yellowknife travel guide

Yellowknife Travel Guide

Yellowknife is a unique small town in Canada’s far north, where the northern lights dance across the sky in vivid shades of blue, green, pink and yellow. If you’re planning a Yellowknife tour, read on for everything you need to know before visiting Yellowknife. From when to go to Yellowknife to what to do in Yellowknife, I have you covered!

Yellowknife Climate and Best Time to Visit Yellowknife

The short answer: Yellowknife is an all year round destination. Yahoo!

The slightly longer answer:  Okay, it’s a tad more complex than, given that Yellowknife hits -30C (-22F) or colder in winter and the northern lights aren’t visible year round. There’s two main factors to consider in deciding the best time to visit Yellowknife: activities and weather.

Activities: First, what activities do you want to do in Yellowknife ? If seeing the northern lights is at the top of your list, travel to Yellowknife during the northern lights season (deets below). Want to combine the northern lights with winter activities like dog sledding and driving the Dettah Ice Road? Visit Yellowknife in winter. If you aren’t interested in the northern lights and want an outdoors lake and hiking holiday, visit Yellowknife in summer.

Weather: Secondly, as with most of Canada, the climate plays a big factor in travel planning. Can you tolerate the extreme cold (like, potentially below -30C / -22F)?! If not, then Yellowknife in winter may not be the place for you. That said, keep an open mind. I was a total hater on anything below 20 degrees celsius (yes, POSITIVE 20 degrees), but absolutely loved experiencing Canada in the winter time! Life is all about new experiences after all.

I’m somewhat obsessed with travel planning and the weather, so let’s break that down in a bit more detail.

Best Time to See the Northern Lights in Yellowknife  

Northern Canada is one of the BEST places in the world to see the northern lights, and Yellowknife has a fairly long aurora season. Unfortunately for sun worshipers, that season does not coincide with summer. (Such as it is in the far north.)

The best time to visit Yellowknife to view the aurora borealis is from August to April. May, June and July have very long daylight hours, making it difficult to spot the lights.

Within August to April, there’s debate about which month is best from a purely northern lights perspective. Many locals say that the dark depths of winter to early spring (January, February and March) are the best time to see the northern lights, as the nights are long and dark. Others vouch for September for good aurora viewing chances and warmer days. Late October to mid December can have increased cloud cover that impacts the visibility of the lights.

Yellowknife in Winter

Visit Yellowknife during winter if you want to combine excellent northern lights viewing opportunities with winter activities like dog-sledding and snow-mobiling. While March is technically spring, I’m gonna lump March into the winter category for Yellowknife, since March will still be as freezing as heck and covered in snow.

Winter days are short, nights are long, and the weather is pretty much always below freezing (ouch!). Temperatures average around -20C (-4F) in December, January and February, and warm up slightly in March. There’s only 5-6 hours daylight in January, which quickly increases to 10+ hours in March. (Just in case this feels all Negative Nelly, winter is super pretty!)

We visited Yellowknife in January, on a weekend when temperatures were hovering between -20 to -40 celsius. We chose January because we wanted to have the best chances to see the northern lights, experience the extreme winter (and extreme it was!) and partake in winter activities (dog sledding I’m looking at you). And cos our travel schedule was filling up fast and we had a free weekend!

However, my pick for the best month to visit Yellowknife would be March. In March, you’ll benefit from the peak northern lights season, winter activities (yup, there will still be snow!), slightly warmer days than winter proper, longer daylight hours and the Yellowknife snow festival.

What to Wear in Winter in Yellowknife

If you visit Yellowknife during winter, you will need some serious winter clothing for any outdoor activities. I’m talking a warm thermal or base layer (top and bottom), insulated snow pants, a warm jumper, a heavy parka, snow boots, warm socks, a thick scarf and beanie and insulated gloves.

If you don’t own these items and aren’t willing to fork out a massive investment, you can hire winter gear. Our snow gear was stuck who-knows-where in quite possibly the world’s slowest airfreight on our move from Singapore to Canada, so we hired outerwear and accessories from Backyard Tours clothing rental . They’ll set you up with some serious winter gear, so you only need to bring thermal layers and regular winter clothes. My Backyard Tours’ winter clothing hire was reasonably priced, very wam and very good quality (including a fancy Canada Goose parka!).

Yellowknife in Spring or Fall

If you want to see the northern lights without freezing your lil’ butt off and aren’t too fussed on whether you have decent snow, visit in mid-spring (April) or during fall (September to November). Note: See ‘winter’ section above for March, which is an awesome time to visit Yellowknife!

Spring and autumn temperatures are still pretty chilly (it is the far north after all!) and can fall well into the negatives at the winter sides of the seasons. Make sure you check the climate averages and latest weather forecast and pack appropriately.

Yellowknife in Summer

Visit Yellowknife in summer if you’re not fussed about seeing the northern lights (you cray cray person) and want a classic Canadian lake holiday. During summer, highs average around 20C (68F) with lows of around 10 degrees. Not exactly tropical, but definitely summer by Canadian standards.

Yellowknife’s summer is fairly short and temperatures drop off sharply come autumn. Yellowknife summer days are unbelievably long, up to 20 hours. A local colleague said that the sun never really sets in Yellowknife mid-summer, and instead skirts along the horizon. This means that you can enjoy the great outdoors and lake activities 24/7 in Yellowknife summer! (Too bad if you wanna get some shut-eye.)

If you want the chance to see the aurora during Yellowknife’s summer, try visiting in late August.

How to Get to Yellowknife and Transportation

Alternative Yellowknife transportation

Okay, now that we’ve covered the longest ‘when to visit’ in the history of the universe (told ya’ love the weather!), let’s move on to some other essentials.

Getting to Yellowknife

Yellowknife is in Northwest Territories in the far north of Canada, only 400km(ish) south of the Arctic Circle. Don’t let that put you off though! Yellowknife may only be a town of 20,000, but it’s served by a pretty reasonable airport. There are regular direct flights to Yellowknife from Edmonton and Calgary (approx. 2 hours), and occasional or seasonal direct flights from some other Canada destinations.

Yellowknife is a heck of a long way from anywhere, but if you’re up for an adventurous and loooooong road trip (like 15ish hours from Edmonton) then go for it.

Getting Around Yellowknife

Yellowknife is pretty small and easy to get around. Taxis are readily available at the airport and around town, and many tours include pick up from your accommodation.

The two main Yellowknife areas for hotels, restaurants and (non-outdoorsy) activities are the Old Town and Downtown. These two areas are only around 1km apart, so you can easily take the wai-wai express (that’s Kiwi for walking) most places.

