Parks & Camping

Where to get wild

National Parks: Connect with authentic wilderness in the amazing parks of the Northwest Territories. Here, in an area about the size of France, Spain and Germany combined, is a range of landscapes to suit every taste. There are raging rivers and quiet streams, towering peaks, and vast plains and tundra where bison, caribou and muskoxen still roam untamed. The parks of the Northwest Territories protect some of our finest scenery and wildlife. There are five of them – soon to be six. For an overview, see "How to pick your park." Or for more on each park, explore Aulavik National Park, Nahanni National Park Reserve, Nááts’ihch’oh National Park Resrve, Tuktut Nogait National Park, Wood Buffalo National Park, or Thaidene Nene, the park that's currently under development.  

Territorial Parks: The Northwest Territories government manages 34 parks and day-use areas, as well as several bird and wildlife sanctuaries. Territorial parks include well-equipped campgrounds along the main highways and often feature a pretty river valley suitable for fishing, a waterfall, or a scenic lake, together with playgrounds for children. For more information about NWT Parks, and to book a campsite, visit NWTParks.ca.

Our Stories

Intriguing tales from Canada's Northwest Territories

Pull off you shoes and socks and stride across the Salt Plains, nature's very own foot-spa...

For eons, Fort Simpson has been a gathering place – for Dene, Métis, traders and more. ...

In the land of perpetual sun, it's easy to play 18 holes before dark.

View More Summer Adventure Stories

The Mackenzie Delta has the highest concentration of pingos on Earth – approximately 1,350 of them. Eight, including famous Ibyuk PIngo and Split Pingo, are protected by Parks Canada in the 16-square-kilometre Pingo National Landmark outside Tuktoyaktuk. They...

Aulavik National Park Aulavik is our northernmost park, reaching across the pristine, wide-open lowlands of Banks Island. It’s famous for two things: the Thomsen River and muskoxen. The Thomsen, calm and crystal-clear, slides through this...

Wood Buffalo National Park Bigger than Switzerland, this is Canada’s largest park – and maybe its most intriguing. Founded to protect the Western Hemisphere’s most hefty land animal, the rare wood bison, the park bestrides the NWT/Alberta...

Nahanni National Park Reserve Nahanni, the best-known Northern park, showcases the South Nahanni River, possibly Canada’s most epic waterway. Framed by four towering canyons, the river spills through the alpine habitat of broad-shouldered...

Adjacent to the visitor information centre, this park has a scenic picnic area overlooking the beautiful Hay River, plus seven non-powered campsites nestled amongst birch and aspen trees. Entering the Northwest Territories from Alberta, the friendly staff at...

Located on Madeline Lake, this park is a perfect place to enjoy a meal at one of its several picnic sites equipped with tables and firepits. Use the boat launch and dock area to access the lake for powerboating and watersports. Madeline Lake is usually calm due to...

Located on the south bank of the mighty Mackenzie River where it empties out of Great Slave Lake, just a short way from the Mackenzie River ferry crossing at Fort Providence, this us great spot to take a break before continuing your journey north or south....

Located in the heart of Inuvik, this park offers 19 powered and eight non-powered sites, and convenient access to the town’s attractions. The park is situated on a bluff overlooking the east branch of the Mackenzie River, with a view of the Richardson Mountains....

This park is perched on a cliff overlooking the Peel River and surrounded by stands of white birch and white spruce trees. It's an ideal place to unwind for a few nights on the long journey up or down the Dempster. The visitor centre offers a fascinating glimpse of the...

Just outside Inuvik, this park features an observation tower with excellent views of the surrounding scenery and prime bird-watching. Watch for falcons, eagles and ducks, our summer residents. There is an abundance of cranberries, blueberries and cloudberries that...

On the banks of the Mackenzie River in Norman Wells, MacKinnon Territorial Park offers a great view of the Mackenzie Mountains and is a perfect stop for river-trippers. There are eight non-powered campsites, washrooms, firewood, a picnic area and a playground...

