Travelers to Canada's Northwest Territories have the chance to experience one of the world's last great frontiers. Residents don't just hunt and fish for sport; they do it to survive.
Vacationers, however, can not only enjoy hunting and fishing but also hiking, canoeing, rafting, viewing lots of types of wildlife, and experience Native American culture. In addition to polar bears, musk ox, whales, seals and caribou, visitors also go to the Northwest Territories to see the amazing arctic scenery.
This wildness does mean that travelers should not expect deluxe accommodations and should expect some delays or inconveniences during their time in the Northwest Territories. Also, plan on cool to cold weather, even in the summer.
The Northwest Territories extend north from the 60th parallel up to the islands of High Arctic and from the Yukon in the west to Nunavut in the east. In between is the Canadian Shield, a vast plain of lakes and taiga. Great Slave Lake and Great Bear Lake, along with the Mackenzie River, are the territories' major waterways. The Mackenzie Mountains dominate the western edge.
The Dene, Dogrib, Chipewyan, Inuvialuit and Inuit were among the earliest inhabitants of what is now the Northwest Territories. Their rich and artistically expressive cultures centered on the hunting of sea mammals and caribou. Inhabitants of the interior regions between the Yukon and Hudson Bay were primarily seasonal caribou hunters, although they also fished and hunted moose, arctic hare and musk ox.
European explorers in search of the Northwest Passage visited the area intermittently from 1524 onward, but it wasn't until the 1800s that fur traders and prospectors began to live and hunt in the region. In 1888, the territories (which then included the Yukon and Nunavut) became part of newly confederated Canada. Shortly after the discovery of gold in the Yukon in 1896, territorial boundaries were established that remained more or less intact until the creation of Nunavut.
The region's severe climate and sparse population caused the rest of Canada to largely ignore the Northwest Territories for most of the 20th century. The discovery of gold near Yellowknife in 1934 led to a boom for that town, which eventually became the territorial capital. World War II brought military bases and weather stations to the region, but the territory was mostly left alone to develop in relative isolation.
In the early 1990s, an agreement between Canada and the Inuit people created the land of Nunavut, which included land from the Northwest Territories. In 1991, the Northwest Territories experienced a diamond rush, with 13,000 claims staked across the barrens in less than one year. Currently, two mines are in production. The larger of the two is at Lac de Gras.
The major attractions in the Northwest Territories include spectacular arctic scenery, wildlife (including whales, seals, musk ox, caribou and polar bears), outdoor adventure and Native American culture.
Adventurous travelers interested in hunting, fishing, hiking, canoeing, river rafting and Native American culture will have a once-in-a-lifetime experience in this part of northern Canada. Although the territories' few towns do offer the standard conveniences of modern life, the region may have less appeal for those travelers who are frustrated by inconvenience or delay, who are uncomfortable in less-than-deluxe accommodations or who can't tolerate cool to cold weather, even in the summer.
The multicolored northern lights can be seen throughout the Northwest Territories September-March.
The Mackenzie River is the second-longest in North America, and its delta is the largest in Canada.
The Beaufort Sea area is home to musk ox, polar bears, and beluga and bowhead whales.
Great Slave Lake is the sixth-deepest lake in the world.
In Inuvik, buildings are placed on pilings driven into the permafrost. Buildings set directly on the ground would melt the permafrost and cause the structures to shift or even sink into the ground.