Where to Stay in Yellowknife

Yellowknife Old Town

The Old Town is my pick for where to stay in Yellowknife. The Old Town has a lot of character and is a tourist attraction in it’s own right, with the Bush Pilot Monument lookout, lake views, cute galleries and great places to eat.

There are mainly B&Bs in the Old Town. I stayed at Bayside Bed & Breakfast  (photo above) which was perfect. Bayside B&B is slap bang on the Great Slave Lake for epic views, has basic but comfy rooms mainly with private bathrooms, and serves an excellent breakfast at the Dancing Moose Cafe.

Downtown Yellowknife

If you want hotel style accommodation, stay in Downtown Yellowknife. Downtown Yellowknife isn’t as quaint as the Old Town, but is convenient for tours, museums and a range of shops and restaurants.

My Downtown Yellowknife hotel pick would have been either The Explorer Hotel or Chateau Nova Yellowknife .

For the Harry Hardcore adventurers, there’s some awesome looking fly-in lodges outside of Yellowknife. I’m not a fisher at all and was tempted to stay at Trout Rock Lodge  which has an ice fishing focus or at  Blachford Lake Lodge for its remote location and natural beauty. These lodges will be my pick if I’m lucky enough to return to Yellowknife in summer!

How Long to Spend in Yellowknife

If you’re hoping to see the northern lights, most local tour Operators recommend staying in Yellowknife for at least a few nights to maximise your chances of an incredible aurora viewing.

If you stay for three nights during peak aurora season, you’ll have pretty good chances of seeing the lights. However, there’s no guarantees. We stayed in Yellowknife for 3 nights in January, and unseasonable cloud cover and blowing snow meant that we only saw glimpses of the lights on one night. (All the more reason for a return trip I say!)

If you’re in Yellowknife to hunt the aurora after dark, there’s also more than enough activities in Yellowknife to keep you busy during daylight hours. During winter, for us, three full days was about the right balance between having time to fit in all the activities and the extreme cold preventing you from being outdoors for long periods of time.

During summer, the answer may well be how long is a piece of string. If you want to explore Yellowknife, chill out on the lake and do some hiking, you could easily spend one week in Yellowknife.

Best Things to Do in Yellowknife + Yellowknife Tours

Yellowknife Activities

Strangely, all my Canadian colleagues asked why I was visiting Yellowknife, as they don’t see it as a tourist destination. Did I have friends up there they asked? Ummm, have ya heard of those pretty lights in the sky I say?! Or dog-sledding, ice-roads, a cool Old Town and interesting museums? Not that I can judge, having barely seen any of my native NZ compared to the rest of the world.

Anyhoo, the Japanese tourists and I seemed to be the only ones in the know, as there is oh so much to do in Yellowknife. Most tourists are of course drawn to Yellowknife for the northern lights, which is undoubtedly the highlight of the far north. However, I’m willing to go out on a limb here and say that Yellowknife is awesome even without the aurora!

In winter, Yellowknife turns into a veritable winter wonderland. For someone who had been in the snow only once before moving to Canada in winter (crazy right?!), I marveled at the beautiful snow, giggled in glee as I sped through the forest on the back of my dog sled, and secretly panicked on the inside as I lay down on the Dettah Ice Road.

In summer, Yellowknife is all about the massive Great Slave Lake, boating, fishing and hiking. At any time of the year, you can explore the Old Town and visit Yellowknife’s interesting museums.

Read more: It’s impossible to sum up Yellowknife’s attractions in a couple of paragraphs. Check out my dedicated post on the 10 best things to do in Yellowknife !

Yellowknife Tours

There’s some great local tour operators in Yellowknife. In fact, the highlights of my Yellowknife trip were our Yellowknife Tour with My Backyard Tours , dog-sledding with Enodah Kennels organised through Yellowknife Tours , and our northern lights tour with Sean Norman . I would 100% recommend these tour operators, and hope to return for some of the summer activities on offer.

Best Yellowknife Restaurants

Canada’s small towns tend to pack quite a punch when it comes to eating out, and are over-represented by pubs and breweries. Yellowknife is no exception. This is a pretty good thing, as I’m a massive fan of gastro-pubs, especially to spend a lazy afternoon hiding from the cold! In fact, we spent all three of our afternoons in Yellowknife in the pub … don’t judge me.

NWT Brewing Company – The Woodyard Brewhouse & Eatery

I visited the NWT Brewing Company / The Woodyard three times during my three days in Yellowknife. Yup, it’s a clear favorite!

The NWT Brewing Company is on the main road in Old Town south. Here, you’ll find the most northerly brewery in Canada, along with a pretty classic modern trendy pub, with a range of local craft beer, other drinks and delish pub grub.

I’m not usually one for souvenirs and have very few momentos of my travels, so was stoked to pick up some cool merchandise at NWT Brewing Co. Choose from a range of caps, t-shirts and tops, or take home a growler and beer glass set. (Growler = vessel to transport beer. Also known as a ‘flagon’ in NZ, at least in the 80s when I grew up and accompanied my dad to the booze shop for a flagon refill.)

Bullocks Bistro

Bullocks Bistro is a bit of a local institution in the Old Town. On the outside it’s a small log cabin, on the inside the walls and ceilings are covered with graffiti from visitors. Local colleagues warned me that I might get yelled and/or sworn at (all part of the charm!), but all I encountered were friendly staff.

Bullocks does excellent seafood, if rather pricey, and serves alcohol. Defo worth a visit if you’re happy to fork out $30 for fish + chips.

Dancing Moose Cafe

Dancing Moose Cafe is a cosy cafe on the Great Slave Lake (Old Town) which serves tasty breakfast and lunch.

Happily for me, Dancing Moose Cafe was located in our Bed & Breakfast and breakie was included as part of the rate. Try the omelettes or porridge if you need to warm up!

Traders Grill, Explorer Hotel

Traders Grill at the Explorer Hotel in Downtown Yellowknife is a great option for hiding from the frigid cold for a few drinks and a pub style meal. We camped out at Traders Grill on some comfy leather loungers in front of a cosy fireplace for a couple of hours before our pick up for the Aurora Village.

Wildcat Cafe

Wildcat Cafe is another Yellowknife Old Town institution which came highly recommended by locals. Unfortunately for us, Wildcat Cafe is seasonal, and was closed for the winter when we visited. Yet another reason to return for a Yellowknife summer vacation!

Bonus Yellowknife Tips

The first thing we did when we landed in Yellowknife was jump onto the Aurora Max website. The website has the aurora forecast for the next few days, along with a live ‘aurora cam’ to check out the current northern lights conditions from the warmth of your car or room. You can also watch a high-speed replay of the previous night’s activity (or inactivity as it may be), which can make for some pretty incredible viewing!

