NORTHWEST
TERRITORIES
Experience the North
By hÉLÈnA KATZ
A
woman dips her foot into
the Arctic Ocean, on the
northern coast of Northwest
Territories (N.W.T.). Paddlers
canoe past mountains and
wildlife on a legendary river. In the terri-
tory's southeast corner, a bison emerges
from the boreal forest and lumbers across
the highway in Wood Buffalo National
Park. Near Yellowknife, a bush plane flies
over the tundra and lands at a fishing
lodge on a remote lake.
Sandwiched between the Yukon and
Nunavut, and bordered by Saskatchewan,
Alberta and British Columbia, the N.W.T.
offers visitors experiences that are as
diverse as its scenery. Landscapes include
boreal forest and waterfalls in the south,
tundra-covered Barren Lands in the
north, and the Mackenzie and Richardson
Mountains to the west. The Mackenzie
River, North America's second-longest
river, runs through it like a spine. Great
Slave Lake is the continent's deepest lake.
Great Bear Lake sits astride the Arctic
Circle and is the largest lake in the N.W.T.
Paddlers head north every year to navi-
gate legendary rivers such as the Nahanni,
Coppermine and Thelon.
The N.W.T. has 33 communities in
five regions: Inuvik region, Sahtu, North
Slave, South Slave and Dehcho. Half the
population is Dene, Métis or Inuvialuit.
Although there are 11 official languages,
most people speak English.
royAL FooTSTEPS
When the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge
visited Yellowknife in 2011, they watched
Aboriginal performers at outdoor Somba
K'e Civic Plaza beside the town hall and
listened to debates during a session
of Youth Parliament at the Legislative
Assembly. Then they flew to Blachford
Lake Lodge (www.blachfordlakelodge.
174 2012 TRAVEL GUIDE TO CANADA
Northwest territories
