9 DAY ALBERTA AND THE NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
EXPLORE NORTHERN ALBERTA TO YELLOWKNIFE
Experience the North and the Summer Solstice in the land where the sun never sets! Journey through grasslands and boreal forests, by lakes and rivers, and learn the ways of the north from the people who have always been there.
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Start Location: Edmonton
End Location: Edmonton
TOP HIGHLIGHTS
- Lady Evelyn Falls
- Summer Solstice Celebration
- Prince of Wales Heritage Centre
- Ragged Ass Road
- Mackenzie Bison Sanctuary
- Yellowknife City Tour
- Hay River Indigenous Tour
- Alexandra Falls
- Waterfalls Route
- The Northern Trading Post
- Grande Prairie Museum
- Mackenzie Crossroads Museum
ITINERARY
Day 1: Arrive in Edmonton, AB
Arrive in Edmonton, Alberta’s capital, and one of the popular cities in Canada to visit. Summertime in Edmonton is nothing short of legendary. Experience what 18 hours of sunlight a day feels like and soak up all the energy of the world's largest northernmost metropolis. From the continent’s first, biggest and wildest Fringe Theatre Festival, to breathtaking sunset canoe tours, bike rides along Edmonton’s scenic riverfront pathways immersive experiences at the Royal Alberta Museum or the Art Gallery of Alberta or embracing some fun (and shopping) at famous West Edmonton Mall, there is much to do in Edmonton.Edmonton’s culinary scene is known across Canada and beyond. This evening we will enjoy a welcome dinner and experience some of this for ourselves.
Overnight: Edmonton
Meals: Dinner
Day 2: Edmonton to Peace River, Alberta
After breakfast, we will do a quick drive tour of Edmonton briefly seeing the major city highlights before heading west and north. We will see the landscape quickly change from prairie grassland to lakes and boreal forests as we travel north. We aim to arrive in Peace River by midafternoon, check in to our hotel and have the long daylight hours to enjoy exploring the town center with its selection of restaurants, on our own. Consider walking a couple of blocks west to access the Peace riverfront walking paths and check out the craft breweries.
Overnight: Peace River
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 3: Peace River to Hay River, Northwest Territories
A long drive of about 7 hours today as we cross the 60th Parallel border into the Northwest Territories and enter the sub-Arctic regions of Canada. On our way, we will make a lunch stop in the town of High Level, often referred to as the Gateway to the South. We visit The Northern Trading Post located with the Mackenzie Crossroads Museum, to see a collection of over 1600 food and medicine containers, some dating back to the late 1800's, along with an extensive photo collection of the era. These, plus other artifacts in use during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, are showcased in a typical trading post and general store setting complete with attached living quarters. Supplementary displays feature information on the Indigenous Peoples to inhabit the area, and the history of trapping/fur trading, and farming in the region. There is also a display on the life of the pioneer woman settlers.
We continue north with a brief stop at the 60th Parallel for a quick visit to the Visitor Centre. When crossing the 60th parallel from Alberta into the NWT, Alberta Highway 35 becomes NWT Highway 1 and the beginning of the Waterfalls Route. This route features numerous waterfalls, ranging from small and charming to large and spectacular, as well as numerous rivers and lakes. Time permitting, make a quick stop at the Alexandra Falls Territorial Park to view the breathtaking Alexandra Falls from a lookout and then possibly at the Twin Falls Gorge Territorial Park only 2 kms further before we arrive in Hay River 50 kms further north. Hay River on the shores of the Great Slave Lake is the home of the Great Slave fishing fleet.
Overnight: Hay River
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 4: Hay River, Northwest Territories
Being a small community, we are aware that there are limited services available locally and are prepared for last minute adjustments to our program here. Our aim is to have a town tour with a Hay River resident to get a feel of this community followed by a meal of freshly cooked lake caught fish on the lakeside. We will visit the old settlement of Hay River Reserve and stop by at the Dene Cultural Institute and learn about the history and traditions of the Indigenous Dene people if the centre is open. The evening is free to explore the town on your own.