Prepare for Late Nights

Now, the young bucks out there who are used to nights of partying can just skip right on past this to the next tip. Those on the wrong side of 30 (me!) who prefer to be in bed before midnight (me again! …actually 10pm in my case) be warned.

The northern lights can appear any time it’s dark, but peak hours are usually either side of midnight. If you’re out on an aurora viewing tour, expect to return to your hotel around 1am to 3am. Best to schedule any day-time activities for late morning or the afternoon!

We watched the aurora max replay from the night before we arrived, and peak activity was around 3am when the sky burst alight. When we saw an (admittedly weak) aurora, it was around 10-11pm. Other locals said that if you’re lucky you may see the aurora from the plane from 5pm in winter. We were not lucky.

Friendly Locals

This shouldn’t come as a surprise to those who know Canadians, but Yellowknife locals are super-duper friendly. My husband struck up a conversation with some locals at the pub as he was interested in the cribbage game they were playing. A few conversations later, at the end of the night, they INSISTED that we took their unique cribbage board home. Great momento of our trip, and a reminder of the kind people out there!

Keen to visit Yellowknife? Read my guide on the best things to do in Yellowknife during your Yellowknife tour!

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Thank you for great information Planning our trip to Yellowknife NWT Excited , cant wait Would be nice if you could include routes when traveling by vehicle.

Would you recommend it with a 2yr old? Coming from Montreal, so we are used to Canadian winters!

I think Yellowknife would be great with kids, provided they are used to the cold and have the right clothing if you are travelling in winter (which you would coming from Montreal!). A 2yr old might not be into all the attractions, but I’m sure they’d enjoy enough for you to all have a good time.

Thank you so much for the information. Planning a trip for our 20th anniversary in March 2022 and Blachford Lake Lodge is the destination. We’re from Louisiana, so we’ve never experienced weather like that. But, somehow oddly, looking forward to it.. Although the temperature the last few days has been -60F…not sure we’re ready for that eventuality.

That’s so exciting! I hear you about the weather – I had barely been in snow in my entire life before moving to Canada in the middle of winter and was somewhat terrified. I ended up absolutely loving it though, lots of beautiful blue sky crisp (but freezing!) days, and proper winter gear made all the difference. Happy planning!

Great review! Thank you! Would you recommend staying in Yellowknife or at Blatchford in March for the Northern Lights?

Either would be great! Blachford is a destination in itself and an ideal place for aurora viewing as you can see the lights direct from the lodge due to its remote location and lack of light pollution. Since Yellowknife has town lights, you’d typically do a tour or drive to a more remote location to see the lights. Pick Blachford if you’d love a lodge holiday in a remote location where you do activities at the lodge and have great chances of seeing the lights without travelling. Pick Yellowknife if you’d prefer to do other sightseeing around Yellowknife (e.g. dogsledding) and don’t mind a short drive to see the lights. Best of both worlds? Do a few nights at each!

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Yellowknife Travel Guide

Yellowknife, Northwest Territories capital is known as the diamond city above 60 parallel where life is just a bit different.

Table of Contents

Did you know

• The city of Yellowknife is nestled in the great Northwest Territories wilderness. In summer the sun stays up nearly 24 hours, which means long days of exploring this northern city and its surroundings.
• The name Yellowknife originates from a local Dene tribe known as the Yellowknives Dene, who used copper-bladed or yellow knives. In the Tlicho, Yellowknife is known as Somba K’e – “where the money is.
• Yellowknife is the Diamond Capital of Canada.
• Sunrise in Yellowknife on June 21 at 4:03 am and sunset at 10:55 pm.
• In winter it gets cold in Yellowknife. Temperatures can drop to -40 C or lower. The days are short with limited daylight. When the sun does come out it is bright and wonderful.
• Ice roads are real and an important part of the NWT transportation system in winter. If you’re up to the experience, take the Dettah Ice Road from the main dock in Old Town. To be safe, check the signage, and stick to the road.
• Houseboaters live on the lake all year round, whether the lake is frozen or not. The only thing that changes with the season is how they get home.

Getting there

• By Plane – Yellowknife Airport is located five kilometres west of the city along Highway 3. It is the hub of air travel in the Northwest Territories. Several regional and national airlines offer daily and weekly flights.
• By Road – Driving to Yellowknife got much easier after the Deh Cho Bridge was built spanning across the mighty MacKenzie River. You can access the Mackenzie Highway (NWT Highway 1) via Alberta’s Highway 35 or British Columbia’s Highway 77. From there take the Liard Highway (NWT Highway 7). From Edmonton Alberta , the driving distance is approximately 1,500 km which is about 20 hours of driving.

Getting around

You can pretty much walk anywhere or use the city’s bus service . The city and the airport have car rental firms and taxis available.

Or you can rent a bike from Old Town Glassworks, Overlander Sports, or Borealis Bike Tours.

History of Yellowknife

The Yellowknife Dene have lived and travelled in the region for centuries around the Yellowknife River and Yellowknife Bay. Today the Yellownives Dene live throughout the city and in two distinct settlements, Dettah and N’dilo.

Dettah is a small community with a population of 220, located east of the city across Yellowknife Bay, a 15 km drive from the city along the Ingrahm Trail. In winter, a 6 km ice road across Yellowknife Bay makes the drive considerably shorter.

N’dilo is located on the tip of Latham Island just past Old Town and is home to approximately 200 members of the Yellownives Dene First Nation.

Yellowknife was permanently settled after the discovery of large gold deposits in 1934 and became the capital of NWT in 1967. In 1970, Yellowknife was officially declared to be a city.

After 60 years of controlling the economy, the gold era eventually slowed down. As a result, the last mine stopped operation in 2004. Diamonds were discovered north of the city in 1991 and today three diamond gold mines are in operation. The city built on gold is now known as the “Diamond Capital of North America”.

Top things to see in Yellowknife

From the city centre take Franklin Avenue (50th Ave) and drive down the hill to Yellowknife’s Old Town. The first log and frame buildings were erected at this site in the 1930s. The roads are narrow. Look for the parking lot on your right. Along the narrow streets the Quonset huts, converted buses, original settler’s homes, old boats, and tiny shacks look quite unusual in a Canadian capital city.

In Willow Flats, East of Franklin Avenue you find the most unusual housing. Many buildings have signs telling the story about the building.

Wildcat Café

The Wildcat Cafe was built in 1937 and was thriving in the business of bush pilots, prospectors, and other early settlers of the Yellowknife area who came north in search of gold. It became the first ice cream emporium in 1939 but was later abandoned.

The restored heritage building is open to the public as a summer restaurant. Treat yourself to a specialty coffee or a meal.

Pilots Monument

The monument is atop The Rock above the Old Town and celebrates the aviators who helped build the North. Take the short hike up the six-story staircase and enjoy the 360-degree view of the city. From here you can watch floatplanes land and take off amongst the houseboats.

