Skip to main content

Find out more about the current wildfire and wildfire-related concerns in the NWT.

Home Story The NWT’s toughest trail

The NWT's toughest trail

In all of North America, there’s nothing like the Canol Trail. The continent’s roughest and most rewarding trail begins at the Yukon border and ends 355 kilometres later on the banks of the Mackenzie. In the three weeks it takes to get from start to finish, the trail weaves through a world of infinite mountains, creatures with no fear of man, glacier-fed rivers, rich World War II history – and likely not a single human being.

A living history

The Canol may be the strangest war-story ever told. Back in World War II, America needed oil to fuel the battle for the Pacific. So, in the course of a few short and brutal years, U.S. troops and Canadian contractors laid a pipeline through impossibly rough country clear from Norman Wells to Whitehorse. Excruciatingly hard to maintain, the line moved little oil and was abadoned after just 13 months. Eventually, the pipe was hauled out, but military barracks, telephone poles and rusting army jeeps remain, giving mute testimony to one of the most heroic and absurd of wartime endeavours.

The world like when it was new

Elsewhere on Earth, nowadays, what passes for wildlife is usually fenced in, driven out, or hiding from human beings. Not here. Like a track through Eden, the Canol is flanked by moose, mountain sheep, caribou, grizzly bears, wolverines, and who knows what all else. This is their virgin kingdom – “a world with the dew still on it.” That’s why the Canol is like going back through time.

remote wonders

The Canol is pretty country. I mean, real pretty. Along the trail are famous landmarks like Dodo Canyon, the Twitya River, the Intga Valley, Devil’s Pass and Carcajou Falls. These remote wonders remain rarely seen to this day.

Book an adventure with us at Trail Blazer Tours for an unforgettable experience! Your adventure with us will create lasting......

Commercial air charter service providing air support for hikers on Canol Road, sightseeing in the beautiful Mackenzie Mountains, and fly-in fishing......

Destination NWT Limited is a tourism operator located in Yellowknife, Canada. DNWT specializes in outdoors adventures, aurora photography, and cultural experiences: Best rated Snowmobile Tour, winter gears included, exciting trail riding Aurora Tour in a Luxurious lakeside Lodge Unique Aurora tour while Ice Fishing indoors Full panoramic moonroof vehicle for Aurora Viewing DNWT’s tours allow […]...

Arctic Tours Canada is a Yellowknife based tour operating company that offer Aurora Hunting and Viewing tours, Yellowknife sightseeing tours,......

Northern and Remote Wilderness Adventures Ltd. (NARWAL) is a small, friendly, majority Aboriginal owned and operated family business. Our reputation......

Gana River Outfitters is a family owned and operated outfitting business offering remote wilderness hunts in the beautiful Mackenzie Mountains......

Pehdzeh Ki First Nation is located in the community of Wrigley, Northwest Territories, Canada. We are a Designated Authority in......

To truly experience the Northwest Territories, take your camping gear for a highway driving adventure! Long ribbons of road without......

Remote naturalist’s lodge snuggled in the Mackenzie Mountains, in the largest mountain wilderness in North America. Located along the Canol......

Beaufort Sea Adventures is a family-owned and Indigenous-operated business, proudly offering Arctic experiences in Tuktoyaktuk. Our family lives and breathes the North, giving us a unique insight into the hidden gems that make Tuktoyaktuk truly special. We offer guests an authentic cultural immersion, sharing our Inuvialuit heritage, stories, and deep connection to the land and […]...

Aurora viewing tours, city tours, and hikes at Cameron Falls. We book all your activities and  accommodation....

Explore the wild splendor of the northern boreal plains, where whooping cranes call and bison roam free. Visitor reception centres......

We offer: Nature and wildlife viewing Snowmobile tours Fishing tours Boat tours Polar bear and muskox hunts. Contact us for......