Yellowknife NWT - a Northern City Near the Arctic Circle

 

Photo Tawna Brown

For a long time, there was no road into Yellowknife.  Bush Pilots would make the trip into a vast land, searching for adventure.  Once Yellowknife did start to grow, bush planes became a vital source for the transportation of people, food, supplies, and vehicles. 

Photo Doris Daily

The Bush Pilot monument on a hill around the corner gives visitors a great 360-degree outlook over parts of the Great Slave Lake and its many floating homes and float planes and towards the city.  It also offers views of the various buildings of historical significance such as log cabins from the days of the gold rush.  This monument is honoring the bush pilots of today and yesterday, who helped open up the north to the rest of Canada. 

Photo Doris Daily

Not far from this monument, a small Dene community is located on the edge of Yellowknife on the tip of Latham Island. In 1959, the first ten permanent houses for Dene families were built.  They were colorful homes and so people began referring to the community as 'Rainbow Valley'. In the 1970s there were 200 residents living in 20 houses, now there are almost double the amount of houses.  

Photo Doris Daily

The name was officially changed to Ndilǫ in 1991, which means "end of the island" in the local Dene dialect.  Some of the stop signs in Yellowknife are bi-lingual in their dialect and in English.
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Photo Tawna Brown

Great Adventures

Yellowknife is a gateway for the great adventure tourism activities of the nearby region, including the spectacular nature and the stunning views of the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) from September to March.  One of the best ways to experience nature around Yellowknife is through a dog sled tour, on snow shoes, cross-country skiing, or in summer by floatplane or boat. 

Photo Tawna Brown

An estimated 20,000 moose live throughout the NWT within and beyond the tree line.  They can be found in the Yellowknife area during the late winter months.  The Northwest Territories are a sport hunter's Shangri La, served by a network of seasoned outfitters and blessed with robust, sustainable populations of some of the most prized species on Earth.  A whole range of hunting experiences is available. 

Photo Tawna Brown

 

In the Mackenzie mountains, Dall's sheep, alpine caribou, and huge moose wander the highlands. In the boreal forests and Barrenlands, hunters pursue bison, grizzlies, black bears, wolves, wolverines, and more. The Mackenzie Mountains may be the greatest virgin hunting ground left on Earth.  

Each summer and fall, lucky sports hunters get to experience it.  Some even hunt with pack horses.  Hunts start from a scenic alpine base camp, accessible only by floatplane.

Photo Doris Daily

Read more:

https://www.tawnabrown.com/yellowknife-four-seasons-lakes/

https://www.tawnabrown.com/yellowknife-winter-adventures/

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Photo Doris Daily

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Yellowknife: The Amazing ‘Diamond Capital of North America’

 

photo Tawna Brown

Seeing photos of the ugly federal government buildings in the city center of Yellowknife, I was not really convinced that it will be an enjoyable and interesting stay.   But as soon as I landed at the airport and saw the large number of eclectic airplanes parked there, my adventurousness kicked in, and I made plans for what to see and do in Yellowknife.

Yellowknife is the ‘Diamond Capital of North America’ and the largest city of Canada's Northwest Territories.  Mainly it is a popular gateway for those who want to explore Canada's vast Arctic region.  It sits on the Canadian Shield, on the north shore of Great Slave Lake, at 62°45’ North and about 400 km South of the Arctic Circle.

photo Doris Daily

When the first gold mine began operations in 1938, the sleepy area around Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories was transformed overnight into a bustling center for fortune seekers.  Meanwhile, diamonds are mined in addition to gold mining.  The airport makes a large part of its revenue by providing logistics for several enterprises.  In addition, there are a large number of cargo flights to remote settlements in the Arctic, but also amazingly a lot of tourism.  Anglers, hunters, nature lovers, and most of all,  Aurora Borealis spectators from all over the world.