Ragged Ass Road

The short, unpaved residential street in the Old Town, Ragged Ass Road was named by Lou Rocher, who owned property along the road at the time. A season of poor prospecting left Rocher “ragged ass broke” and the street name was born.

The road has been declared one of the most famous streets in Canada. Singer Tom Cochrane’s 1995 album, Ragged Ass Road, includes a song about the road.

Houseboat Alley

The floating community in Yellowknife started in the 1970s when Tim Shandrick parked his home in Yellowknife BAY. Start your walk from Old Town’s public docks to reach the colourful houseboats of Yellowknife Bay.

Houseboaters live there year-round, canoeing to the mainland in summer and walking on the ice starting around mid-November.

Legislative Assembly

The glass-domed building on the shore of Frame Lake is anchored to the ground with an indigenous stone. Inside the building are wonderful displays of art sculptures and paintings.

Find out how decisions are made in the Northwest Territories and check out the unique territorial mace . If possible, try to take part in a tour and you won’t regret it.

Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre

Opened in 1979 by Prince Charles, the impressive building on the shore of Frame Lake houses artifacts and collections from across the Northwest Territories. It showcases the NWT’s culture and heritage and has various exhibits happening.

The building also houses the NWT archive, a large selection of historical documents mostly accessible to the public. You can easily spend a few hours here.

NWT Diamond Centre

That is why the NWT Diamond Centre was built. There you will find out how diamond mining has impacted the North. Tours are offered and you learn about the different steps that go into diamond mining and refining. You get to watch free diamond polishing demonstrations.

Yellowknife declares itself as the Diamond Capital of North America. The mines are only accessible by air or by driving 400 km on an ice road during winter. They are privately owned and not accessible to the public.

In Yellowknife, there is lots of action all year long. The Snowking Winter Festival is a glittering ice palace, the Folk on the Rocks Music Festival every July happens on the shores of Long Lake every year, the Midnight Sun Fly In is another one, and the list goes on.

Hiking Trails

Be sure to pack your hiking boots. Yellowknife has many beautiful trails suitable for walking, biking, hiking, and jogging. Carry water and bug spray and be prepared to see wildlife, including black bears.

• Frame Lake Trail – The 9 km path loops around Frame Lake and can be accessed from several locations, including City Hall, the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, and the Legislative Assembly.
• Prospector’s Trail – This 4 km trail loops around Fred Henne Territorial Park.
• Niven Lake Trai l – The Niven Trail is 2 km long, circles a picturesque lagoon full of wildlife and is one of the best bird-watching areas in the city. The trail can be accessed by taking the sidewalk from the Explorer Hotel to the Chateau Nova.

Inquire at the  Visitor Centre about a trail map.

Northern Lights

Yellowknife is one of the best places in the world to view the aurora borealis or northern lights. You have the best chance to see the aurora on cloudless nights from mid-November to the beginning of April.

Several tour operators offer aurora viewing combined with dog sledding and snowmobile excursions.

Yellowknife is warm and breezy in summer, cold in winter, and almost always dry and clear.

The average high in July is 21.3°C with perpetual daylight; March average temperatures are -12.5 °C with 12 hours of light.

Country Food

Wild meat, fish, berries, mushrooms, and birch syrup are some of the northern delicacies.

Caribou is the main source of food for many people in the region. Chefs in Yellowknife offer locally harvested meat and fish as part of their menu choices. You’ll find caribou, muskox, whitefish, and more in many Yellowknife restaurants.

Fruit and vegetables travel a long way to get to Yellowknife. By the time they arrive, they lose some of their freshness. Fresh produce costs double the price of what you pay in the South.

There is no lack of restaurants, coffee shops, pubs, and other watering holes in Yellowknife whether you want to feast on fresh fish from Great Slave Lake or indulge in international cuisine. The city has a vibrant dining scene filled with multicultural fare.

Summer Camping

Campsite information and reservations at https://www.nwtparks.ca/

Fred Henne Territorial Park

The park is located on the outskirts of town, across from the airport on Long Lake, and is the closest campground to the city. Fred Henne is the most expensive campground in the Northwest Territories. Shower facilities were not available at the time when I was there.

Important Tip! If you arrive on a weekend, make sure to book ahead. Most sites are booked by Yellowknivers all summer long.

The Fred Henne Territorial Park is the start and finish of the scenic, 4 km trek across the colourful ancient rock formations. Interpretive brochures are available to highlight some of the geological features of the area.

Prelude Lake Territorial Park

Prelude Lake Territorial Park is the park I recommend if you don’t mind the 28 km drive from Yellowknife. Along the beautiful Ingraham Trail Route , the park offers full campsite facilities, a small sandy beach, boat rentals, and beautiful hiking trails.

Ride Lake Territorial Park

Drive another 35 km from Prelude on the Ingrahm Trail Route to Ried Lake Provincial Park. This park is an excellent base camp for water sports and exploring the surrounding lake systems. The park offers non-powered campsite facilities and tent pads.

Yellowknife offers a large selection of accommodations from first-class hotels to Airbnb.

• Backcountry Accommodation Guide
• How to Find Cheap Accommodation on Sites like Airbnb

Useful tips

Make sure your vehicle is mechanically sound before heading for a journey north. The highways take you through isolated areas and service centres are few and far between. A 4-wheel drive vehicle is not necessary to get to Yellowknife, but I would recommend one.

• Keep your gasoline tank as full as possible.
• Carry a good spare tire and car jack, first aid kit, tow rope, flares axe, knife, matches, and candles.
• Take along windshield fluid if you travel during summer – the amount of bugs make a mess of your windshield. Don’t forget the bug spray.
• Bring along food and water.
• In winter bring extra blankets, warm clothes, and a sleeping bag
• Watch out for wood bison. If you see them on the road, stop and let them pass.
• From Edmonton Alberta, the driving distance is approximately 1,500 km which is about 20 hours of driving. Try not to drive after nightfall. Bison frequently wander across the road and are hard to see. You don’t want to hit 1,500 kg.

NWT Highway Conditions

• For Highway Conditions visit www.gov.nt.ca

Yellowknife Visitor Information

• The Visitor Centre is located at City Hall, 4807-52nd Street, Yellowknife. Website: extraordinaryyk.com/
• Yellowknife Online

More about the North

• Northwest Territories Travel Guide
• 17 Best Towns in NWT to Visit
• 5 Epic Gravel Travel Highways in Canada’s North

NORTHWEST TERRITORIES

Fort Resolution

Tuktoyaktuk

The Ingraham Trail

Liard Trail

Heritage Route

Waterfalls Route

Wood Buffalo Route

Frontier Trail

Dempster Highway

Road trip planner

Wildlife Viewing Sites

Things to do in the north

How to keep safe on a solo road trip

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The Best Things to Do in Canada

The Best Things to Do in Yellowknife

October 26, 2020 By Matthew G. Bailey 1 Comment

When it comes to Canada’s Northwest Territories, it’s often Yellowknife that comes to mind. I mean, other things that come to mind are likely polar bears, cold weather, northern lights, and Inuit culture, but in terms of places, Yellowknife is often the most known. Not only is Yellowknife the capital of the Northwest Territories, but it’s also home to the biggest airport, a variety of hotels and amenities, and cool things to do. 

