Are you longing for a travel adventure? I just spent three days in Yellowknife, the capital of Canada’s North West Territories (N.W.T.). I loved it. With hiking, fishing, and aurora-viewing, it was a grand Canadian adventure with special meaning for me.
Now, I’ve been to all 10 provinces and three territories in Canada. Canada is so vast that visiting all its provinces and territories is rare. It’s something few Canadians ever do. I’m 63 years old and it has literally taken me my whole life. And do you know what? I love my country even more after doing so.
Each nook and cranny of Canada has its own personality. And, Yellowknife, N.W.T. has a fabulously fun one. Mid to late August is a great time to go. The weather is still mild. The Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) have started up. Your chances of seeing them between mid-August to March is one in three. I saw them two of the three nights of my visit.
There’s a reason the tourism tagline here is “Spectacular N.W.T.” Every time I see the Aurora I’m gob-smacked. I just want to lay on the ground and bathe in the iridescence. Have you got your map out? Are you checking out where Yellowknife is? Read on. Here’s how I got there.
Getting to Yellowknife
We flew WestJet direct (only 1 hour and 48 minutes) from Calgary and landed mid-afternoon. The city is situated on the north shore of Great Slave Lake. We seemed to fly over water for a VERY long time. I began to understand how big the lake really is. More on that later.
You can catch an airport shuttle to the hotels and downtown. We rented a car. There were hikes we wanted to access out of town during our stay.
The local tourism office shared useful advice. Drive straight to the Visit Yellowknife Info Center downtown. They’ll give you a three day parking pass for free. And, that’s not all. They also gave us a fun certificate making us members of the “Order of Arctic Adventurers, North of 60 Chapter.” They said we earned it. We showed the “initiative, integrity, and bold adventurous spirit of true Arctic explorers who have crossed the 60th parallel.” Admittedly, we were living a cushy life as explorers go. I’m sure Franklin and crew are rolling their eyes in their watery grave – gah!
A LITTLE HISTORY OF YELLOWKNIFE
At the Visitor Center, we learned about the origin of the name Yellowknife. It comes from the people who have always lived there. The town is located on the Chief Drygeese territory and the traditional land of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation. The Weledh Yellowknives Dene are descendants of the T’atsaot’ine, or “metal or copper people.” They were known for their (yellow) copper knives, pots, and other tools. A definite highlight of the trip was getting to meet a few First Nations people. One, Luke, was a Geo Scientist on vacation south to Yellowknife from Ulukhaktok. The other was a local artist named Roy that we bought beadwork from. It’s easy to strike up a conversation with anyone in Yellowknife. People are friendly and welcoming.
Day One – Half Day – Exploring Old Town
We checked into The Explorer Hotel (which was wonderful). To get our bearings we walked through downtown Yellowknife to the Old Town. Here, the challenge is to climb a lump of a hill called Pilot’s Monument. The reward? You get a 360 degree view of Great Slave Lake. You also see the town and boats and bush planes. Additionally, you witness the Great Canadian Shield in all its rocky glory.
We walked around the hill before we climbed it. The houses here were eclectic. There were state of the art, high-tech, brightly coloured big and small homes. We saw homes on barges and boathouses. There were old-timer wooden cabins. We even spotted a 4-story, hill-hugging, ladder-like home that was straight out of architectural digest. We found house made blueberry ripple ice cream and homemade cookies at The Sundog Trading Post. Across the street, the Walrus Fried Fish and Griddle food truck serves up fried fish, burgers, and something called “chummy dogs.” After climbing Pilot’s monument we thoroughly enjoyed the fresh local fish options at the deservedly famous Bullock’s Bistro.
For some reason, after falling into a deep sleep by 10 pm, I woke without explanation at 12:47 am. I got up and looked out the window. The parking lot below had blaring lights. Even so, I saw the waving green curtain of the Aurora. Quickly dressing, after poking my husband awake, we went down to soak in the light show. It lasted for over 30 minutes. Unreal! Forget sugar plums. I went to sleep with dancing lights in my head.
Day Two – HikE The Trails
Awakening to another calm, blue sky day, we explored a great deal more of Yellowknife by hiking around Frame Lake. It’s only 5.5 kilometers. We stopped along the way to check out some sculptures and the new Aquatic Center. Hot tip: it has great public restrooms. Another Hot tip: if you do this hike, hiking boots would be helpful. There’s lots of rocky and uneven terrain between the hospital and the legislature. After that hike, we grabbed fresh sandwiches for lunch at Birchwood Cafe. Then, we headed out of town to Cameron Falls.