Two peninsulas on Great Bear, covering 5,565 square kilometers, were designated as a national historic site in 2009. At that time, Parks Canada and the community of Délįne signed a first-of-its-kind deal where the sites – called Saoyú (...

The Deh Cho Bridge near Fort Providence is the only bridge to straddle Canada’s biggest river, the Mackenzie. It's twice as long as any other bridge in Northern Canada. It was also the costliest piece of infrastructure in territorial history, with a...

This big boreal reserve protects Canada’s northernmost population of wood buffalo, which are almost inevitably seen browsing along Highway 3. Roadside parks in the area – including North Arm and Chan Lake – provide an opportunity to stretch your legs and explore the...

The North's most colourful neighbourhood bobs on the waves of Great Slave Lake, just offshore of Old Town. Rent a kayak or paddleboard to explore this floating community – or bunk down at the houseboat bed-and-breakfast. 

Nááts’ihch’oh National Park Nááts’ihch’oh, meaning “the mountain that’s sharp like a porcupine,” is named for a spine-like peak long sacred to the region’s First Nations. Nááts’ihch’oh is the Northwest Territories’ newest national park,...

Meaning “Land of the Ancestors,” Thaidene Nëné is a park-in-waiting, slated for federal and territorial protection in the next few years. The park will guard the glorious East Arm of Great Slave Lake – 27,000 square kilometres of spectacular...

Enjoy the spectacular shoreline of Campbell Lake, try your luck fishing, hike in search of unique rocks and fossils, or hit the beach for a swim above the Arctic Circle. There are just a few of the options available at Gwich'in Territorial Campground, about 30...

This idyllic park overlooks the confluence of the Mackenzie and Liard rivers, yet is within walking distance of the centre of town. The adjoining Papal Site commemorates the 1987 visit of Pope John Paul ll. This is a great location for bird-watching,...

Between Fort Liard and Fort Simpson on the Liard Trail, Blackstone Territorial Park boasts stunning mountain views and a prime location on the Liard River, downstream from its confluence with the South Nahanni. This is an excellent starting or...

Reid Lake is also an excellent base for fishing, swimming, canoeing, hiking, bird watching, wildlife viewing, power boating, and for extended canoe trips into the surrounding lake systems. From here, canoeists can access the Lower Cameron River...

The largest developed park on the Ingraham Trail, Prelude Lake Territorial Park offers a variety of facilities. There are trails,a sandy beach for swimming, a dock and boat launch, and boat rentals. The island-filled lake, about 16 kilometers long, forms part of...

Swim at Long Lake’s sandy beach. Camp, picnic, canoe or enjoy the amenities and attractions of nearby Yellowknife. Hike the four-kilometre Prospector’s Trail, highlighting the gold-bearing geology of the area. Or follow the Jackfish and Frame Lake trail...

This picturesque spot features six non-powered campsites. The area was devastated by a forest fire in 1981; nearly 40 years later it is now an ideal spot to observe how nature replenishes the land. Relax by the small waterfall, launch your canoe in the gorge...

Enjoy great fishing, bison and bird watching, and take advantage of the services available in nearby historic Fort Providence, featuring visitor services, tours, fishing, groceries, a motel and restaurant. The campground is on the north bank of the Mackenzie River...

Located on Vale Island in Hay River, (follow the signs; it’s about 10 kilometres past the information centre), this park offers fantastic swimming on the sandy shores of Great Slave Lake, unique views of barges and fishing vessels plying the waters, and great...

This popular park and campground are located at the junction of Highway 1 and the Trout River (Sambaa Deh in the Slavey language). The river was a traditional transportation route before and during the fur trade. The falls forced travellers to portage around...

Located just outside Fort Smith, this large, lushly wooded campground features 17 powered campsites, showers and washrooms, a kitchen shelter, firewood, a playground, and a walking trail leading to great views of the Slave River Rapids. 

This park is what we call a "destination park," and with good reason. The sights to be seen are spectacular, the camping facilities excellent, the peace and tranquility are another world. The park has three main areas, located between the Mackenzie Highway...

Make the trip to see the falls, even if you do not plan to camp overnight. From the Mackenzie Highway, an access road leads 6.8 kilometres south to the park. From the parking lot, a short trail leads to Lady Evelyn Falls. The falls form a giant curtain of...