Whether you’re looking for a secluded fishing vacation or a chance to see the magnificent aurora borealis, we’ve got you covered in this travel guide of Yellowknife, which includes what to do, where to stay, how to get there, and more.

Table of Contents

About Yellowknife

Although situated in Canada’s deep north, Yellowknife is unique in that it sits in a transitional nature zone where the northern fir forest begins to turn into a treeless tundra. In fact, Yellowknife, which consists of both an old town and a modern town, is surrounded by a landscape of birch, poplar, and dwarf firs, as well as the shores of Great Slave Lake.

Although it’s fairly known now as a diamond and gold mining city, its history dates back thousands of years with the First Nation Peoples. It wasn’t until the 18th century when the Europeans arrived, due to the gold rush of 1934. Today, it is the largest community in the Northwest Territories and is often referred to as the nerve centre of Northern Canada.

Getting to Yellowknife

Yellowknife is a small city located on the Northern shores of Great Slave Lake, about 500 kilometres north of the Alberta border. It is accessible via Highway 1 from Alberta or highway 7 from British Columbia . The highway is paved from Alberta and mostly gravel coming from BC. 

Getting to Yellowknife by Car

For those doing a road trip to Yellowknife, you’ll be coming from Alberta or BC. If you’re coming from the Yukon, you will need to cut through BC as there are no roads through Nahanni National Park. It is a fairly straight-forward and simple drive. Our only recommendation would be to know the range of your vehicle and to make sure you have sufficient fuel.

If you’re coming from Alberta, you’ll want to make sure you stop along the way to see both Alexandra Falls and Louise Falls, which are located in Twin Falls Gorge Territorial Park. They are quite close to Hay River, which is a good place to grab a bite to eat, fuel up, and perhaps stay the night. The distance from Edmonton to Yellowknife is almost 1,500 kilometres and will take around 17 hours. 

If you’re coming from BC, the last decent-sized town you’ll see is Fort Nelson. From here the distance is 1,000 kilometres, but it can still take upwards of 15 hours due to the gravel road you’ll hit once you enter the Northwest Territories. If you’re coming this way, we highly recommend stopping in Fort Simpson to take a flight-seeing tour over magnificent Nahanni National Park . Words cannot describe how incredibly beautiful this place is. It was also the first UNESCO World Heritage Site in the world!

There are interesting drives around Yellowknife as well, such as Ingraham Trail (Hwy. 4) to Tibbitt Lake, and Hwy. 3 northwest to Behchoko, also on Great Slave Lake. The same road goes to the Mackenzie Bison Sanctuary.

Getting to Yellowknife by Plane

While the drive makes for a great road trip, most people arrive via plane. Yellowknife is home to the biggest airport in the Northwest Territories. Yellowknife Airport (YZF) has regularly scheduled passenger service and serves up to 600,000 passengers each year. It is served quite regularly from cities such as Edmonton , Calgary , and Vancouver. It is also served by regional airlines that come from Whitehorse and other smaller communities throughout Canada’s north. 

Yellowknife is fairly easy to explore on foot (and the odd taxi), but rental cars are available for those wanting to venture out further. The airport is approximately 15 minutes from town. We find that you’ll always save money on rental cars by booking in advance . Examples of rental car companies available are Budget, National, and Hertz. However, you can also inquire in-person upon arrival. 

If you’re not renting a car, there are also hotel shuttles, which most hotels partner together to offer. This makes it super easy to get to your hotel without any worries. In addition to rental cars and hotel shuttles, there are also taxis for those seeking maximum convenience. The two taxi companies are Aurora Taxi and City Cabs. Expect to pay around $15-20 to get from the airport to the city.

Best Time to Visit Yellowknife

The best time to visit Yellowknife will largely depend on what you’re looking to do. Generally speaking, the most popular time to visit is in the summer months when the temperature is quite warm. This is a popular time for road trips, fishing, hunting, boating, flight-seeing tours, and more. However, it is not the best time to see the Northern Lights as the sun barely goes down during the summer season. Generally, the best time to see the Nothern Lights is in the fall or winter months when the days are shorter. If you’re looking to do winter activities, then you’ll likely want to visit between December and March when the lake freezes over and you can drive the ice road or partake in a number of winter activities such as ice fishing, snowmobiling, and dog-sledding. Just make sure you dress for the weather in Canada. 

What to Do in Yellowknife

Now for the exciting part. All the cool things to do and places to see in Yellowknife, NWT. We’ll include activities that are year-round, as well as activities that are specific to the winter and summer months. 

Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre

With exhibits and artifacts dedicated to the cultures and history of the NWT, the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre has become the top attraction in Yellowknife. The museum displays and preserves important documents, photos, sound recordings, artifacts, and other materials related to the history of this vast northern region as well as the culture of the Dene First Nations people and the pervasive influence of the fur trade. For good knowledge of the territory, make this museum your first stop. 

Cameron Falls Trail

While it’s not located right in Yellowknife, it’s only about 50 kilometres away and is a popular and easy hiking trail. Part of the reason Cameron Falls Trail is popular is because of its beauty and because of how easy it is. In fact, it’s not even a hike. It’s only a 20-minute walk but it is impressive to see in both summer and in winter. Plus, if you do want more adventure, there are longer hikes as well, such as the trail to the Cameron River Ramparts Waterfalls, which are about 9 kilometres from Cameron Falls.

Flightseeing Tours

Yellowknife and the surrounding area is a great place to see from a plane. Luckily, there are a number of operators offering flightseeing tours in floatplanes, allowing you to not only get up in the sky for a birds-eye-view but also an opportunity to land on remote lakes. In fact, one of the most popular things to do in Yellowknife, albeit expensive, is to fly into remote fishing and hunting lodges where you can enjoy pristine and secluded nature while also having delicious meals prepared for you. 

Old Town Yellowknife

Yellowknife is divided into a new town and an old town. As you may have guessed, the old town is where all the history is. With the discovery of gold in 1934 and Yellowknife’s first gold rush the following year, eager miners built their camps on the shores of Great Slave Lake. These days, you’ll find some of those old heritage buildings in Old Town Yellowknife, as well as the popular Ragged Ass Road where you’ll find a good view of the city from Bush Pilot’s Monument. 

