The Northwest Territories — Aurora, Lakes and Diamonds
Capital: Yellowknife · Population: approximately 45,000 · Became a territory: 1870 (current form 1999)
The Northwest Territories is where a lot of Canadians send foreign visitors who want to see something distinctively northern. The capital is small and accessible (two-hour flight from Edmonton or Calgary), the aurora viewing is extraordinary, and the people who live here — a mix of Dene, Inuvialuit, Métis, and long-term southern transplants — tend to be welcoming in a way that feels specific to small northern places. The infrastructure is limited but better than most visitors expect. Yellowknife has restaurants and hotels that would hold their own in Regina or Saskatoon.
A Compact History
The Dene, Inuvialuit and Gwich'in peoples have lived across what is now the NWT for millennia. The Hudson's Bay Company entered the region in the late 1700s. Gold was discovered at Yellowknife in the 1930s, which is why the capital exists where it does. Diamond mines opened in the 1990s and early 2000s and, at their peak, made Canada the third-largest diamond producer in the world. The current boundary of the NWT dates from 1999, when Nunavut split off as a separate territory.
Yellowknife
Yellowknife is the territorial capital, population about 20,000 — roughly half the population of the entire territory. It sits on the north shore of Great Slave Lake, the tenth-largest lake in the world by area and the deepest lake in North America (614 metres).
Why is Yellowknife the best place for the aurora?
Three reasons. First, it sits directly underneath the auroral oval, the ring around the magnetic north pole where aurora concentrate. Second, it has very little cloud cover (Yellowknife averages more than 2,200 hours of sunshine a year, more than almost any Canadian city). Third, it's easily accessible by direct flight from several southern cities. The result is that mid-November through early April, aurora are visible on about 75-80 percent of nights — sometimes overhead, sometimes spectacular.
What should I do in Yellowknife besides chase the aurora?
Walk the Old Town — the original 1930s gold-rush town on Latham Island and around Back Bay, with houseboats frozen into the ice in winter. Climb the Pilot's Monument for the best overview of the city and the lake. Visit the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, a well-curated museum on the territory's Indigenous and settler history. Eat at Bullocks' Bistro, a ramshackle Old Town restaurant that serves Great Slave Lake whitefish and caribou. In summer, walk the Frame Lake Trail around the legislative building.
How do I get there?
Fly. Daily direct flights from Edmonton and Calgary (about 2 hours), and several times a week from Vancouver. Driving is possible — the Mackenzie Highway goes all the way from Alberta — but it's a 16-hour drive and only worth it if you have a specific reason.
How cold is Yellowknife in winter?
Cold. Average January high is -22°C, low -30°C. -40°C happens several times a winter. The dryness makes it more tolerable than Ontario damp cold at -10°C, but you need to dress for it: down parka, real boots (rated to -40°C), mitts not gloves, neck warmer, and a toque that covers your ears. Aurora tours provide heated suits and boots as part of the price.
Is summer worth visiting?
Yes, and it's underrated. Daylight runs more than 20 hours in June. Temperatures often hit 25°C. The lake is swimmable (briefly). Paddling, hiking, and the ice-road-turned-waterway experience in mid-July are all worth the trip. The disadvantage: no aurora in the midnight sun.
Nahanni National Park Reserve
Nahanni, in the southwestern corner of the territory, is one of the most remote national parks in the country and the crown jewel of Canadian wilderness canoeing. Virginia Falls — twice the height of Niagara, surrounded by limestone canyons — is the park's centrepiece. The only way in is by float plane; full trips run two weeks on the river and are booked a year or more in advance.
Inuvik & the Mackenzie Delta
Inuvik sits north of the Arctic Circle at the top of the Dempster Highway, population about 3,200. Since 2017 it's been connected by road all the way to Tuktoyaktuk on the Arctic Ocean, the first all-season road in Canada to reach tidewater on the Arctic. The Mackenzie Delta, where North America's longest river meets the Arctic, is one of the most biologically productive places in the Arctic. Beluga whales come in by the thousands in July.
Northwest Territories FAQs
When is the best aurora viewing?
Mid-February through mid-March is generally the sweet spot — cold, dark, and (statistically) the clearest. November through early December is also excellent. August and September can surprise you — the nights are dark enough late in August that aurora shows up over the lake, and the temperatures are still above freezing.
Is Yellowknife expensive?
Yes. A one-bedroom rents for over CAD $1,800; a week-long aurora trip (flight, accommodation, tours) from Toronto runs CAD $3,500 to $7,000 depending on package. Groceries are noticeably expensive because nearly everything is trucked up from Edmonton.
Can I drive the ice road?
The famous ice roads of the NWT — the winter-only routes north of the road system — are now mostly restricted to resource-industry traffic. The Tłı̨chǫ Highway, opened in 2021, replaced the ice road to Whatì. The Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk ice road was replaced by the all-season highway in 2017. Some community ice roads are still open to casual traffic; check current conditions.
Are there diamond mines you can visit?
Not directly — the operating mines are industrial facilities and not open to tourists. The diamond industry funds a small Northern Frontier Visitors Centre in Yellowknife with displays on the mines and the cutting-and-polishing industry.