photo Tawna Brown

These visitors almost all come to Yellowknife by air.  The traffic mix at the Capital Airport, therefore, is unique. Yellowknife is not a customs airport, flights from abroad and overseas are handled via flights from Calgary, Vancouver, or Toronto.  Canadian Pacific Airlines built the first airport in Yellowknife in 1944. ICAO abbreviation is CYZF, IATA calls it YZF.  In addition to the existing runway, the airport received two more runways in 1946.  In 1963 the airport received a new terminal, and in 1972 a tower.  The drive from the airport to the city center takes only five minutes. 

photo Doris Daily

I booked a (free) 'Hangar Tour’ at Buffalo Airways, the largest air freight company in the Northwest Territories, and its amazing variety of heritage and modern airplanes.  See the article about Buffalo Airways which delivers all the necessary goods to towns, settlements, and diamond mines in the Northwest Territories, Yukon, and Nunavut in almost all weather conditions.

photo Doris Daily

The Northwest Territories in Canada are famous for their diamonds, the gold rush, and for being very, very, cold - which I can attest to when I was there once in November.  But, Yellowknife is also famous for its local food such as freshly caught fish or reindeer meat, outdoor celebrations, and of course, being one of the best places in the world to see the magnificent Northern Lights!  There are also a number of Aurora lodges set up outside of the city.  These Aurora hotels are organized specifically for treating yourself to some of the best northern lights viewing that the world has to offer.

photo Tawna Brown

If the cold weather persists, the ice becomes sufficiently thick that even huge 18-wheelers that truck materials to the remote mines can drive on it!  The Ice Roads in the Northwest Territories are crucial to the operation of many of these remote regions.  Yellowknife became famous for its Ice Roads with the popularity of television shows such as Ice Road Truckers.  The ice road across the Great Slave Lake is 25 meters wide, seven kilometers long, and over ice, at least 40 centimeters thick, it leads from Yellowknife to Dettah on the other side of the bay.  I learned that the lowest point in the whole of Canada is the Great Slave Lake bottom, Northwest Territories 61°40′N 114°00′W — the lowest freshwater point of North America at −458 m (−1,503 feet).

photo Doris Daily

Busy Airport

Visitors almost all come to Yellowknife by air.  The traffic mix at the Capital Airport, therefore, is unique. Yellowknife is not a customs airport, flights from abroad and overseas are handled via flights from Calgary, Vancouver, or Toronto.  Canadian Pacific Airlines built the first airport in Yellowknife in 1944. ICAO abbreviation is CYZF, IATA calls it YZF.  In addition to the existing runway, the airport received two more runways in 1946.  In 1963 the airport received a new terminal, and in 1972 a tower.  The drive from the airport to the city center takes only five minutes.   Seaplane bases are spread around town.

photo Doris Daily

Getting Around

Quite a few visitors from other Canadian provinces and even from the U.S. are driving to Yellowknife in summer.  Others visitors rent a car from Budget, Hertz, National, etc. when arriving at the airport.  For all of them, the city of Yellowknife offers a FREE 3-day parking pass.  It can be picked up at the City Hall or the Visitor Center.  Last but not least, there are three taxi companies in town who will bring you to places in and out of town.  There is also a city bus offering three routes: From downtown to Borden, from Frame Lake to Northlands, and from Old Town to Niven.

Hotels of all sizes, cozy bed & breakfasts, cabins with full kitchens, camping sites, and private rooms offer accommodation to visitors.  Cafes, pubs, restaurants, and fine dining are not only offering northern fare, including catch-fresh fish, but also international dishes.

