Northwest Territories Travel Guide - Getting There

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 (website: www.firstair.ca) and Canadian North (website: www.canadiannorth.com), which flies to Northwest Territories from Edmonton, Calgary and Ottawa. Numerous regional airlines offer scheduled and charter services to communities within the Northwest Territories.

Yellowknife Airport (YZF) is less than 1km (0.6 miles) from the town centre (journey time - 10 minutes). International visitors will need to fly to Calgary, Edmonton (in Alberta) or Winnipeg (in Manitoba) and board a domestic flight to Yellowknife or Inuvik.

Ferry crossings for road travellers are provided free during the summer months by the territorial government 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).

Cruises are available on Great Slave Lake and from Yellowknife to Inuvik on the Mackenzie River during the summer. Speedboat tours, guided canoe trips and river-rafting trips are offered on Great Slave Lake, the Mackenzie Delta, the Nahanni River and other more remote rivers.

Sail boats are available on Great Slave Lake for charter or package tours.

The major routes are along the Dempster Highway from the Yukon to Inuvik, the Mackenzie Highway from Edmonton, Alberta to the Great Slave Lake region 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. The Mackenzie Highway is paved; however, the other highways are hard-packed gravel. Collisions with bison and other wildlife are common, particularly in autumn when shorter days and occasional fog can make them difficult to see. Drivers should exercise caution and slow down. 

Bus: There are two bus companies running scheduled services in the region: Frontier Coachlines (tel: (867) 874 2566) serves Yellowknife, Fort Smith and Fort Simpson from Hay River. Greyhound Canada (tel: 1 800 661 8747, in Canada and the USA; website: www.greyhound.ca) runs services from Edmonton, Alberta to Hay River and Yellowknife. Companies offering charter and organised bus tours for groups include Arctic Nature Tours (tel: (867) 777 3300; website: www.arcticnaturetours.com) and the Arctic Tour Company (tel: (867) 977 2230), whose tours include a five-day Dempster Highway tour, Beluga whale watching and viewing of the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis).

Regulations: Headlights and seatbelts are required at all times whilst driving in the Northwest Territories.

Documentation: International driver's licences are accepted in the Northwest Territories. Drivers should ensure that their insurance is valid and take advice on precautions for driving in cold weather conditions. Ice roads require special vehicles.