Skip to main content

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

Home Package

Blog Archives

Winter Aurora Package

Welcome to Blachford Lodge.

2025 New Moon dates: January 29, February 27, March 29, April 27

Opening in December, 2024 will be our 5 newly renovated cabins. We are adding more comfort, beauty, and overall enhancements to your experience with us.

Winter outdoor activities include cross-country skiing on 20 kilometers of groomed trails, snowshoeing, sliding, ice skating, ice fishing, fat-biking, kick-sledding and snowmobile tours (at an additional charge). Strap on your snowshoes, or stick to your winter boots and try to spot some northern wildlife. Spend your evenings relaxing relax in our cozy lounge areas, relax in the sauna, or kick back in our hot tub while watching the Aurora dance overhead.

Fishing licenses must be purchased prior to your arrival at Blachford Lodge. If you’d like to try ice-fishing during your stay, please visit: https://licences.enr.gov.nt.ca/

Flights

When booking your flights in/out of Yellowknife, please ensure that you arrive in Yellowknife the night before the charter flight departure to the lodge. Flights to/from YZF and BLL operate between 8:00am and 2:00pm MT.

Please check with us prior to booking your departing flight from Yellowknife. Because at times both scheduled and charter flights may experience delays, we do not recommend booking a flight from Yellowknife prior to 5:00 pm MT.

Includes:

  • Flightseeing charter Yellowknife – Blachford – Yellowknife
  • Lodge or cabin accommodation
  • Introduction and hints about aurora photography
  • Aurora Watch service
  • Two hour interpretive experience each day
  • Use of Lodge Facilities: Dining room, Aurora lounge, fireplaces, northern library, bathrooms with showers, basins and toilets, hot tub, sauna, open decks
  • Comprehensive pre-departure information
  • Use of seasonal equipment (canoes, SUP, fat tire bike, kayaks, hiking trails, fishing excursion, motorized boat)
  • Welcome Drink & Orientation
  • All meals
  • All snacks
  • Coffee, tea, juice
  • Use of hot tub and sauna
  • Handicraft workshops in the lodge
  • Yoga equipment for personal use
  • Access to some of the best Aurora viewing in the world
  • High speed wireless internet

NOT INCLUDED:

  • Items of a personal nature
  • Travel insurance
  • Alcoholic beverages from licensed bar
  • Snowmobile Tours
  • Winter Clothing Rental (available – just ask!)

OPTIONAL EXTRAS:

Winter Gear Rental

Down parka, insulated snow pants, felt-duffle-lined boots, and lined mitts. Includes delivery of gear to bush plan departure location, fitting, and pick up from bush plane arrival location.

Full Kit Your Whole Stay $250
One Item Per Item $75
Hotel Delivery Per Person $75
*Check our What to Bring page for additional information

Snowmobile Tours

Please see snowmobile tours available here.

Snowmobiling to Blachford

Are you a local Yellowknife resident and/or friend of one (or adventurous guest!), and wish to travel to Blachford on your own or rental snowmachine? Please contact our office for availability and current rates.

Fishing

Fishing licenses have to be purchased in Yellowknife, prior to departure to Blachford Lodge. For more information and to obtain your license please click HERE.

Add Ons

Do you need any help with booking your Yellowknife components to your stay? We’re happy to help. Please contact our office for:

  • Hotel reservations
  • Private transfers
  • Snowmobiling
  • City tours
  • Aurora tour
  • Winter clothing delivery and rental options

Not exactly what you’re looking for? Contact us for more information!

PRICING:

For Holiday packages (travel December 21st, 2024-January 2, 2025, please see our Holiday packages page. Packages have additional add-ons and vary in departure date and pricing.

All rates below are adult rates:

LODGE & CABIN ACCOMMODATIONS
3 nights (Saturday-Tuesday) $3,597
4 nights (Tuesday-Saturday) $4,796
7 nights (starting Saturday or Tuesday) $8,393*
Flight-seeing Charter (YZF-BLL return, per person) $499
*Flight is included in 7-night stay package
**All packages are priced per person in Canadian Dollars

 

PLEASE NOTE:

  • All rates are per person and are quoted in Canadian dollars. Please add 5% Goods and Services Tax and 10% gratuities to the base price.
  • Single supplement requests (private, single occupancy) add 50% to the package rate (x1.5 the regular rate).
  • Please double check with our office for availability prior to booking your flights in/out of your home city and Yellowknife.
  • All guests will be required to sign a liability waiver when booking.
  • We strongly recommend all guests ensure they have emergency medical coverage and comprehensive travel insurance prior to visiting the lodge.

For more information, give us a call or visit our website.

