Page 90 - 2024-25 Travel Guide to Canada

In the Northwest Territories, the phrase
“the lights are out” means the aurora
borealis is lighting up the sky. On a clear
night between October and March, when the
sky is dark enough, perhaps the aurora will
come out to play. But remember, the lights
are unpredictable natural phenomenon that
come out on their own schedule. That is why
no appointment is necessary.
The N.W.T. lies between the Yukon and
Nunavut but the southern part of the
territory is accessed by road from British
Columbia and Alberta. Drive the Dempster
Highway through the Yukon to Inuvik and
the Arctic Ocean in Tuktoyaktuk. The
landscape features boreal forest in the
south, tundra north of the Arctic Circle, and
the Mackenzie and Richardson mountains to
the west. The Mackenzie River, North
America’s second-longest river, starts its
journey at Fort Providence before flowing
more than 1,738 km (1,080 mi.) into the
Arctic Ocean. Great Slave Lake is the
continent’s deepest lake and Great Bear Lake
is the territory’s largest lake.
The N.W.T. has 33 communities divided into
five regions: Inuvik region, Sahtu, North Slave,
South Slave and Dehcho. Indigenous Peoples
comprise half the population—Dene, Métis or
Inuvialuit. Although there are 11 official
languages, most people speak English.
AURORA HUNTING
The Northwest Territories sits directly
beneath the auroral oval. On a clear night,
check the aurora forecast on Yellowknife’s
BY HÉLÈNA KATZ
NORTHWEST
TERRITORIES
No Appointment
Necessary
The northern lights appear as a faint band
at first. Then they grow in intensity, as if
gaining momentum. The green gets brighter
and shimmies as another line starts moving
across the sky. Soon, the two banks merge
and separate repeatedly as reds and greens
blend and change.
44,741
Yellowknife
www.spectacularnwt.com
Flights year-round to Yellowknife
Airport depart from Vancouver,
Edmonton, Calgary, Ottawa
and Toronto
Yellowknife Airport is 5 km (3 mi.)
from downtown
NT
88
YELLOWKNIFE • TI1993/SHUTTERSTOCK