Cameron Falls Trail is a little over 40 kilometers outside of Yellowknife on the Ingraham Trail Road. The Ingraham, like all roads on permafrost, weaves up and down like a piece of old-fashioned ribbon candy. Along the way, you’ll see lots of “DO NOT ENTER – CONTAMINATED AREA’ signs on side roads. They are from the now permanently-closed Giant Gold Mine. $4 Billion dollars is being spent on cleaning up the arsenic left behind by that mine. It will take 1000 years before the soil is healthy again.
Cameron Falls is totally worth the drive. Everyone in our group agreed, this was the most beautiful of our adventures. The trail is impeccably maintained and marked. There are several sturdy wooden staircases to get hikers over what would otherwise be treacherous terrain. View points to Cameron River are strategically placed. You can hear the boisterous cascade of the falls long before you see them. The shallow circle of Cameron Lake seems inadequate to produce such a mighty flow. However, it’s undeniable that it is the source given their proximity to each other. With the soft, late-August day sun warming our backs, we sat on the flat rocks. We treated ourselves to a foot soak in the cold stream between the lake and the falls. Wild saskatoons, rose hips, and stunted raspberry bushes grew around the trail. White birch and spruce sheltered and shaded our late afternoon retreat.
Back in town, with a 20,000+ step day revving our metabolism, we had a two-stop progressive dinner. First stop was charcuterie and wine on the deck of The Wild Cat Cafe. Basking in the late afternoon sun we were joined by a few locals our friends were acquainted with. We all trundled along to the Woodyard Brewhouse restaurant inside the NWT Brewing Co for the main event. Here we enjoyed nachos, salads, and a variety of handheld sandwich options along with their thirst-quenching beers. Since 2015, they’ve been the one and only brewery in the NWT and they brew well. Patrick, behind the bar, is super friendly. They’ve got gender-neutral toilets and great “merch” as well.
On this night, we drove out Ingraham Trail Road to enjoy dark sky viewing of the Aurora Borealis and we were not disappointed. Once again, they lit up the night as they lit up our lives. Dots of stars punctuated their dance across the atmosphere. I fell into bed that night completely exhausted and exhilarated.
Day 3 – Fishing on Great Slave Lake
On our third day, a thin layer of smoke lay across the smooth surface of the vast lake. It had seeped there overnight from a distant forest fire. Great Slave is the second-largest lake in the North West Territories (after Great Bear Lake). It is the deepest lake in North America at 614 m (2,014 ft) and the tenth-largest lake in the world by area. It is 469 km (291 mi) long and 20 to 203 km (12 to 126 mi) wide. It’s famous for its fishing so how could we visit and not take advantage of such an opportunity?
To get out on the lake, I connected with Greg Robertson, a professional guide and owner of Blue Fish Outfitting. Greg was originally from North Bay, Ontario but came to Yellowknife over 50 years ago and never left. He and his helper, Mike, said that they’ve fished enough for themselves. They now get their enjoyment from helping others learn to fish. None of us were proficient anglers. They really were patient and wonderful teachers. Every time I goofed up my casting, Mike kept telling me, “Drop your mistake. Focus on what you want to get right.” Within a few more tries, I set the line, swept from low up to the point, and hit the target I had set. It was very rewarding. But not as rewarding as reeling in all the fish that we did.
We learned that Great Slave Lake is undersubscribed by commercial fisheries. This means the fish for amateur anglers, like us, are bountiful. Between the four of us, we must have caught and released about 40 Great Northern Pike. Arctic Grayling, Trout, and Inconnu are other species in the lake. However, they require a longer boat trip than we had time for. In a move from the Goldie Locks playbook, Greg chose a few of the “just right” size of Pike for us to enjoy in a fish fry cookout.
After we’d fished our fill, we skimmed back across the lake towards Yellowknife. A breeze has whisked any smoke away. About half way back we pulled up on a barren, flat rock in the sheltered cove of a small U-shaped island. Out of the wind, the sun shone down on us as Greg cleaned and filleted our fish. Mike set up the cookstove. We made coleslaw, opened a can of beans, and sliced a loaf of bread on a folding table. Before long we were all sighing with satisfaction over the flavour of the fish while a few lake gulls surreptitiously enjoyed the carcasses nearby. The Great Northern Pike has a bony spine that Greg deftly filleted around. The tender bits we ate were mild, white, flaky, and flavourful.
