentic […]...

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