Issue link: http://read.canadatravelguides.ca/i/651528
TRAVEL GUIDE TO CANADA NORTHWEST TERRITORIES CITY LIGHTS Explore Yellowknife, the territorial capital, on foot or see it from the water (www. visityellowknife.com). The top of Bush Pilots' Monument offers a 360-degree view of Yellowknife Bay and surrounding Old Town. The bay is home to the most northerly houseboat community in North America and local operators offer boat tours. Take a workshop at Old Town Glassworks and bring home a glass with a northern motif sandblasted on it ( www.oldtownglassworks.com). Downtown, the Yellowknife Farmers' Market is held weekly throughout the summer. The Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre provides a peek into northern culture (www.pwnhc.ca ). Next door, the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly offers guided and audio tours (www.assembly.gov.nt.ca/ visitors). THE GREAT OUTDOORS Enjoy the territory's wild places from the land and the water. Hike and camp in the fi ve national parks and 34 territorial parks of the N.W.T. (www.nwtparks.ca). Choose from front-country hikes, backcountry day hikes, and epic three-week backcountry experiences— such as the very remote, extremely rugged and challenging historic Canol Heritage Trail near Norman Wells ( www.normanwellsmuseum.com/ the-sathu/canol-heritage-trail). From the meandering Thomsen River, the most northerly navigable river on the continent, to world-renowned whitewater on the Slave River, there are many opportunities for guided or self-guided paddling and rafting trips along one of the N.W.T.'s historic rivers. Troll the waters of Great Bear Lake, home of trophy-sized lake trout, or fl y to magical Little Doctor Lake near Fort Simpson with legendary pilot Ted Grant. Outfi tters offer half-day trips to multi-day packaged lodge experiences that also afford other opportunities to encounter the pristine wilderness. Look for wildlife wherever you are, from bison to birds. See peregrine falcons, eagles and gryfalcons— the offi cial N.W.T. bird. You'll never know when they may appear on your journey— and theirs. HERITAGE AND CULTURE Attending community events, like the Midway Lake Festival, is a good way to experience local music and culture such as jigging, drumming and drum dancing. Purchase Dene, Inuvialuit and Métis crafts at visitor centres, museums and shops. The Inuvialuit Regional Corporation in Inuvik has a good selection of locally made moccasins, carvings, jewellery, crafts and some traditional food. The Acho Dene Craft store in Fort Liard offers a wide selection of locally made birchbark baskets. Learn to make your own crafts during artist-led workshops at Inuvik's renowned Great Northern Arts Festival ( www.gnaf. org) or at Fort Simpson's Open Sky Festival. Visit the Norman Wells Historical Centre (www.normanwellsmuseum.com/ visitor-centre), the Northern Life Museum and Cultural Centre (www.nlmcc.ca) and the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, to learn more about local history. MUST SEE, MUST DO In spring, watch some 3,000 semi-domesti- cated reindeer being herded across the Inuvik-to-Tuktoyaktuk ice road to their summer grazing grounds. Climb aboard a vintage Buffalo Airways DC-3 that stars in History Television's Ice Pilots NWT reality show, and fl y between Hay River and Yellowknife on the airline's only scheduled route ( www.buffaloair ways.com). Marvel at the celestial dance of the aurora borealis (www.spectacularnwt.com/ what-to-do/aurora). SPECIAL EVENTS JANUARY • inuvik Sunrise festival MARCH • Long John Jamboree, Yellowknife • Muskrat Jamboree, inuvik • Polar Pond Hockey tournament, Hay river • Snowking Winter festival, Yellowknife • thebacha Ski Loppet, fort Smith MAY • northWords Writers festival, Yellowknife JUNE • national aboriginal Day, territory-wide JULY • folk on the rocks Music festival, Yellowknife • Great northern arts festival, inuvik • open Sky festival, fort Simpson AUGUST • Midway Lake Music festival, fort McPherson • Slave river Paddlefest, fort Smith • thebacha & Wood Buff alo Dark Sky festival www.nwtarts.com/events QUICK FACT IN £££, THE FORMER NORTHWEST TERRITORIES WAS DIVIDED, CREATING THE NEW TERRITORY OF NUNAVUT. LaDY eVeLYn faLLS • nWtt/GeroLD SiGL