Northwest Territories Travel Guide
The vast Northwest Territories of Canada cover more than 386,000
square miles (one million sq km) north of the 60th Parallel,
extending far above the Arctic Circle. Inside this icy space are
two out of the five largest lakes in North America: Great Bear Lake
and Great Slave Lake, as well as some incredible mountain ranges
and the ruggedly beautiful Nahanni National Park. Very few people
inhabit this immense territory, (the Territories' largest city is
the capital of Yellowknife, with a population of less than 20,000)
but there are thousands of wolves, bison, bears and caribou on the
stark Arctic plains and plenty of whales visible off the coast of
the numerous islands.This is the land of the long summer days of the Midnight Sun,
and the winter phenomenon of the Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights
in the night sky between late August and January. Adventurous
visitors are drawn to this forbidding land for canoeing, hiking,
snowmobiling, skiing and dog sledding, as well as for the unique
natural beauty and legendary wildlife.
Northwest Territories Travel Guide
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Northwest Territories Travel Guide
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Description:
Centred on the river valleys in the southwest of the Northwest
Territories, and accessible only by air, is the 1,840 square mile
(4,766 sq km) Nahanni National Park, an outstanding example of
northern wilderness with rivers, canyons, gorges and alpine tundra.
One of the park's key features is the South Nahanni River, which
originates as a small stream in the remote Mackenzie Mountains. In
the park the silt-laden waters meander through scenic mountain
valleys and hurtle through a series of deep canyons. Along the
river are the Rabbitkettle Hotsprings, the Virginia Falls (with a
vertical drop twice that of Niagara Falls), a series of river
canyons and caves. Wildlife includes Dall sheep, mountain goats,
woodland caribou, wolves, black bears, grizzly bears and trumpeter
swans. Nahanni National Park was the first site in the world to be
granted World Heritage status by Unesco in 1978. The very intrepid
can reach the park via the badly maintained road (often impassable)
to Tungsten, and then onwards by river, but most visitors fly in by
chartered floatplane from nearby towns. Many operators offer day
trips
Address:
100 Street, Fort Simpson
Postcode:
Telephone:
867 6953151
Email:
nahanni.info@pc.gc.ca
Website:
www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/nt/nahanni/index_e.asp
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Description:
Located within what is known as the 'Aurora Oval', Yellowknife
is one of the three best places in the world to view the
spectacular natural phenomenon known as the Northern Lights, or
Aurora Borealis (Fairbanks, Alaska and Lapland in Norway are the
other two). Aurora Village, located just 30 minutes from downtown
Yellowknife, is fast becoming a major tourist attraction - offering
visitors from all over the world a rare opportunity to see the
luminous light-show in a geographically perfect setting. Consisting
largely of tepees (heated for your comfort), Aurora Village is a
traditional-feeling, suitably ambient place to spend a cold
winter's evening, spellbound by the incredible, colourful patterns
that grace the night sky overhead. Moreover, visitors who wish to
spend more than a night at Aurora Village will find plenty of
interesting things to keep themselves busy with, such as snow
mobile and dog-sled rides, and dream catcher-making lessons.
Address:
Just outside Yellowknife
Postcode:
Telephone:
(867) 669 0006
Email:
info@auroravillage.com
Website:
www.auroravillage.comý
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