Overnight: Hay River
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 5: Hay River to Yellowknife, NWT
We depart Hay River stopping at the Lady Evelyn Falls, to see the giant curtain of water as it spills over a limestone sill. We then drive to the settlement of Fort Providence, a picturesque little community situated on the shores of the Mackenzie River. The Snowshoe Restaurant here makes for an easy lunch stop and we may see wild bison roaming in the area. We cross the Deh Cho (Mackenzie River) bridge before travelling along the Mackenzie Bison Sanctuary. The kilometer long Deh Cho bridge established a permanent crossing over the Mackenzie River in 2012, a great waterway where the seasonal freeze-up and ice break-up previously blocked an essential transport route for weeks at a time. The bridge provides year-round road passage across the Mackenzie to and from Yellowknife and it replaced the winter ice bridge and a cramped summer ferry. Further along, be sure to keep a watchful eye out for the free roaming wood bison often found wandering near the roadside.
Our next stop is the North Arm Territorial Park for a view of the north arm of the Great Slave Lake - good place to stretch the legs, use the washroom facilities and take some splendid photos. Be sure to look around you – the scenery changes here from rolling, well treed Mackenzie lowlands to the granite of the Canadian shield. This is also a prime waterfowl nesting area. Finally, we arrive in Yellowknife, situated on the shores of Great Slave Lake, and check into the hotel for our four nights stay.
Overnight: Yellowknife
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 6: Summer Solstice (mid-summer) in Yellowknife
Today is the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year. The sun rises at 3.45 am and does not set until almost midnight providing 20 hours of sunlight and then twilight for 4 hours. There are plenty of daylight hours to stay up and enjoy some community activities including the culture-filled Aboriginal Days, and to experience the true flavour of this far northern community. Please note that many of the community activities are not confirmed until close to actual dates so a degree of flexibility is required in our program for the day.
We begin our time in Yellowknife with a guided tour of the NWT Legislative Assembly Building, where you will learn about our consensus-style, non-partisan government, one of only a few in left Canada.
Following the Legislative Building, we will make our way to the site of Giant Mine. Rich in the history of Yellowknife’s gold mining days. There is an outdoor museum available to view. Then we make a quick stop at YKEA and look for local treasures! Next, we drive to Buffalo Airway’s home of the popular TV series, Ice Pilots with the Star of the show being Buffalo Joe McBryan, owner of the largest DC 3 ‘s and DC 4’s in North America. We will visit the hangar filled with vintage aircraft. These are propeller-operated WW2 legendary aircraft.
We return to the downtown core and stop in at the NWT Diamond Centre which showcases diamonds from two of NWT’s local mines. Next, we drive to The Old Town / Latham Island and N’dilo. We will first visit Ragged Ass Road, the street immortalized by Tom Cochrane on his third album by the same name and then a drive on the frozen Great Slave Lake. The Great Slave Lake is the second largest lake outside of the Great Lakes in Canada, the deepest lake in North America at 614 meters, and the tenth-largest lake in the world. We will get a close view of the colourful, local houseboats. Next is N’dilo, a small Dene community located on tip of Latham Island, which is an isthmus extending from Yellowknife into Great Slave Lake. The land was set aside for use by “status Indians” by the Government of Canada in 1947. The name was officially changed to N’dilo in 1991, which means “end of the island” in the local Dene dialect.
We continue our tour with a stop at Yellowknife’s first bank (Bank of Toronto) a privately owned, historic log cabin. Next is a photo stop at the Bush Pilot’s monument, Yellowknife’s most popular lookout that rises above Old Town, providing a stupendous view over Great Slave Lake, Back Bay and the northern reaches of the city. The monument is high up on “The Rock,” and is accessed via a winding staircase that will take you to the top. It is dedicated to the bush pilots and engineers whose lives were lost as they flew the wilderness skies of the Northwest Territories. Finally, we stop at Weaver and Devore, Yellowknife’s first Trading Store and a local carver’s shop. Local artists will be invited to showcase their artwork.
The tour ends at the Visitor Centre where you can get your Yellowknife pin and your North of 60 Certificate. We visit the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, a museum that chronicles Aboriginal and European history in the North and features environmental exhibits.