For the rest of the ride back we passed the many houseboats found in the bay close to Yellowknife. I had a friend that lived on one of these for three years. It takes considerable know-how to outfit them, prepare for freeze up and thaw, and everything in between. I’d be in the camp that would happily pay municipal taxes for being a landlubber instead. Finally, we passed the “beer barge” with a live band playing. It was easy to see that life afloat is an integral part of the culture here.
Shopping and Museums
After a shower it was time for some souvenir shopping. I can highly recommend:
The Territorial Agrifood’s Taste of the North Store – Here we bought beautifully-packaged North Chocolate and some hand-made soaps. Yellowknivers can buy fresh and frozen meals plus lots of spice mixes and salad dressings. They can also access advice on starting a farm in the north. This organization just held their first ever NWT Culinary Festival with garden tours, farmers’ markets, and special tasting events. It will be the last weekend in July annually.
Gallery of the Midnight Sun – This is a great shop. Especially, if you are looking for soapstone carvings, furs, beading and other handmade gifts.
Down to Earth Gallery – I admired some of the paintings and beadwork here.
We also had time to explore The Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Museum. Ten landscape dioramas in the Taiga and Tundra Galleries feature taxidermy animals of the territory. “We took care of them,” is a exhibit that presents stories. It describes how the native people helped the early settlers. It also shows how they aided the North West Mounted Police to survive. Ehts’o nàtsʼeelıı (We Sew Beads) by Tłı̨chǫ Dene Matthew Vukson was my favourite. The artist created bead works to represent the history of colonization and interpretations of justice. There was one where each tiny bead takes on the weight of oppression and control. His work will have lasting impact.
On our final night in Yellowknife, the sky was thick with gray storm clouds. No Aurora viewing for us on this night. But hey, as Meatloaf used to sing, “two out of three ain’t bad!” Frankly, after all that fresh air, I was ready for a good night’s sleep.
Day Four – Half Day
We relaxed on our last morning. Still, we managed to visit the NWT Legislative building. We also visited the Yellowknife Historical Museum. This small, new museum is filled with artifacts from the early mining days of the town. There were core samples, general store goods, art, old photos, maps, taxidermy, and old books. They told the story of the lives of the hardy souls who lived and worked here. Bonus, the YK Hidden Gem Restaurant is located in the former Miner’s Mess Hall at the museum. The restaurant has a Sunday Brunch that we enjoyed before heading to the airport.
Restaurants I can recommend in Yellowknife
Bullock’s Bistro – The walls of this cozy cabin are covered in mementos and signatures of visitors and locals alike. They have three to four fishes caught daily and you can choose to have them fried, baked, or pan-fried. They are all accompanied by a fresh salad or fries. We loved our meal here.
The Sundog Trading Post – We had fresh homemade cookies and ice cream cones. Get the blueberry ripple.
The NWT Brewing Company and Woodyard Brewhouse Restaurant – Eight thumbs up from the four of us. Great vibe. Every age group. High quality food prepared with finesse. Fresh, frothy draft beers that taste as they should.
The Birchwood Cafe – Only open Monday through Friday, this downtown cafe has a limited menu for breakfast and lunch. What they do, they do well including their coffee.
Wild Cat Cafe – Each year the service for this venue is put out to tender and a new chef is (hopefully) found. We enjoyed a delicious charcuterie platter and draft beer and good wines here. The local fish fry being devoured at tables on either side of us looked scrumptious. The setting is a delight with a 90 year old cabin hugging the street and the shoreline below.
Fine dining was available at our lovely hotel, The Explorer. I think in winter, we’d have been all over that. However, since the weather was so fine, we just wanted to be outside.
Travel Goals
I don’t know if you’ve ever considered Yellowknife or the NWT in your travel goals? I hope learning about the fun things to do here will pique your interest. There’s so much of Canada to see but for me, Yellowknife was a dream come true. It is the place that helped me finish my quest to visit every province and territory in my country. What’s next? Why now I would like to see different places in every part, of course. I hope to return to Yellowknife some time in March. There, in the heart of winter, I’d like to experience the Snow King Festival.
Please note: This trip was not sponsored. I paid my own way and all opinions and photos are my own. Thanks for joining me. Let me know if you have questions and if you go, remember to savour it all.
Huge thanks to my friend Tandi Wilkinson for all her suggestions for my visit. And, to Laurie Jacobs of Visit Yellowknife for hers. Both were brilliant.
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