Autumn Aurora Package

Blachford Lake Lodge - Aurora

Welcome to Blachford Lodge.

Aurora watchers and stargazers agree there are few better places to see the Aurora than Blachford Lodge. From mid-August, when night skies turn a velvety black to late October when the lake begins to freeze, Blachford guests can be treated to late night shows of the northern lights. On calm nights the lake also reflects the sky, doubling the awe-inspiring images.  Autumn is a great time to sit outside in comfort and just lean back and enjoy the show.

To avoid disappointment, we recommend a minimum three-night stay at the lodge to maximize your chances of a beautiful aurora show. We provide daily forecasts of the intensity of the anticipated show, based on several sources including NASA, and our own local astronomynorth.com.

Flights

When booking your flights in/out of Yellowknife, please ensure that you arrive in Yellowknife the night before your charter flight departure to the lodge. Flights to/from YZF and BLL operate between 08:00am and  2:00pm MT.

Please check with us prior to booking your departing flight from Yellowknife. Because at times both scheduled and charter flights may experience delays, we do not recommend booking a flight from Yellowknife prior to 5:00 pm MT.

INCLUDED:

  • Flightseeing charter Yellowknife – Blachford – Yellowknife
  • Lodge or cabin accommodation
  • Introduction and hints about aurora photography
  • Aurora Watch service
  • Two hour interpretive experience each day
  • Use of Lodge Facilities: Dining room, Aurora lounge, fireplaces, northern library, bathrooms with showers, basins and toilets, hot tub, sauna, open decks
  • Comprehensive pre-departure information
  • Use of seasonal equipment (canoes, SUP, fat tire bike, kayaks, hiking trails, fishing excursion, motorized boat)
  • Welcome Drink & Orientation
  • All meals
  • All snacks
  • Coffee, tea, juice
  • Use of hot tub and sauna
  • Handicraft workshops in the lodge
  • Yoga equipment for personal use
  • Access to some of the best Aurora viewing in the world
  • High speed wireless internet

NOT INCLUDED:

  • Items of a personal nature
  • Travel insurance
  • Alcoholic beverages from licensed bar

 

OPTIONAL EXTRAS:

Guided Fishing Price Per Person
2 hours per person Included in package
Half Day (4 hours) per person $200
Full Day (8 hours) per person $300

 

2025 PRICING:

We are adding more comfort to your Blachford Lodge experience! Our renovations are taking place this summer and late fall to update accommodations and add more features to your cabin and/or lodge room.

Accommodation: Cabin or Lodge Room

All rates below are adult rates.

  • 3 Nights (Saturday-Tuesday) – $3,597
  • 4 Nights (Tuesday – Saturday) – $4,796
  • 7 Nights (Starting Saturday or Tuesday) – $8,393
Flight-seeing Charter (YZF-BLL return, per person) $499
*Flight is included in 7-night stay package
**All packages are priced per person in Canadian Dollars

 

PLEASE NOTE:

  • All rates are per person and are quoted in Canadian dollars. Please add 5% Goods and Services Tax and 10% gratuities to the base price.
  • Single supplement requests (private, single occupancy) add 50% to the package rate (x1.5 the regular rate).
  • Please double check with our office for availability prior to booking your flights in/out of your home city and Yellowknife.
  • All guests will be required to sign a liability waiver when booking.
  • We strongly recommend all guests ensure they have emergency medical coverage and comprehensive travel insurance prior to visiting the lodge.

For more information, give us a call or visit our website.

 

Summer Fishing Adventure

Two people in a boat holding up a huge fish at Blachford Lake Lodge

Summer Adventure & Relaxation

Welcome to your summer getaway, north of 60. Far from the noise and bustle of any city, Blachford Lodge is happy to be your home away from home in the summer months. Bask in the midnight sun (yup, you can read a book outside all night long!), catch a trophy fish, hike on some of the world’s oldest rock, or simply enjoy the beautiful nature that surrounds you. Blachford Lodge is the perfect place to get away and discover a new sense of self, and a new appreciation for the beautiful landscape surrounding you.

Fishing on Blachford Lake

Blachford Lake offers trophy sized Lake Trout and Northern Pike! In recent years the winning entries in our Trophy Release Contest were a 38 lb. Lake Trout, and a 32 lb. Northern Pike. Whitefish can be caught in Blachford Lake, and Walleye (around 4 or 5 lb.) can be caught on two of the adjoining lakes that are just a short walk from Blachford Lake. The ice melts on the lake in early June making it an excellent time for fishing. Throughout June through to early July, fish are generally caught close to the surface. In late August thru to September Northern Pike bite a lot in shallow water. In early September Trout swim in deeper water and by late September they rise to shallow water to spawn.