Overnight: Yellowknife
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 7: Yellowknife, NWT
We have an easy morning before we drive out to a lakeside camp that belongs to a local Dene Indigenous family. Here we will hear stories about how the dog teams have played an important role in the daily lives of both the Indigenous peoples and western settlers in the old days, and how they have helped people survive. The dogs were like family and are still treated the same way today. This excursion to interact with the dogs and the family is carried out in collaboration with an indigenous family business that wants to keep the cultural traditions and teachings that they have learned from their grandparents and has decided to share them with others in an enjoyable way. Through their dog sledding, they aim to promote respect for Indigenous culture and share the survival ways of people living in the cold subarctic areas.
We return to Yellowknife for some free time and dinner before we head out to experience an authentic Indigenous experience and spend an evening among the Dene people, with storytelling, Dene history, and legends, traditional drumming, hand games demonstration, and samples of traditional foods such as local Great Slave Lake fish, and freshly made bannock. We travel by minivan (followed by a short 10-minute walk) to a Dene campsite on the shores of the Great Slave Lake near the village of Dettah and spend time in a cabin and teepees and comfortable seating for everyone.
Overnight: Yellowknife
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 8: Yellowknife Boat Tour and the Diamond Centre
We will do approximately an hour-long boat tour late morning to see the colourful houseboats and get a view of the town from the water. The boat tour is often done in small groups of 5 or 6 persons at a time in a staggered manner since most available boats have limited capacity.
Later, we visit the NWT Diamond Centre who carry both diamond jewelry and loose diamonds in their store. In the store, you can enjoy an interactive tour that takes you on a journey through the vast history of diamond mining in the Canada’s North, see the journey diamonds make from mine to market, and learn about the many complexities that bring this truly unique product to market. This afternoon is free in Yellowknife to browse the stores on Franklin Street and pick up souvenirs of your trip to North of 60.
Overnight: High Level
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 9: Depart Yellowknife to Edmonton
Our epic northern nears end this morning as we transfer to the airport for our flight to Edmonton with memories of the land of the midnight sun, the vast open landscapes of the Northwest Territories, and the hospitality of the people who call this part of Canada, home. You will connect with your onward flight home from Edmonton. We advise you not to book the flight out of Edmonton until we inform you of the precise flight schedule from Yellowknife to Edmonton.
Meals: Breakfast
DATES & PRICES
We accept 
AVAILABILITY
START DATE
END DATE
PRICE
SINGLE SUPPLEMENT
DEPOSIT
BOOK
(does not include 5% tax).
Tour centers around Summer Solstice in Yellowknife. Arrival and departure flights can be booked for any time on first and last days.
Tour centers around Summer Solstice in Yellowknife. Arrival and departure flights can be booked for any time on first and last days.
Applicable taxes vary depending on travel destination and are not included. Please ask your sales agent what extra taxes will be payable for your tour.
WHAT'S INCLUDED
- Transportation by comfortable coach
- Professional Tour Leader
- 10 nights of accommodation (3.5-4 star)
- 16 meals: 10 breakfasts, 1 lunch, 5 dinners
EXCLUSIONS
- 5% provincial tax on top of tour base rate
- Gratuities to driver (Recommend $3-$4 per person per day)
- Gratuities to guide (Recommend $5-$7 per person per day)
- Meals not listed
- Attractions not listed
- Credit card payment fees, where applicable
- Airfare — domestic and international (Unless Specified)
- Travel insurance (Strongly recommended, ask us for a quote!)
- Items of a personal nature
- Airport transfers (available on request at extra charge)
Why Take An Anderson Tour?
Seasoned Tour Guides
Get a deeper understanding with storytelling tailored to your interests.
Space To Breathe
We never max out buses even if we use the same size bus as the competition.
All Inclusive
No hidden expenses along the way. Competitors offer activities as an extra - we don't
Our guide training manual is accredited by ACTA/CITC Canadian Educational Standard Inc. Now used as the standard in educational college programs.
Can't find what you're looking for?
