Population: 43,700
Capital City: Yellowknife
Territorial Website:
www.spectacularnwt.com
Gateway: Direct fl ights to
Yellowknife Airport depart from
Edmonton and Calgary
Yellowknife Airport is
3 miles (5 km) from downtown
com). Guests can follow in the royal
couple's footsteps, including a trip to
nearby Eagle Island, dubbed "Honeymoon
Island," to experience the same intimacy
and six-course meal.
The royals sleep at Yellowknife's
Explorer Hotel (www.explorerhotel.ca)
whenever they visit the territorial capital.
Perched on a hill, some rooms offer a view
of the territorial capital's downtown core
while others look out onto Yellowknife
Bay. The premier presented Prince William
and Catherine with gifts made from dia-
monds mined in the N.W.T. Visit local jew-
elry stores to purchase your own gems.
EArTh, Air And wATEr
Museums and visitor centres offer insight
into the history and varied cultures of
the Northwest Territories. Front-country
hikes and epic three-week backcountry
experiences, such as the historic Canol
Heritage Trail (www.iti.gov.nt.ca/tour
ismparks/parks/parks/canol_trail_
park.shtml) near Norman Wells abound.
Tee off at the continent's most northerly
nine-hole golf course on the tundra of
Victoria Island at Ulukhaktok. Keep an
eye out for wildlife, from birds to bison.
Birders will enjoy the variety of small
and larger birds, including peregrine
falcons, eagles and the official N.W.T. bird
—gyrfalcons.
Take a scenic flightseeing tour for a
bird's-eye view of the expanded Nahanni
National Park Reserve, Great Slave Lake's
East Arm, the Mackenzie Mountains or the
Mackenzie Delta (www.spectacularnwt.
com/whattodo/touring/flightseeing).
Fly in a vintage Buffalo Airways DC-3 of
Ice Pilots NWT reality television fame
(www.buffaloairways.com).
Enjoy guided and unguided paddling
and rafting trips along one of the
N.W.T.'s fabled rivers or try whitewater
kayaking on the world-renowned Slave
River. To bag some fish, outfitters offer
half-day trips to multi-day packaged
lodge experiences that also offer other
opportunities to encounter the pristine
wilderness (www.spectacularnwt.com/
whattodo).
winTEr EXPEriEncE
Clear nights from December to March are
the best time to view the spectacular
dance of the northern lights (www.spec
tacularnwt.com/whattodo/aurora).
The 11-year auroral activity cycle is expect-
ed to peak in 2013 (www.astronomy
north.com). Try snowmobiling, ice fish-
ing, dogsledding, cross-country skiing and
kite skiing in winter. Travel one of the ter-
ritory's many ice roads (www.spectacu
larnwt.com/whattodo). Visit with the
Snowking each March at his castle on
Yellowknife Bay (www.snowking.ca).
WHAT'S NEW?
North Star Adventures offers Aboriginal
cultural experiences and city tours that
focus on Yellowknife's local Aboriginal
community and its history. Other summer
tours include boating on Great Slave
Lake and fishing. Winter brings ice road
tours and aurora viewing (www.north
staradventures.ca).
Aquilon Power Kiting teaches clients how
to be carried by the wind on Great Slave
Lake using skis or a snowboard while teth-
ered to a kite. Buggy rides on skis are also
offered (www.aquilonpowerkite.com).
RECOMMENDED DRIVES
Dempster Highway (Highway 8): This
road stretches for 460 miles (740 km)
YELLOWKNIFE • CTC/BECK'S KENNELS
2012 TRAVEL GUIDE TO CANADA 175