For a pretty little hike through classic Northern shield-country, drive 45 kilometres east of Yellowknife to the Cameron Falls Trail. The path twists through evergreen forests, across boardwalks and over undulating outcrops until, 20 minutes later, you...

A must-see attraction on highway 1 from Fort Providence to Fort Simpson, the Sambaa Deh Gorge gapes where the Trout River slices through thick spruce woodlands not far from the community of Jean Marie River. Most visitors photograph the...

Following the rim of the gorgeous Hay River canyon, the easy Twin Falls Gorge trail begins at the community of Enterprise and leads south for eight kilometres through luxuriant boreal forest. Along the way you'll enjoy interpretive signage, great views...

Forming a seven-kilometre loop around the shores of Frame Lake in the heart of Yellowknife, the city's favourite walking trail has a little of everything. The eastern half of the loop is a paved, sedate urban path, leading you past architectural marvels such as...

What in the world? Just west of Fort Smith in Wood Buffalo National Park lies a shimmering, pearly desert, stretching to the far horizon. A quick hike downhill will bring you to the bizarre Salt Plains, where saline minerals leach from an...

There's hiking, and then there's the Canol. Possibly North America's most rigorous backpacking trail, this 355-kilometre trek follows the route of a defunct military road that once transected the Mackenzie Mountains. Tackling it is an exercise in...

Erupting from the pancake-flat tundra just outside the community of Tuktoyaktuk, this bulbous, ice-filled mound is the second-largest "pingo" on Earth. Called Ibyuk, it's 1,000 feet wide at its base and rises to the height of a 15-storey building, making its...

Perched on the banks of the Mackenzie, this placid, timber-shrouded campground is an ideal basecamp for fishing the big river and exploring the town of Fort Providence, three kilometres downstream. You’ll find powered campsites, potable water, showers, picnic tables,...

For roadtrippers, this is an ideal spot to stretch your legs, lay out a picnic and enjoy your first glimpse of the big Mackenzie River as it begins its 1,750-kilometre odyssey to the Arctic Ocean. Situated just a few kilometres shy of the Dehcho Bridge and the...

A four-kilometre dayhike downriver from Alexandra Falls or upriver from Enterprise, this tiered, 15-metre-high cataract in the Hay River Canyon can be viewed from one of the finest (and most popular) campgrounds in the Northwest Territories. 

A mandatory stop on the drive North of Sixty, this booming, 10-storey spillover on the Hay River is the centerpiece of Twin Falls Gorge Territorial Park, not far from Enterprise. Shockingly, in 2003, an American daredevil kayaked the falls – and lived.

About 45 minutes by road east of Yellowknife, a short, scenic trail leads over the undulating outcrops to 17-metre Cameron Falls. Here, the Cameron River takes a tumble en route to Great Slave Lake. A bridge straddles the river, allowing picknickers to access...

Roaring directly beneath the Mackenzie Highway not far from the community of Jean Marie River, flashy, splashy Sambaa Deh Falls gets deserved attention from motorists. And here's a bonus: Take a stroll upstream and you’ll come to Coral Falls, a...

So perfect it seems planned, this road-accessible cascade is just outside the little village of Kakisa. It occurs where the Kakisa River jumps off an ancient coral reef, forming a crescent-shaped, 17-metre-high curtain of spray.

On blazing hot days, Hay River’s driftwoody beach draws travellers from the nearby campground – some of whom are bold enough to dunk themselves in Great Slave’s cool water.

The finest beach and campground in Wood Buffalo National Park, Pine Lake features soothing sand and shallow, warm, aquamarine waters, ideal for swimming or paddling when you're tired of gawking at the park's amazing wildlife. 

Weekends in late summer, Yellowknife’s beach is peachy, with changing rooms, a campground, a kitchen area, volleyball and more water-skiers than you can shake a beer at.

Built in 2009, Inuvik's Road’s End Golf Club boasts a grassy, 250-yard driving range and a three-hole course. Keep an eye out for ravens as you swing – the course once had to close when the sneaky birds made off with all the golf balls. 