Our specialists can take away the stress and create a custom trip tailored to your exact interests and budget.
Get A Custom Quote
OR CALL
1.866.814.7378
Custom Trip Plans
You can see what you want, when you want, how you want.
Unique Experiences
Experiences that help you take in the region in a different way.
Freedom To Explore
Time to take in each place with only the tours you want to do.
Tour Questions
What is the maximum number of travellers in a group?
Anderson Vacations specializes in Small Group Fully Escorted tours. If the tour is classified as a ‘Classic Tour’ up to 24 persons may join the tour although tours commonly travel with anywhere between 18 to 24 travellers. If the tour is classified as a 'Tour of Distinction’ only up to 18 persons may join the tour and many 'Tours of Distinction' travel with 12 to 18 travellers.
What are Guaranteed Departures?
After dreaming about travel to an exciting destination, arranging for time off work, booking your flights the last thing you need is for your trip to be cancelled. Anderson vacation's pre-Guaranteed tours take the uncertainty away from planning your travel and give you peace of mind to book our tours. Pre-Guaranteed Tours are group tours that we have already confirmed as certain to travel on the specified date. All 'Guaranteed Tours' will travel except in the event of a natural disaster or a catastrophic event that is beyond our control. They may already have the minimum number of people booked or else are tours that are known to be popular. Only select departures of tours are 'pre-Guaranteed'.
What happens if I book on a tour that is not Guaranteed?
We pride ourselves on providing “a small shared group experience.” In the event that we have fewer than ten participants on a tour we will offer a “small-group surcharge” to ensure that the tour runs as scheduled. This fee, which is up to 15% of the “land” portion of the tour, will be offered to you as an option to continue with the trip. This fee will cover the costs associated with handling a smaller group.
What is the average age of passengers for this tour?
Our tours are suitable for all age demographics. The average age of travelers is typically 45+.
How physically demanding is this tour? Are you able to accommodate people with mobility restrictions/limitations?
Some tours are mainly coach based and may not be physically demanding while others may require walking inclines or on rough surfaces to access interesting locations. Please check with us and your booking agent carefully and discuss your mobility restrictions before completing any tour booking to ensure this style of travel is right for you.
Can you accommodate passengers with dietary restrictions (food allergies, vegan, vegetarian etc.)?
Yes, we do accommodate dietary restrictions (within reason) such as, food allergies, vegan, vegetarian, etc. There are many meals included on our fully escorted tours. Please inform us of any dietary restrictions at the time of booking so we can ensure there are alternative meal choices.
Booking & Flight Questions
Do you arrange airport transfers?
Yes, we can assist you with airport transfers for you in most locations at a reasonable extra cost. Several tours have airport transfers already included. Please contact us for more details.
Can you assist with booking additional accommodation?
Yes, we can certainly assist with booking additional nights of hotel accommodation for you before and after your fully escorted tour. This is available upon request and subject to availability. Please inquire for further information and prices.
How much luggage should I bring?
Each passenger may bring one large suitcase and one carry-on bag. The weight limit for baggage is 20 kilograms or about 40 pounds. Baggage handling is provided at the hotels in our tour packages but there may be places where you will be required to wheel in your bags for quicker access. Be sure to advise our reservations staff if you will be bringing additional items such as a cane, walker, or wheelchair. You may also bring one small soft-sided carry-on bag, which should easily fit into the overhead shelf of a coach. Each person is responsible for his/her own carryon luggage. Remember to check your airline baggage restrictions if you are flying, as they may differ from Anderson Vacations guidelines.
I am a solo traveller. Is there a single surcharge?
There are options for single travelers to join most tours. Solo travellers can choose to pay a Single Supplement and have their own room throughout the tour. For those willing to share with a co-traveller of the same gender, we have a Twin Share option that is offered for most tours where you share a hotel room with another same gender traveller. In this case, you will not be charged for Single Supplement.
Is it possible to book a triple share accommodation?
Yes, it is possible to book triple share accommodations on select trips. Please inquire or contact us regarding this option, as prices and availability vary from tour to tour.
