Yukon and the Northwest Territories

If the Yukon is the far north at its most accessible, the Northwest Territories (NWT) is the region at its most uncompromising. Just three roads nibble at the edges of this almost unimaginably vast area, which occupies a third of Canada's landmass, about the size of India, but contains only 60,000 people, almost half of whom live in or around Yellowknife, the territories' peculiarly overblown capital. Unless you're taking the adventurous and rewarding Dempster Highway from Dawson City across the tundra to Inuvik, Yellowknife will probably feature on any trip to the NWT, as it's the hub of the (rather expensive) flight network servicing the area's widely dispersed communities.

Otherwise most visitors are here to fish or canoe, to hunt or watch wildlife, or to experience the Inuit native cultures and ethereal landscapes. More for convenience than any political or geographical reasons, the NWT was formally divided into eight regions, each with its own tourist association. From 1999 a new two-way division will apply, the eastern portion of the NWT being renamed Nunavut, a separate entity administered by and on behalf of the region's First Peoples. One effect has been the renaming of most settlements with Inuit names, though in many cases the old English-language names appear in much literature. Nunavut and the "old" western NWT already issue their own tourist material, and you should obtain a copy of their respective Arctic Traveller Vacation Planner and Explorers' Guide brochures. These summarize accommodation options, airline connections, many of the available tours - costing anything from $50 to $5000 - and the plethora of outfitters who provide the equipment and backup essential for any but the most superficial trip to the region.

Mackenzie
The most accessible area as it is the only one with roads, it borders the Yukon in the west and Alberta in the south. Most of the population live around Great Slave Lake and Great Bear Lake. The two national parks in the district are, Nahanni and Wood Buffalo, the latter was established in 1922 to preserve the bison which has been successful and one can now attend a 'bison creep' to view the animals.

At Nahanni National Park there are river gorges, underground caves and hot springs and for those who love water travel they can journey down the South Nahanni River until they arrive at Virginia Falls which plunge 300ft(90 metres) almost twice that of Niagara Falls.

Yellowknife
Visit the Cultural Center and The Prince of Wales Northern heritage center, both recommended, the heritage center houses excellent examples of the Inuit, Dene and Metis Indian tribes, the Cultural center regularly puts on performances of drama and music.
Ingraham Trail The trail leads to excellent areas for fishing, canoeing, camping and hiking but you will need a vehicle.
Areas around Yellowknife include:-
Madeline Lake - a good hiking trail.
Prelude Lake Park - good for fishing, hiking and camping.
Bailey Bridge - a small waterfall where the locals swim and canoe.
Reid Lake - camping, swimming canoeing and hiking.
Tibbett Lake - fishing and canoeing and
Long Lake Beach - reputed to be one of the best beaches in Canada with hiking trails and walking tours.

The Eastern Arctic
Baffin Island
Facing Greenland at the mouth of Hudson Bay, it contains some of the oldest northerly communities in the world. Frobisher Bay is the largest of these, the Inuit have created extensive walking trails that pass by ancient cairns built centuries ago, some of the trails overlook cliffs from which the ocean, harp seals and the occasional beluga whale can be seen.
Cape Dorset is another community, that like Frobisher Bay, is home to modern Inuit art, it also has hiking and walking trails and cross-country skiing tours.
The Penny Ice Cap is a 2,200sq. miles of ice and snow, to view this glacier high up in the mountains, is to revisit the Ice Age, similar monuments from the Ice Age are the cliffs and fjords and on certain sections of the east coast of Baffin Island are cliffs that rise to a height of 7.000ft, higher than the walls of The Grand Canyon.
The traveler to The Northwest Territories realises more than anywhere else, the miniscule role mankind has played in its history. With mountains, barren grounds, stunted forests, unbelievable skies, thousands of freshwater lakes and rivers, this vast land combines to create a tremendously humbling experience.

Yukon

The Alaskan Highway
Starting in Dawson Creek it passes through Watson Lake, Whitehorse, Haines Junction and Beaver Creek, on its way to Fairbanks, Alaska. It is a scenic, busy highway full of RV's in summer.

Kluane National Park
A mountainous rugged wilderness, valleys, lakes and alpine forest plus the worlds largest non-polar ice fields make up this park. summers are short and winters long and harsh. There is good fishing and hiking. The wildlife is in abundance, moose, thousands of Dail sheep, grizzly bears and caribou, also the peregrine falcon and eagles as well as 150 varieties of birds. Hikers beware of bears.

Vuntut National Park
Meaning old crow flats, became a national park in 1993, in spring each year a herd of caribou follow a well worn route across the plains to their calving grounds. They are protected in Canada in Ivvavik National Park but where they extend into Alaska and come under USA law, there is pressure fron the oil companies to open them up for exploration.

Ivvavik National Park
Adjoining Alaska it is dominated by the British Mountains. it is a major waterfowl habitat and is also on the caribou migration route. There is no road access, flights on a regional airline plane will get you there.

Watson Lake
Named after a British trapper and the 'Gateway to the Yukon', Watson Lake is the first town in the territory as you head northwest on the Alaskan Highway from British Columbia. Most famous for its Signpost Forest, the original signpost of Danville, Illinois, was erected by a soldier, Carl Lindlay, who was working on the construction of the highway, he got homesick and put up the sign, other people added their own and there are now over 20,000. You can have your own sign made on the site.