At Blachford Lodge we actively promote a “Catch & Release” Fish Management Program that includes the use of barbless hooks and fish gloves to ensure the careful and healthy release of all large fish. However we encourage our guests to enjoy tasty smaller fish for shore lunches or dinners!

Fishing licences must be purchased prior to your arrival at Blachford Lodge and is required for anyone who wants to fish. You may purchase one online at https://services.nwt-tno.ca/en/login

Book this package here.

Flights

When booking your flights in/out of Yellowknife, please ensure that you arrive in Yellowknife the night before the charter flight departure to the lodge. Flights to/from YZF and BLL operate between 8:00am and 2:00pm MT.

Please check with us prior to booking your departing flight from Yellowknife. Because at times both scheduled and charter flights may experience delays, we do not recommend booking a flight from Yellowknife prior to 5:00 pm MT.

INCLUDES:

  • Flightseeing charter Yellowknife – Blachford – Yellowknife
  • Lodge or cabin accommodation
  • Introduction and hints about aurora photography
  • Aurora Watch service
  • Two hour interpretive experience each day
  • Use of Lodge Facilities: Dining room, Aurora lounge, fireplaces, northern library, bathrooms with showers, basins and toilets, hot tub, sauna, open decks
  • Comprehensive pre-departure information
  • Use of seasonal equipment (canoes, SUP, fat tire bike, kayaks, hiking trails, fishing excursion, motorized boat)
  • Welcome Drink & Orientation
  • All meals
  • All snacks
  • Coffee, tea, juice
  • Use of hot tub and sauna
  • Handicraft workshops in the lodge
  • Yoga equipment for personal use
  • Access to some of the best Aurora viewing in the world
  • High speed wireless internet

NOT INCLUDED:

  • Guided Fishing Excursions
  • Travel Insurance
  • Alcoholic Beverages
  • Items of a personal nature

Optional Summer Extras:

Guided Fishing Price Per Person
2 hours per person Included in package
Half Day (4 hours) per person $200
Full Day (8 hours) per person $300

Fishing licenses have to be purchased in Yellowknife, prior to departure to Blachford Lodge.
For more information click HERE.   

2025 PRICING:

2025 Packages – LODGE ACCOMMODATION
3 Nights (Saturday to Tuesday) $2,997
4 Nights (Tuesday to Saturday) $3,996
7 Nights (starting Saturday or Tuesday)* $6,993
2025 Packages – CABIN ACCOMMODATION
3 Nights (Saturday to Tuesday) $2,997
4 Nights (Tuesday to Saturday) $3,996
7 Nights (starting Saturday or Tuesday)* $6,993
Flight-seeing Charter (YZF-BLL return, per person) $499
*Flight is included free of charge in 7-night stay package
**All packages are priced per person in Canadian Dollars

 

PLEASE NOTE:

  • All rates are per person and are quoted in Canadian dollars. Please add 5% Goods and Services Tax and 10% gratuities to the base price.
  • Single supplement requests (private, single occupancy) add 50% to the package rate (x1.5 the regular rate).
  • Please double check with our office for availability prior to booking your flights in/out of your home city and Yellowknife.
  • All guests will be required to sign a liability waiver when booking.
  • We strongly recommend all guests ensure they have emergency medical coverage and comprehensive travel insurance prior to visiting the lodge.

For more information, give us a call or visit our website.

Canadian Wildlife Adventures

Aylmer Lake Lodge - Canadian Wildlife

Canadian Safari Adventure

Welcome to the barren-lands of the Northwest Territories, Canada where the animals are unique and majestic. All our lodges are located in the prime area for caribou viewing, thousands of Caribou migrate through annually. Opportunities to see Arctic Wolves they follow the caribou as this is a main source of food for the wolves. There is opportunity to see the pre historic Muskox lumbering along the barren grounds, Wolverines and Grizzly Bears. Nights viewing Aurora Borealis. If you like we can arrange a time for you to be taken out for fishing.

Guest capacity is maximum 10 guests per trip

  • 5 Day Trip Price $7,900 USD + GST/Per Person
  • 14 Day Trip Price $15,500 USD + GST/Per Person

Check out our video’s and if you enjoy them please hit the like and subscribe buttons to stay abreast of our video’s as we add more.

https://youtu.be/Pxz2d7Al0C0

https://youtu.be/XRz7OOAhiV0

https://youtu.be/fG96mYKgZzs

Our Territory

Our area is located in the northern barren-lands region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. We are located past the boreal forest into the barren-lands, that are renown for their giant lakes and river drainage that makes for a game rich environment. The animal population on the barren-lands is high with Muskox, Grizzly Bear, Arctic Wolves, Wolverines, Arctic Hares and the populations are estimated to be in the thousands for Caribou. You will be remote, which puts you in the heart of where these majestic animals live.