Bush Pilots Monument

As mentioned above, the Bush Pilots Monument is a great place to go for a view over Yellowknife. It also features a monument commemorating the pilots that helped open Canada’s northernmost regions to the rest of the country. It’s also referred to as “The Rock”.

See the Northern Lights

One of the most popular places in Canada, and perhaps the world, to see the magnificent northern lights is Yellowknife. This is because Yellowknife is only 400km south of the Arctic Circle. Things certainly have to line up in your favour to make it a night to remember, but when they do shine bright in the sky, it’s something you will never forget. Although you can simply look up to the sky and see them when they are out, it’s often a better idea to join a tour and go to someplace remote, away from the city lights and in a place where things are just more quiet and serene. 

Ways to View the Yellowknife northern lights

• DIY: Since the Northern Lights dance in the sky, you can see them yourself for free. This works especially well if you have a car and ask the locals for a good spot to go. You can also see them right from the city if the conditions are right, but it’s always better to get as far away from city lights as possible. 
• Fixed Location Tour: If you’d rather go with a tour, these ones will take you out to a fixed location, such as a lodge or a camp, where you’ll be away from the city lights but still with some creature comforts like a warm place to hang out and some snacks and drinks. 
• Aurora Hunting Tour: For more adventure, you could also go on an Aurora hunting tour, which involves getting in a warm van and driving around to find the best spots to see the lights. This offers probably the best way to see the lights as you’re able to chase them around. Even though they dance across the sky, that doesn’t mean they’ll be right above you. So, you chase them!
• Aurora Village: This is a fixed location option, but considering its popularity, we thought we’d mention it separately. For those seeking maximum comfort, this is a good option as it features heated seats that swivel 360 degrees, a number of teepees that provide shelter and warmth, a gift shop, and even dog sled rides. 

Yellow Dog Lodge

Words can barely describe how awesome our stay was at  Yellow Dog Lodge . It’s a beautiful lodge nestled between two secluded lakes and just a 15-minute flight from Yellowknife. It’s a great way to combine a scenic flight with a stay in what feels like the middle of nowhere. When we were there, it was just us and the incredible staff. They brought us around both lakes by boat, helped us catch lake trout and northern pike, made campfires for us on secluded islands, prepared a hot tub heated by wood fire (talk about a great way to admire the stars), and cooked us delicious meals every day. As if that’s not perfect enough, there’s also a floating raft that you can spend a night on. We had them park it in a secluded bay and we were surrounded by complete silence. The only thing we could hear was our echo bouncing off the thick forest all around us. We made a wood fire on the barge and woke up to an eagle flying overhead. Simply incredible. 

Northern Arts and Cultural Centre

Home to the only such facility in the territory, the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre and its 313-seat theatre features northern, national, and international performances, including music, dance, and theatre. If you happen to be in the area during an event, it would be a great way to experience the local culture, and from what we hear, there’s no bad seat in the house. 

Buy Arctic Art & Crafts

Despite the city’s small size, Yellowknife is home to a thriving art scene. Whether you’re looking for a commercial art gallery or local community groups, the city is a great place to find local art as well as art from across the Canadian Arctic . One of the most popular places to visit is the Gallery of the Midnight Sun, which is conveniently located in Old Town. Another gallery, which is just walking distance from this one, is the Down to Earth Gallery, which also offers workshops. If that’s still not enough, you can also visit Northern Images, which is part of the Arctic Co-operatives that represents 32 community groups in Canada’s north, including crafts, sculptures, prints, and books. As if that wasn’t enough, there’s also Old Town Glassworks, which features artwork made from recycled glass.

Considering the fact that Yellowknife sits on the shores of the massive Great Slave Lake, there’s ample opportunity to go for a boat trip. When touring around or flying over, you’ll notice many colourful houseboats that people reside in during the warmer months and the lake is also home to the Commissioner’s Cup, one of the world’s longest freshwater sailing races. In the summer, however, there are some companies offering boat tours around the lake or you can rent your own and do it yourself. 

Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories

Legalities and politics are often a bit boring but if you’re looking for insight into the local government, as well as an opportunity to see some beautiful architecture, check out the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories. Self-guided audio tours are always available but at certain times, you can also jump on a free guided tour of the building, which will help you learn about how this massive region is managed. 

Take a Yellowknife Tour

While you could easily explore Yellowknife on your own, you won’t get all the insight and stories as you would from a local. That’s why My Backyard Tours takes people around to learn about the city, including the Old Town and the downtown areas. What people tend to like about this tour is the insight provided into the local communities and the way of life in one of Canada’s harshest climates. 

Snowking’s Winter Festival

If you’re planning to visit Yellowknife in the winter, you might want to time your trip for the annual Snowking Winter Festival, which takes place in March and draws visitors from all over the country. You’ll find a large snow castle, musical concerts, ice sculpting classes, and a variety of arts and entertainment for kids and adults alike. There’s even a three-day dogsled race on the lake!

Dettah Ice Road

Unless you’re from the far north, there’s a good chance you’ve never driven on an ice road before. Well, luckily for you, you can have the opportunity in Yellowknife. Connecting Yellowknife with Dettah, the Dettah Ice Road is created when the Great Slave Lake freezes over. This 6.5 km ice road is popular with tourists, as not only is it a unique experience, but it’s also a great place to snap beautiful photos. Typically, the ice road opens in December or January and closes in April. 

Dog Sledding

When visiting Northern Canada in the winter, perhaps there’s nothing more iconic than a dog-sledding tour. Many people visiting Northern Canada dream of riding through the forest on a sled pulled by a bunch of strong eager dogs. Visitors have the option of mushing their own sleigh or relaxing in the warmth of a sleeping bag and having the guide do all the hard work. It’s a great way to learn about the practice and to also enjoy the thrill of being pulled by a bunch of dogs who are just so excited to be out for a run. 

Where to Stay in Yellowknife 

Mid-Range Hotels: A great option for those seeking quality mid-range accommodations is the Explorer Hotel , which is also the top-ranked hotel in the city. It’s conveniently located, has modern décor throughout, and is fairly priced. Another good option is Chateau Nova Yellowknife , a three-star hotel with bright contemporary decor, comfy beds, a sauna, and a fitness room. 

Budget Hotels: A good option for those on a budget are B&B’s. The highest-ranked B&B on TripAdvisor is Bayside Bed & Breakfast . Another option is Aurora Jenny’s B&B , which is also close to downtown. Their basic rooms come with hardwood floors, desks, free Wi-Fi, private bathrooms, and a delicious buffet breakfast.  If you’d prefer a hotel, the best hotel with a fair price is the Super 8 by Wyndham , which features great service, clean rooms, and free breakfast. 

