Flight Access, Highways and Ice Roads

There are no public roads in Nahanni National Park Reserve; access is by plane or on foot. This makes the type of access an important starting point for planning your trip. Designated aircraft landing sites are located at Náįlįcho (Virginia Falls), Glacier Lake, Bunny Bar, Island Lake, Honeymoon Lake, Seaplane Lake and Gahnįhthah Mie (Rabbitkettle Lake). If you are planning to visit the reserve, check the latest access information before your trip.

The Northwest Territories’ major highways provide access to campgrounds, picnic areas, gas stations and visitor information. One particularly varied scenic route is the 926.5-kilometre Dempster Highway: in the Northwest Territories, it passes through river valleys, rolling foothills, open tundra and the Richardson Mountains.

In winter, lakes and rivers in the Sahtu, Dehcho, North Slave and Western Arctic regions freeze over to form ice roads. These temporarily connect fly-in communities to the rest of the road network; conditions vary from year to year. If an ice road is part of your plans, check current conditions. When choosing a base for your trip, it is worth considering the differences: highways, access to Nahanni Reserve by plane or on foot, and seasonal ice roads offer different ways to get around.

Salt Landscapes and Waterfalls

Wood Buffalo National Park is Canada’s largest national park and also the world’s largest Dark Sky Preserve. The park’s landscape also includes the salt plains at Grosbeak Lake. This connects the protected area’s vast scale with a specific landscape feature.

In Sambaa Deh Falls Territorial Park, trails lead to viewpoints of Sambaa Deh Falls and Coral Falls. This offers a different natural highlight from the salt landscape in Wood Buffalo National Park: here, the focus is on two waterfalls and the viewpoints along the trails.

Aurora and Seasonal Experiences

The aurora borealis can be seen in the Northwest Territories on up to 240 nights a year. This figure is an upper limit, not a guarantee for a particular travel period or night. There are two aurora seasons: autumn, when the land and lakes are still warm, and winter, when the lakes are frozen. This distinction offers a practical guide when choosing a season: in autumn, experience the landscape with warm land and lakes; in winter, with frozen lakes.

Licensed tour operators in the Northwest Territories offer northern lights experiences, from aurora-hunting adventures to lodge stays. Check availability with tour operators before your trip. Depending on the season, Indigenous tours may include hunting, fishing, paddling and learning about how culture is preserved. Seasonal activities and cultural learning can be offered together as part of these tours.

Art, History and Culture

Indigenous art can be found in communities across the Northwest Territories and is connected to the land and local history. This connection gives the art a regional context, while seasonal tours offer other ways to experience and learn.

The Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre is the Government of the Northwest Territories’ museum and archives. It hosts exhibitions about the land, people and history of the Northwest Territories. Historical and cultural topics thus complement the natural experiences and landscapes that also shape the region.

Discover More Destinations

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