All of our Canadian Safari Adventure trips are located within the Northwest Territory closed caribou zone. The winter Mobile Bathurst Caribou closed zone (the closed mobile zone moves with the caribou migration). Caribou are a main food source and the wolves follow the caribou herds. This is a prime area for arctic wolves, grizzly bears, muskox and wolverines.

The Tour

You will be boating, as well as going on tundra and esker hiking, which means you’ll be glassing areas that have central barren-land caribou, wolves, muskox, grizzly bears, and wolverines.  When we locate the animals we will boat or hike to a spot for excellent photography opportunities. Breakfast will be at 8:00 AM until 8:30 AM. You will head out with your bagged lunches and snacks, thermoses and water for the day, unless you are hiking around the lodge and you may return to the lodge for lunch. You will end your day back at the lodge at 6:00 pm with supper served at 7:00pm.  After supper you will relax, read, there are games to play, socializing about your day, late in the night you can set an alarm if you choose to rest, then start watching for the skies to light up with the Aurora Borealis displays that are part of the northern hemisphere.

What to Expect

Travelling the waterways, and hiking afford you excellent opportunities to see the animals in their natural habitat. You will need to come prepared mentally for long sitting periods glassing, so absolutely ensure that you are prepared to layer up and down to stay comfortable. Staying focused for the duration raises your opportunity of success for your incredible photography opportunities. The thrill of success on capturing these animals in their home setting is exhilarating. All day long your senses will be assaulted with the beauty of the vibrant fall colours of red, orange, and yellow shimmering as far as the eye can see. On your hikes you will see hundreds of mushrooms, and the fruits of the tundra cloud berries, blueberries, and cranberries. After supper you may want to catch a nap so you can get up later to watch for the Aurora Borealis to light up the skies.

Getting Here

Your starting destination for your tour is the city of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada. There are daily flights into Yellowknife from Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, and Ottawa. You will need to fly into Yellowknife the day before.  The next day you will be boarding a charter flight that will fly you into the lodge to begin your tour. We work to have you arrive for lunch so that you are into the lodge to get you settled in. Once you arrive at the charter plane your trip begins. Your flight is approximately two hours and you need to dress in layers for the charter flight.

Tour Schedule

All of our Canadian Safari Adventure Trips are minimum 5 or 10 full days.  Once you leave on the charter flight begin to look for animals out your plane windows they are there and it’s exciting to see the activity. You will also have your senses assaulted by the vibrant fall colours. Getting an eagle view of the NWT you will see the tree line end and the barren lands begin, all the water that allows the tundra to flourish and build a strong healthy ecosystem.

Breakfast will be served at 8:00AM – 8:30am you will be leaving the lodge by 9:00am returning to the lodge at 6:00pm. Depending on the schedule of activities you will have a bagged lunch or a return to the lodge for lunch. Supper will be served 7:00pm.

5 or 10 Full Day Trip

Change over day/fly in and out day

  • Full day of fishing for departing guests.
  • Fishing from shore for arriving guests.

Wildlife Viewing Adventure Dates 2024

Aug 12 – Aug 17

Aug 17 – Aug 22

Aug 22 – Aug 27

Aug 27 – Sept 2

Sept 2 – Sept 6

Sept 6 – Sept 11

Sept 11 – Sept 15

Wildlife Viewing Adventure Dates 2025

Aug 12 – Aug 17

Aug 17 – Aug 22

Aug 22 – Aug 27

Aug 27 – Sept 2

Sept 2 – Sept 6

Sept 6 – Sept 11

Sept 11 – Sept 15

 Additional Details

  • We require 50% deposit. Your final payment is required 90 days prior to your trip. All bookings are non-refundable.
  • Contract documents will be forwarded via email for electronic signature. Your documents must be signed and returned within 7 business days of booking.

What’s Included:

  • Professional Guide for your trips on the tundra
  • Lodging and Meals

Not Included:

  • Commercial flights in and out of Yellowknife
  • Hotels before and after your wildlife adventure
  • Scheduled Charter flights are included. If you elect to leave other than scheduled flights it’s at your cost to charter a flight out. The charters require credit card payment be paid before flight leaves the airport.
  • Due to fluctuating fuel costs, a fuel surcharge maybe applicable
  • Please be advised that we reserve the right to change our current price listed.
  • We highly recommend that you purchase, trip cancellation insurance, medical evacuation insurance, and have health insurance. Link to Global Rescue https://partner.globalrescue.com/aylmerlakelodge/index.html