Where to Eat in Yellowknife

Bullocks’ Bistro:  If a restaurant can also be an attraction, this is it. We came in expecting fish n’ chips and left with a full tummy of grilled Arctic Char, fried halibut, curry seafood chowder, and caribou! It was incredibly delicious and the place has so much character. This is the most famous restaurant in Yellowknife and a must-visit when you’re here. Look for our Must Do Canada business card on the wall. 

Savannah’s Family Restaurant: As one of the most popular restaurants in Yellowknife, you’ll find everything from classic meals like hamburgers and wings to some East Indian food as well, such as samosas, curry goat, and injera. 

Zehabesha Traditional Ethiopian Restaurant: Surprised? We were too. We definitely did not expect to see a highly-ranked and popular Ethiopian restaurant in Canada’s north. But, that’s one of the special things about Canada. We have the best food from all over the world. You’ll find yetsom beyayantu, curry chicken, beef stew kikl, and much more. 

NWT Brewing Company & The Woodyard Brewhouse & Eatery: I think we all like a good beer now and then and when you do, why not go right to the source? Home to the only brewery in the city, this is where you’ll find fresh beer as well as pub food such as pizza, hamburgers, and nachos. 

Exploring Yellowknife and Beyond

As you can see, there are no shortage of incredible experience in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. However, if you’ve made it this far, you may be looking for even more adventure! For more things to do in the area, check out these other articles below.

• Things to Do in the Northwest Territories
• Things to Do in the Yukon
• Exploring Tuktoyaktuk
• Tips for Driving the Dempster Highway
• Things to Do in Alberta
• Things to Do in British Columbia

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About Matthew G. Bailey

Matthew G. Bailey is the founder and editor-in-chief of Must Do Canada. Growing up in Alberta to a mother from Quebec and a father from Newfoundland, Matt spent his childhood playing hockey under the Northern Lights and hanging out in the forest before moving to Calgary and travelling to more than 250 cities spanning 42 countries and 6 continents. He loves travel, learning new things, playing sports, writing, making videos, photography, and scuba diving. You can also find him at LiveLimitless.net .

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Yellowknife

Amid the droning bush planes and picturesque houseboats of Yellowknife's Old Town, bordering Great Slave Lake, it's still possible to detect a palpable frontier spirit. It's as if you're standing on the edge of a large, undiscovered and barely comprehensible wilderness – and you are. Draw a line north from Yellowknife to the Arctic Ocean and you won't cross a single road.

Attractions

Must-see attractions.

Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre

Acting as NWT's historical and cultural archive, this well-laid-out museum overlooks Frame Lake. Expertly assembled displays address natural history,…

Great Slave Lake

Yellowknife sits on the shores of Great Slave Lake – the 10th largest lake in the world and the deepest in North America. It takes its name from the…

Legislative Assembly

In the impressive, igloo-shaped Legislative Assembly, you can learn about the territory's aboriginal-style government by joining their free hour-long tour…

Many living people are older than Yellowknife but, despite the fact the Old Town only dates from the mid-1930s, its ramshackle streets wedged between Back…

Yellowknife Cultural Crossroads

On a huge boulder by the road there's a striking work of art: a soaring eagle, a whirl of colorful handprints and the skeletal outline of a tipi. In front…

NWT Diamond Centre

A great place to buy your diamond bling, this gallery also provides a good overview of diamond mining in Canada's frigid north. The accompanying video…

Fred Henne Territorial Park

Located opposite the airport off Hwy 3, Fred Henne Territorial Park is popular with campers, and in summer there's chilly swimming at Long Lake Beach.

Bush Pilot's Monument

Perched atop 'The Rock,' a large outcrop in the middle of the Old Town, this simple needle pays homage to the gutsy bush pilots who opened up the NWT a…

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Yellowknife travel guide

Yellowknife tourism | yellowknife guide, you're going to love yellowknife.

With a population of 15.865, Yellowknife is the largest city in Northwest Territories, Canada by the number of inhabitants. It is among the most popular tourist destinations in the country. We recommend you stay at least 4 days in order to fully appreciate everything Yellowknife has to offer.

When to visit Yellowknife

Looking for warm weather? Then head to Yellowknife in July, when the average temperature is 62.6 °F, and the highest can go up to 69.8 °F. The coldest month, on the other hand, is January, when it can get as cold as -20.2 °F, with an average temperature of -14.8 °F. You’re likely to see more rain in July, when precipitation is around 1.6″. In contrast, April is usually the driest month of the year in Yellowknife, with an average rainfall of 0.4″.

How to Get to Yellowknife

When flying to Yellowknife, you’ll arrive at Yellowknife (YZF), which is located 4 km from the city center. The shortest flight to Yellowknife from the United States departs from San Francisco and takes around 6h 43m.

Airports near Yellowknife

Airlines serving yellowknife, where to stay in popular areas of yellowknife, most booked hotels in yellowknife, renting a car in yellowknife.

Renting a car in Yellowknife costs $94 per day, on average, or $375 if you want to rent if for 4 days.

It’s generally cheaper to rent your vehicle outside the airport: locations in the city are around 3% cheaper than airport locations in Yellowknife.

Expect to pay $5.11 per gallon in Yellowknife (average price from the past 30 days). Depending on the size of your rental car, filling up the tank will cost between $61.32 and $81.76. The most frequently booked car type in Yellowknife is Standard (Ford Edge or similar). If you’re looking to save money, though, keep in mind that Intermediate rental cars (Ford Escape or similar) are, on average, 17% cheaper than other rental car types in the city.

Best car rental deals in Yellowknife

Standard SUV

5 Adults, 3 Bags

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5 Adults, 5 Bags

Yellowknife

• 1.1 Tourist information
• 2.1.1 Airport
• 2.1.2 Airlines
• 2.2 By train
• 2.4 By boat
• 3.1 Orientation
• 3.3 By taxi
• 9.2 Alcohol
• 10.1.1 Bed and breakfast
• 10.1.2 Motels and inns
• 10.2 Mid-range
• 10.3 Splurge
• 11 Stay safe

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You don't have to fly to Yellowknife, but it's the way most people get there. And if you do, your appreciation of the city will begin even before you reach the ground, as you look down after the long approach over the deep lake and see how it looks as if the city has been clawed out of the taiga. Nature does not give Yellowknife anything more than what humanity has made it. Here, more so than any other city in Canada's North, even in the Arctic, one can see just what an accomplishment it has been to make a livable place here on the far side of North America's deepest lake.

The city gets its name from the Yellowknives Dene, the area's First Nations inhabitants, who lived on the peninsula jutting into Great Slave Lake's North Fork where the city is now. Their name came from their use of copper knives they obtained on trading journeys to the Arctic, where the metal was readily available.