The Yellowknife Visitor Centre is being temporarily housed at Yellowknife City Hall.  The second-floor wildlife exhibit room also has stamps that you can use to stamp your passport.  Make it your first stop when arriving in Yellowknife to receive lots of information - and even a free parking pass for three days - here.

photo Tawna Brown

Indigenous Tourism

With nearly 24% of the population belonging to either First Nations, Metis, or Inuit populations, Yellowknife is a hotbed of Indigenous tourism.  Within Yellowknife’s boundary is the aboriginal town of D’Nilo.  D’Nilo is located on the edge of Yellowknife just past Old Town on Latham Island. Indigenous peoples such as Inuit, Dene, or Metis share the city with long-time pioneers, southern transplants, and immigrants from all over the world.

photo Tawna Brown

Denendeh is the Land of the People

The Dene have existed in the area for over 30,000 years, with one language and many dialects: Gwich’in; Sahtu; Deh Cho; Tlicho; and, Akaitcho.  The Dene have always been sustained by the land. Also known as the Athapaskan peoples, the Dene Nation is a political organization in Denendeh, meaning “The Land of the People”, located in Northwest Territories, Canada.  The Dene Nation covers a large geographical area — from present-day Alaska to the southernmost tip of North America.

photo Doris Daily

What to See and Do

Yellowknife's Old Town is beautifully located on Yellowknife’s Great Slave Lake waterfront.  Yellowknife started its life as a gold mining town and while there are still some reminders of its early pioneering days, today it is largely a modern city with several administrative offices downtown.  Old Town, Woodyard, and Ragged Ass Rd Walking Tour are way more interesting. Download the self-guided Old Town Heritage Walking tour brochure on the City of Yellowknife website. 

photo Tawna Brown

This first neighborhood started in the city of Yellowknife in 1934.  By the late ‘40s, about 2,500 souls were living in Old Town.  Prospectors, miners, teachers, housewives, trappers, and storekeepers mixed together in a unique cocktail.  Dog teams are tied between tents and log cabins, canoes next to float planes.  There were no lot lines and few services. 

Muddy little streets with names like “Privy Row” or “Glamour Alley” wound their way between shacks, outhouses, and tents.  Cafes, inns, and pubs were busy spots.  One of the hotels operated a 24-hour bar, providing travelers with accommodation.  In the early ’50s, General Stores, lumber yards, hardware stores, a laundry service, a bank, a bakery, barber shops, a movie theater - all were striving in the now bustling town.

photo Tawna Brown

Houseboats / Floating Homes

In the late 1970s, a few Old Town owners, tired of being labeled squatters and wanting to have their own homes, came up with a unique solution: houseboats.  These were floating homes that could be moored and lived on year-round, canoeing to the mainland in summer and walking over the ice once it is safe, starting around the end of November at the latest.  The same safe moorages that attracted early pilots and mariners to Yellowknife Bay now seemed very attractive to the few hardy souls who considered building their own houseboats.

photo Doris Daily

More to follow… stay tuned.

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Aurora Borealis - Northern Lights

Northern Lights - Northern Lights - Northern Lights

Several cultures have their own folklore surrounding the lights. An Algonquin Indian myth held the lights were the souls of ancestors dancing around a fire.

Northern lights (Aurora Borealis) are present year-round, especially between August and March. Longer nights and earlier nightfall contribute to their sightings. Active solar winds are common during this period, which gives the sky a wonderful glow.

This magical phenomenon begins at nightfall. Often green, sometimes purple or red, the lights start dancing on a starlit backdrop. Witness the greatness of the universe. At times, it will seem as if the rays touch the ground and you could almost catch its beauty.

In mid-August, a shower of shooting stars joins in the dance along with the northern lights. Up north is very little light pollution, therefore it is easier to find an excellent place to gaze at the sky.

Many tourist destinations in Canada's north, such as

• Churchill, Manitoba
• Iqualuit, Nunavut
• Whitehorse, Yukon
• Yellowknife, NWT

are offering special tours and there is even more than one Aurora forecast website. 

Google Images counts more than 600,000 photographs of these fascinating northern lights.
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The Japanese fascination with the lights also has its own myth:
Conceiving a child beneath the lights will bring good luck. No wonder: more than 20,000 Japanese visitors travel every winter to Yellowknife.

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