Located next Norman Wells' Heritage Hotel near the banks of the Mackenzie River, the grassy, evergreen-lined Ptarmigan Ridge course offers the only golfing in the Sahtu region, with four holes – soon to be expanded to six.

Within easy walking distance of downtown Fort Simpson, the Seven Spruce Golf Course in features rolling, grassy fairways and a laid-back vibe. Rent clubs and tackle the sun-soaked nine-hole course or put up your feet in the clubhouse for a relaxing afternoon.

With artificial greens atop the tundra, Ulukhaktok is the coolest place you’ll play golf. The town’s nine-hole course if the world’s northernmost, and the annual Billy Joss Open draws visiting celebrity golfers. Word to the wise: Let the muskoxen play through...

Eighteen holes. Sand fairways. Grassy putting greens. Jackpines, bedrock and ravens. It’s safe to say you’ll never play golf anywhere like the Yellowknife Golf Club – especially if you come for the Midnight Sun Golf Tournament, which tees off on the summer...

This manicured nine-hole course follows the curvaceous contours of Hay River’s namesake river. Grassy and aspen-shrouded, it’s a duffer’s delight. There’s also a driving range and a beautiful log clubhouse with a deck overlooking the water – a great place to spend...

Tuktut Nogait National Park Tuktut Nogait, meaning “young caribou,” is one of Canada’s least visited parks, protecting the calving grounds of the 68,000-strong Bluenose caribou herd near the shores of the Northwest Passage. Most visitors...

Nááts’ihch’oh, named for a sacred mountain in its midst, is our newest park. Tucked against the Yukon border, it guards the headwaters of both the Nahanni and the Natla/Keele river systems. Paddlers can traverse the South Nahanni’s “rock garden,” featuring 50km of...

For most of its length the broad Slave River plods over the boreal plains, sliding listlessly toward Great Slave Lake. But at the point where it hits the Northwest Territories border, it is suddenly stirred by the Canadian Shield and detonates into a maelstrom....

One of the most popular parks in the Northwest Territories, Twin Falls boasts a wealth of attractions. The park, 75 kilometres north of the Alberta border, stretches along the rim of Twin Falls Gorge, encompassing 32-metre-high Alexnadra Falls, where the Hay River...

Just a few dozen metres from the heart of Enterprise, the earth falls away and a gaping chasm yawns. This is the Twin Falls Gorge, a Grand Canyon in miniature. Here, sheer limestone walls glitter like shimmering sand, while the rim is lined with a dark wall of...

The Mackenzie River The Mackenzie River is the second longest river in North America, and its tributaries drain a fifth of Canada. The river rises in Great Slave Lake near Fort Providence and flows 1738 kilometres to the Mackenzie Delta and Arctic Ocean. ...

Delta Ice Roads From January to April, ice roads connect Aklavik and Tuktoyaktuk to Inuvik, Northwest Territories. Visitors can rent a vehicle and drive the winding river and stream route to Aklavik. For a wildly different sense of place, it is still...

Rivers to the Arctic Historically, the Dene travelled up the Yellowknife River from Great Slave Lake and crossed the height of land near Snare Lake to the Coppermine River on the way to the Barrenlands. Sir John Franklin was saved from starvation by the Dene near...

The Ingraham Trail The Ingraham Trail stretches 70 kilometers east of Yellowknife threading together over a dozen lakes. There are picnic spots, hiking trails, campgrounds and boat launches all along the highway. It is terrific fishing, hiking, boating and...

East Arm Great Slave Lake's East Arm is a world class scenic and geological wonder. Spectacular cliffs drop 180 metres into the tenth largest lake in the world. The scenery is primeval, the result of glaciation in North America and of a clearly visible fault in the...

Canol Project History The Norman Wells Historical Centre offers an exciting introduction to the Canol Project. This was a wartime effort by the Canadian and American governments to supply oil to Alaska from the oil fields at Norman Wells, Northwest Territories...

