Discovering the Northwest Territories

You fly to Montreal to Yellowknife. Pick up your vehicle at the airport and drive downtown to check into your hotel.

You drive south to Fort Providence on Highway 3 through North Arm Territorial Park. You will drive along the Great Lake, then across the tundra to the wide Mackenzie River to arrive in Fort Providence.

You cross the Deh Co Bridge over the mighty Mackenzie River and stop at the picturesque community of Kakisa, close to Lady Evelyn Falls. You then drive back to Hay River.

Today you visit the Twin Falls Territorial Park. The two falls, Alexandra and Louise, are 180 metres high and the flow is impressive. You can visit the 60th parallel interpretation centre. Return to Hay River for the night.

You are on your way to Fort Smith. On the way, be sure to stop along the Slave River; watch the pelicans fishing at Pelican Rapids, visit the Northern Life Museum and the Wood Buffalo National Park office.

Arrive in Fort Smith, formerly the capital of the Northwest Territories, now a quiet town where you settle in for 2 nights in your accommodation.

Discover Wood Buffalo National Park, on the edge of Alberta. This is Canada’s largest park and home to the last large free-roaming bison herd. You can also see many whooping cranes and pelicans that make their summer home here. Return to Fort Smith for the night.

Take the same route back to Hay River. Enjoy the majestic scenery and watch the pelicans at Pelican Rapids.

It’s a long way to go, but so are the distances in this vast territory. Enjoy the majestic scenery and stop to explore Sambaa Deh Territorial Park and its breathtaking gorges. Take the Lafferty Ferry across the Liard River before reaching Fort Simpson, where the Mackenzie and Liard rivers meet.

Departing Fort Simpson, you meet your pilot for a day of hydroplane travel through the Nahanni National Park Reserve (7-8 hours). You will approach the majestic Victoria Falls and enjoy the scenery of Little Doctor Lake.

You’ll fly over the stunning Cirque of the Unclimbables, a natural cirque of peaks and walls in the Logan Mountains, which drain into the Lake Glacier. A short stop offers spectacular views of Harrison Smith Mountain, one of the highest mountains in the Ragged Range. A short stop at Little Doctor Lake on the way back to Fort Simpson allows you to relax on the sandy beach and enjoy this remote location. Bring a picnic lunch, drinking water and walking shoes.

The road between Fort Simpson and Fort Liard offers breathtaking views of the Liard River and the Nahanni Mountains. The Liard Valley Viewpoint and Blackstone Territorial Park are fantastic scenic stops. Visit the Fort Liard Visitor Information Centre and craft shop and return to Fort Simpson at the end of the day.

On the way back to Fort Providence, stop at the Bouvier River to look for fossils and stretch your legs on a short forest walk to Wallace Creek Falls.

Return to Yellowknife, but beware of bison crossing the road! Enjoy the last evening strolling through the city, discovering its culture and its unusual houses.

Return the vehicle to the airport before taking your flight to Calgary.

You have the whole day to discover the city of Calgary: the Peace Bridge, the Calgary Tower, The Bow – a 58-storey skyscraper, the pedestrian street of Stephen Avenue Walk or the hipster district of Kensington.

At the end of the day, a shuttle bus will take you to the airport for your flight to Montreal.