Can we book this tour with our exclusive group?
Yes, you can! Anderson Vacations works with many private groups and helps to customize a tour to traveller’s needs. Please contact us for more details.
Are gratuities included in the tour cost?
For convenience, gratuities for local guides and meals that are specified in the itinerary are included in the tour price. For meals not included in your tour package please remember that it is customary to tip your server 10-20% in North America. Gratuities for your Coach Driver (where appropriate) and Tour Director are entirely at your discretion. We recommend about CDN $5.00 per person, per day, for your Driver and CDN$7.00 per person, per day for your Tour Leader.
Ready? Have More Questions?
Over 25 years offering custom trips and small group tours.
INQUIRE ABOUT THIS TRIP
OR CALL
1.866.814.7378
Seasoned Tour Guides
Get a deeper understanding with storytelling tailored to your interests.
Space To Breathe
We never max out buses even if we use the same size bus as the competition.
All Inclusive
No hidden expenses along the way. Competitors offer activities as an extra - we don't
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Tour Code
YNWT
9 Day Alberta and the Northwest Territories
9 days
Created On: 25 Mar 2023
Highlights
- Lady Evelyn Falls
- Summer Solstice Celebration
- Prince of Wales Heritage Centre
- Ragged Ass Road
- Mackenzie Bison Sanctuary
- Yellowknife City Tour
- Hay River Indigenous Tour
- Alexandra Falls
- Waterfalls Route
- The Northern Trading Post
- Grande Prairie Museum
- Mackenzie Crossroads Museum
Inclusions
- Transportation by comfortable coach
- Professional Tour Leader
- 10 nights of accommodation (3.5-4 star)
- 16 meals: 10 breakfasts, 1 lunch, 5 dinners
Exclusions
- 5% provincial tax on top of tour base rate
- Gratuities to driver (Recommend $3-$4 per person per day)
- Gratuities to guide (Recommend $5-$7 per person per day)
- Meals not listed
- Attractions not listed
- Credit card payment fees, where applicable
- Airfare — domestic and international (Unless Specified)
- Travel insurance (Strongly recommended, ask us for a quote!)
- Items of a personal nature
- Airport transfers (available on request at extra charge)
Dates & Prices
AVAILABILITY
START DATE
END DATE
PRICE
SINGLE SUPPLEMENT
DEPOSIT
AVAILABLE
Mon, 19 Jun 2023
Tue, 27 Jun 2023
$3,990 USD
$840 USD
$500 USD
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive in Edmonton, AB
Arrive in Edmonton, Alberta’s capital, and one of the popular cities in Canada to visit. Summertime in Edmonton is nothing short of legendary. Experience what 18 hours of sunlight a day feels like and soak up all the energy of the world's largest northernmost metropolis. From the continent’s first, biggest and wildest Fringe Theatre Festival, to breathtaking sunset canoe tours, bike rides along Edmonton’s scenic riverfront pathways immersive experiences at the Royal Alberta Museum or the Art Gallery of Alberta or embracing some fun (and shopping) at famous West Edmonton Mall, there is much to do in Edmonton.Edmonton’s culinary scene is known across Canada and beyond. This evening we will enjoy a welcome dinner and experience some of this for ourselves.
Overnight: Edmonton
Meals: Dinner
Day 2: Edmonton to Peace River, Alberta
After breakfast, we will do a quick drive tour of Edmonton briefly seeing the major city highlights before heading west and north. We will see the landscape quickly change from prairie grassland to lakes and boreal forests as we travel north. We aim to arrive in Peace River by midafternoon, check in to our hotel and have the long daylight hours to enjoy exploring the town center with its selection of restaurants, on our own. Consider walking a couple of blocks west to access the Peace riverfront walking paths and check out the craft breweries.