Cirque of the Unclimbables A challenge for world class mountaineers, the Cirque is located in the Ragged Range, near Glacier Lake, Northwest Territories. The Cirque's most famous peak – a must for every serious climber - is the Lotus Flower Tower, featured in Fifty...

Ram Plateau and Area There's dramatic hiking available to those who fly out to the Ram Plateau in Nahanni National Park Reserve in the Northwest Territories. There are grassy plains, scenic canyons 1200 to 1800 m deep, hoodoo and karst formations and...

Enjoy a break from driving at this roadside park, offering washrooms, a kitchen shelter and a boat launch. Stop and rest on the picturesque shores of Great Slave Lake to take photos or simply to relax with a picnic. Be sure to look around you – the scenery...

Powder Point Day Use Area is located within Hidden Lake Territorial Park on the Ingraham Trail, a little more than 45 kilometres east of Yellowknife on the eastern arm of Prelude Lake. Powder Point offers access to both the the Lower Cameron River Canoe Route and...

Take a break to enjoy a picnic or spend the afternoon fishing (in season) along the fast-moving Kakisa River. Watch for trophy Grayling. Great Slave Lake is home to the current world record Arctic Grayling, and one of the Grayling's favourite spawning tributaries...

The Dempster Highway serves as a boundary for this 8,800-hectare park, which includes two campgrounds (Vadzaih Van Tshik Campground and Gwich’in Territorial Campground), two day-use areas (Ehjuu NJik and Nihtak) and Tithegeh Chii Vitaii...

This seven-kilometre loop around Frame Lake is the recreation trail for activity in the heart of the capital. While the eastern half is paved and passes by residential neighbourhoods, the western half consists of boardwalks over muskeg and wayfinding over...

The closest thing to whitewater on the mighty Mackenzie River, this fast-flowing section occurs a few kilometres upstream from Fort Good Hope where the river is choked between 40-metre-high limestone cliffs.

This municipal campground is located about four kilometres along the access road to Fort Liard. It's next to a small lake, and offers a kitchen shelter and several campsites.

Towering 400 metres above Tulita, sacred Bear Rock is said to be where Yamoria, the great law-giver of Dene lore, confronted a gang of giant beavers that had been drowning hunters. Yamoria killed three of the beavers and draped their vast pelts on Bear Rock – forming...

Midway between Fort Simpson and Fort Liard on the Liard Trail, Blackstone Territorial Park boasts stunning mountain views and a prime location on the Liard River, downstream from its confluence with the South Nahanni. This is an excellent starting...

Swim at Long Lake’s sandy beach. Camp, picnic, canoe or enjoy the amenities and attractions of nearby Yellowknife. Hike the four-kilometre Prospector’s Trail, highlighting the gold-bearing geology of the area. Or follow the Jackfish and Frame Lake trail system, leading...

This popular park and campground are located at the junction of Highway 1 and the Trout River (Sambaa Deh in the Slavey language). The river was a traditional transportation route before and during the fur trade. The falls forced travellers to portage around...

Just outside Inuvik, this park features an observation tower with excellent views of the surrounding scenery and prime bird-watching. Watch for falcons, eagles and ducks, our summer residents. There is an abundance of cranberries, blueberries and cloudberries that...

Located on Vale Island in Hay River, (follow the signs; it’s about 10 kilometres past the information centre), this park offers fantastic swimming on the sandy shores of Great Slave Lake, unique views of barges and fishing vessels plying the waters, and great...

This park is perched on a cliff overlooking the Peel River and surrounded by stands of white birch and white spruce trees. It's an ideal place to unwind for a few nights on the long journey up or down the Dempster. The visitor centre offers a fascinating glimpse of the...

On the banks of the Mackenzie River in Norman Wells, MacKinnon Territorial Park offers a great view of the Mackenzie Mountains and is a perfect stop for river-trippers. There are eight non-powered campsites, washrooms, firewood, a picnic area and a playground...

Located in the heart of Inuvik, this park offers 19 powered and eight non-powered sites, and convenient access to the town’s attractions. The park is situated on a bluff overlooking the east branch of the Mackenzie River, with a view of the Richardson Mountains....