Page 96 - 2026-2027 Travel Guide to Canada

NT
94
45,803
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
NORTHWEST
TERRITORIES
CAMPING WITH AURORA NIGHT SKY IN NORTH SLAVE • RAYMOND MCDONALD/NWTT
No Appointment
Necessary
BY HÉLÈNA KATZ
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.
In the Northwest Territories, the phrase
“the lights are out” means the aurora borealis
is lighting up the sky. On a clear night
between mid August and early April, when
the sky is dark enough, perhaps the aurora
will come out to play. But remember, the
lights are unpredictable natural phenom-
enon 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, then
continue on to Tuktoyaktuk and reach the
Arctic Ocean. 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 system,
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: North Slave, South Slave, Dehcho,
Sahtu, and Western Arctic. 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 under
the auroral oval, making it one of the world’s
top aurora destinations, with northern lights
visible up to 240 nights a year! On a clear night,
check the aurora forecast on Yellowknife’s
Astronomy North website to find out the likeli-
hood of spotting the northern lights
(www.astronomynorth.com/aurora-
forecast). There are different ways to experi-
ence the aurora (www.spectacularnwt.com/
what-to-do/aurora). Join a tour operator
and head out on the trail by snowmobile or
dog team to a cosy camp that offers a clear
view of the night sky. Participate in an aurora
photography tour to learn the art of capturing
the northern lights. Head out onto frozen Great
Slave Lake in an eight-passenger Bombardier,
or fly out to a wilderness lodge for a few days.