Overnight: Peace River
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 3: Peace River to Hay River, Northwest Territories
A long drive of about 7 hours today as we cross the 60th Parallel border into the Northwest Territories and enter the sub-Arctic regions of Canada. On our way, we will make a lunch stop in the town of High Level, often referred to as the Gateway to the South. We visit The Northern Trading Post located with the Mackenzie Crossroads Museum, to see a collection of over 1600 food and medicine containers, some dating back to the late 1800's, along with an extensive photo collection of the era. These, plus other artifacts in use during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, are showcased in a typical trading post and general store setting complete with attached living quarters. Supplementary displays feature information on the Indigenous Peoples to inhabit the area, and the history of trapping/fur trading, and farming in the region. There is also a display on the life of the pioneer woman settlers.
We continue north with a brief stop at the 60th Parallel for a quick visit to the Visitor Centre. When crossing the 60th parallel from Alberta into the NWT, Alberta Highway 35 becomes NWT Highway 1 and the beginning of the Waterfalls Route. This route features numerous waterfalls, ranging from small and charming to large and spectacular, as well as numerous rivers and lakes. Time permitting, make a quick stop at the Alexandra Falls Territorial Park to view the breathtaking Alexandra Falls from a lookout and then possibly at the Twin Falls Gorge Territorial Park only 2 kms further before we arrive in Hay River 50 kms further north. Hay River on the shores of the Great Slave Lake is the home of the Great Slave fishing fleet.
Overnight: Hay River
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 4: Hay River, Northwest Territories
Being a small community, we are aware that there are limited services available locally and are prepared for last minute adjustments to our program here. Our aim is to have a town tour with a Hay River resident to get a feel of this community followed by a meal of freshly cooked lake caught fish on the lakeside. We will visit the old settlement of Hay River Reserve and stop by at the Dene Cultural Institute and learn about the history and traditions of the Indigenous Dene people if the centre is open. The evening is free to explore the town on your own.
Overnight: Hay River
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 5: Hay River to Yellowknife, NWT
We depart Hay River stopping at the Lady Evelyn Falls, to see the giant curtain of water as it spills over a limestone sill. We then drive to the settlement of Fort Providence, a picturesque little community situated on the shores of the Mackenzie River. The Snowshoe Restaurant here makes for an easy lunch stop and we may see wild bison roaming in the area. We cross the Deh Cho (Mackenzie River) bridge before travelling along the Mackenzie Bison Sanctuary. The kilometer long Deh Cho bridge established a permanent crossing over the Mackenzie River in 2012, a great waterway where the seasonal freeze-up and ice break-up previously blocked an essential transport route for weeks at a time. The bridge provides year-round road passage across the Mackenzie to and from Yellowknife and it replaced the winter ice bridge and a cramped summer ferry. Further along, be sure to keep a watchful eye out for the free roaming wood bison often found wandering near the roadside.
Our next stop is the North Arm Territorial Park for a view of the north arm of the Great Slave Lake - good place to stretch the legs, use the washroom facilities and take some splendid photos. Be sure to look around you – the scenery changes here from rolling, well treed Mackenzie lowlands to the granite of the Canadian shield. This is also a prime waterfowl nesting area. Finally, we arrive in Yellowknife, situated on the shores of Great Slave Lake, and check into the hotel for our four nights stay.
Overnight: Yellowknife
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 6: Summer Solstice (mid-summer) in Yellowknife
Today is the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year. The sun rises at 3.45 am and does not set until almost midnight providing 20 hours of sunlight and then twilight for 4 hours. There are plenty of daylight hours to stay up and enjoy some community activities including the culture-filled Aboriginal Days, and to experience the true flavour of this far northern community. Please note that many of the community activities are not confirmed until close to actual dates so a degree of flexibility is required in our program for the day.
We begin our time in Yellowknife with a guided tour of the NWT Legislative Assembly Building, where you will learn about our consensus-style, non-partisan government, one of only a few in left Canada.
Following the Legislative Building, we will make our way to the site of Giant Mine. Rich in the history of Yellowknife’s gold mining days. There is an outdoor museum available to view. Then we make a quick stop at YKEA and look for local treasures! Next, we drive to Buffalo Airway’s home of the popular TV series, Ice Pilots with the Star of the show being Buffalo Joe McBryan, owner of the largest DC 3 ‘s and DC 4’s in North America. We will visit the hangar filled with vintage aircraft. These are propeller-operated WW2 legendary aircraft.
