Northwest Territories — Travel Tips
International Travel
Getting There By Air
The best way to reach the more remote areas within the territory is by air. Float planes are commonly used to reach the northern lakes. The largest operators into the region are Air Canada (AC) (www.aircanada.com), First Air (7F) (www.firstair.ca) and Canadian North (5T) (www.canadiannorth.com), which flies to the Northwest Territories from Edmonton, Calgary and Ottawa (not all of them direct). Numerous regional airlines offer scheduled and charter services to communities within the Northwest Territories.
Main Airports
Yellowknife Airport (YZF) is less than 1km (0.6 miles) from the town center (journey time - 10 minutes). Connections are available from there to communities throughout the Northwest Territories. To get to Yellowknife Airport, international visitors need to fly to Calgary or Edmonton (in Alberta), Ottawa (in Ontario) or Winnipeg (in Manitoba) and board a domestic flight. To/from the airport: A hotel shuttle service and taxis are available. Facilities: Car hire and car parking.
Domestic flights from southern Canada are also available to the small airport in Inuvik (YEV).
Getting There By Water
The territorial government provides free ferry crossings for road travelers during the summer months for the Mackenzie River at Fort Providence, for the Mackenzie and Arctic Red Rivers at Tsiigehtchic, for the Liard River at Fort Simpson and for the Peel River at Fort McPherson. During winter, ice bridges are provided at these crossings, but no crossing is available for some weeks in spring and autumn each year during the break-up and freeze-up of the ice (tel: 1 800 661 0750 for day-to-day information).
Day cruises are available from Yellowknife and other locations on Great Slave Lake during the summer. Longer guided canoe trips and river-rafting trips are offered on the Nahanni River and other more remote rivers.
Getting There By Road
The major routes are along the Dempster Highway from the Yukon to Inuvik, the Mackenzie Highway from Edmonton, Alberta, to Wrigley, and the Liard Highway from British Columbia to the junction of the Liard and Mackenzie Rivers, near Fort Simpson. During the winter months, ice roads providing supply routes to remote communities almost double the size of the highway network.
The road quality varies. Many portions of main highways are hard-packed gravel, rather than paved. Collisions with bison and other animals are common, particularly in autumn when shorter days and occasional fog can make them difficult to see. Drivers should exercise caution and slow down. Larger animals, such as bison and moose, can substantially damage or destroy a car, often causing serious injuries.
Coach: There are two bus companies running scheduled services in the region. Frontier Coachlines (tel: (867) 874 2566) serves Yellowknife, Fort Smith, Fort Simpson, Hay River, Fort Providence and Rae. Greyhound Canada (tel: 1 800 661 8747; www.greyhound.ca) serves the same locations as well as Enterprise, Fort Liard, Providence Junction and a stop near the Alberta-Northwest Territories border.
Companies offering charter and organized bus tours for groups include Arctic Nature Tours (tel: (867) 777 3300; www.arcticnaturetours.com) and the Arctic Tour Company (tel: (867) 977 2230), whose tours include a Dempster Highway tour, Beluga whale watching and viewing of the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis).
Regulations: Headlights and seat belts are required at all times while driving in the Northwest Territories.
Documentation: International driver's licenses are accepted in the Northwest Territories. Ensure your insurance is valid and take advice on precautions for driving in cold weather conditions. Ice roads require special vehicles.