We return to the downtown core and stop in at the NWT Diamond Centre which showcases diamonds from two of NWT’s local mines. Next, we drive to The Old Town / Latham Island and N’dilo. We will first visit Ragged Ass Road, the street immortalized by Tom Cochrane on his third album by the same name and then a drive on the frozen Great Slave Lake. The Great Slave Lake is the second largest lake outside of the Great Lakes in Canada, the deepest lake in North America at 614 meters, and the tenth-largest lake in the world. We will get a close view of the colourful, local houseboats. Next is N’dilo, a small Dene community located on tip of Latham Island, which is an isthmus extending from Yellowknife into Great Slave Lake. The land was set aside for use by “status Indians” by the Government of Canada in 1947. The name was officially changed to N’dilo in 1991, which means “end of the island” in the local Dene dialect.
We continue our tour with a stop at Yellowknife’s first bank (Bank of Toronto) a privately owned, historic log cabin. Next is a photo stop at the Bush Pilot’s monument, Yellowknife’s most popular lookout that rises above Old Town, providing a stupendous view over Great Slave Lake, Back Bay and the northern reaches of the city. The monument is high up on “The Rock,” and is accessed via a winding staircase that will take you to the top. It is dedicated to the bush pilots and engineers whose lives were lost as they flew the wilderness skies of the Northwest Territories. Finally, we stop at Weaver and Devore, Yellowknife’s first Trading Store and a local carver’s shop. Local artists will be invited to showcase their artwork.
The tour ends at the Visitor Centre where you can get your Yellowknife pin and your North of 60 Certificate. We visit the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, a museum that chronicles Aboriginal and European history in the North and features environmental exhibits.
Overnight: Yellowknife
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 7: Yellowknife, NWT
We have an easy morning before we drive out to a lakeside camp that belongs to a local Dene Indigenous family. Here we will hear stories about how the dog teams have played an important role in the daily lives of both the Indigenous peoples and western settlers in the old days, and how they have helped people survive. The dogs were like family and are still treated the same way today. This excursion to interact with the dogs and the family is carried out in collaboration with an indigenous family business that wants to keep the cultural traditions and teachings that they have learned from their grandparents and has decided to share them with others in an enjoyable way. Through their dog sledding, they aim to promote respect for Indigenous culture and share the survival ways of people living in the cold subarctic areas.
We return to Yellowknife for some free time and dinner before we head out to experience an authentic Indigenous experience and spend an evening among the Dene people, with storytelling, Dene history, and legends, traditional drumming, hand games demonstration, and samples of traditional foods such as local Great Slave Lake fish, and freshly made bannock. We travel by minivan (followed by a short 10-minute walk) to a Dene campsite on the shores of the Great Slave Lake near the village of Dettah and spend time in a cabin and teepees and comfortable seating for everyone.
Overnight: Yellowknife
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 8: Yellowknife Boat Tour and the Diamond Centre
We will do approximately an hour-long boat tour late morning to see the colourful houseboats and get a view of the town from the water. The boat tour is often done in small groups of 5 or 6 persons at a time in a staggered manner since most available boats have limited capacity.
Later, we visit the NWT Diamond Centre who carry both diamond jewelry and loose diamonds in their store. In the store, you can enjoy an interactive tour that takes you on a journey through the vast history of diamond mining in the Canada’s North, see the journey diamonds make from mine to market, and learn about the many complexities that bring this truly unique product to market. This afternoon is free in Yellowknife to browse the stores on Franklin Street and pick up souvenirs of your trip to North of 60.
Overnight: High Level
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 9: Depart Yellowknife to Edmonton
Our epic northern nears end this morning as we transfer to the airport for our flight to Edmonton with memories of the land of the midnight sun, the vast open landscapes of the Northwest Territories, and the hospitality of the people who call this part of Canada, home. You will connect with your onward flight home from Edmonton. We advise you not to book the flight out of Edmonton until we inform you of the precise flight schedule from Yellowknife to Edmonton.
Meals: Breakfast