European explorers had known of the Yellowknife and their home since the 18th century, but rarely had any reason to venture, much less settle, there. Gold was discovered in the area during the 1890s, but the deposits were not enough to distract the steady stream of wealth-seekers headed for the Klondike gold fields of Yukon and Alaska at the centre of that era's gold rush. By the 1920s, however, a rough settlement had been established there, as bush pilots found it an excellent staging area, storing fuel supplies there for forays further north.

Yellowknife's modern history begins around 1935. A government survey team taking a second look found gold deposits more extensive than the earlier ones, some of which were practically at ground level where they could be easily extracted. Very quickly, Americans and Canadians impoverished by the Depression came to Yellowknife, building ramshackle log cabins and other ad hoc structures to house themselves and the businesses that came to serve them. Within three years, the people of the boomtown had elected a school board—the first democratic act of self-government in the Northwest Territories.

The outbreak of war in Europe at the end of the decade slowed things down for a while in Yellowknife, but afterwards the miners returned, along with scientists, bankers, government officials, and anyone else who thought they might make their fortune, or at least a life for themselves, north of 60. They couldn't all fit in the small frontier town. The federal government built a post office on the high ground above the lake. Fairly soon after, as intended, a commercial district known as New Town (in contrast to Old Town down on the lake) grew up around it. It soon became a city, and in 1967 became the Northwest Territories' capital, taking over from Fort Smith.

A popular songwriter native to Yellowknife wrote that while the streets there weren't paved with gold, there was plenty underneath the pavement. This later became an unofficial city motto: "Where the gold is paved with streets." That was true, and by the late 1970s there were modern high-rise office buildings. The four-star Explorer Hotel was built on the high ground nearby to give visiting executives an impressive place to stay, and sometimes served as a meeting place for the territory's new legislative assembly.

At the end of the decade the world began coming to Yellowknife. Roads finally connected the city to the rest of Canada, ending its dependence on the bush pilots who had been its first settlers, although it still relied on ice roads across the lake in winter. Prince Charles came to speak at the dedication of the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, the territorial museum. And when the Soviet nuclear-powered Kosmos 954 satellite came crashing to Earth in 1979, the international media reported the story from Yellowknife. Suburban sprawl began to appear in the areas to the south of New Town, around Range Lake.

The territorial assembly moved into its own building in 1982, on the shores of Frame Lake near the Heritage Centre. That would be the peak of Yellowknife's development for some time. The decline in the price of gold on the international markets after the inflationary 1970s ended led to a slow pullback in mining operations. Bathers in Frame Lake were replaced by pollution and leeches. In 1992, during a strike at the Giant Mine, on the outskirts of the city, nine replacement miners were killed when a bomb planted by a striker went off, the deadliest incident of labour-related violence in Canadian history (the miner was convicted two years later). The city began to experience the social problems that follow any decline of a major industry, such as homelessness, increased drug and alcohol abuse, and crime.

Mine after mine closed throughout the 1990s, until Giant itself shut in 2004. The city's literal golden age was behind it, and government displaced mining as the city's largest employer. Even that took a hit at the end of the century, when the eastern two-thirds of the Northwest Territories were split off to become Nunavut , with its capital at Iqaluit on Baffin Island .

But the city was able to reinvent itself, even if it has not been able to completely return to its former prosperity. Tourism, always present in a city surrounded by abundant opportunities for outdoor recreation, picked up some of the slack. It got a boost from abroad, as Japanese visitors found it an ideal place to go on dogsled rides and take in the northern lights, even in the coldest of winters. The cable-TV show Ice Road Truckers , focusing on a family business hauling supplies across the lake, put Yellowknife on the 21st-century media map. With the discovery of diamonds in the 1990s, mining has made a comeback, as enough diamond deposits have been found in the area for the city. In total, four major diamond mines have operated within the territory and the city claims itself "The Diamond Mining Capital of North America".

You will probably see that Yellowknife was a lot more, and is a lot more, whether you come during the long summer days with four-hour white nights in between, or the equally short winter days when temperatures stay well below zero and the auroras light up the night sky.

Tourist information

• 62.45347 -114.3696 1 Yellowknife Visitors Centre ( Extraordinary YK ), 5014 50th Street , ☏ +1 867 920-8687 , [email protected] . 10AM-6PM daily . Has staff to provide information on what to do in Yellowknife during summer and winter. It provides maps in different languages (French, Chinese, Japanese and Korean). It also displays a small collection of historical artifacts and crafts made by local artists. ( updated Jun 2024 )
• Yellowknife Visitors guide

Air travel, interestingly enough, is one of the oldest ways of getting to Yellowknife (the city was founded in the mid-1930s, and space for float planes can still be found at the Old Town docks).

Canadian airlines operating to Yellowknife:

Railways have not been built to Yellowknife, and passenger rail service is not available in the Northwest Territories at all; the nearest freight railway reaches to the town of Hay River on the south side of the Great Slave Lake. One of the nearest passenger stations is in Edmonton, Alberta, thousands of kilometers to the south.

Yellowknife is at the end of Northwest Territories Highway 3 (Yellowknife Highway). From Alberta , travel north on Alberta Highway 35 ( Mackenzie Highway ), which becomes Northwest Territories Highway 1 (Mackenzie Highway). Continue to follow the highway past the community of Enterprise and the turn off for the community of Kakisa to the junction with North West Territories Highway 3. Follow Highway 3 to the Mackenzie River crossing at Fort Providence . From Fort Providence, follow Highway 3 past Behchoko (formerly Rae-Edzo) to its terminus at Yellowknife.

A permanent bridge across the Mackenzie River opened in 2012, replacing a seasonal ferry crossing or ice bridge which used to be the sole overland route into the territorial capital.

Yellowknife is on Great Slave Lake. Boating to and in Yellowknife is private (ferries are used at some highway river crossings in the territory, however). There are docks in the Old Town area; one could presumably go across the lake to Hay River or Behchoko in a private boat. The closest destination to Yellowknife is Dettah. The lake drains to the Arctic Ocean via the Mackenzie River.

Orientation

Yellowknife is quite compact, and the main areas of interest can be easily reached on foot. "New Town" is the current downtown core. It is bordered by 47th street to the north, 53rd street to the south, 52nd avenue to the east, and Veteran's Memorial Way (49th Avenue) to the west. Franklin Avenue (50th Avenue) is the main thoroughfare. The corner of Franklin Avenue and 50th Street is considered to be the city's centre.

"Old town", where the city of Yellowknife was founded, is at the base of the hill on Franklin Avenue, on a peninsula that juts into Yellowknife Bay, and on Latham Island. This area is primarily residential, but remains home to some of Yellowknife's oldest businesses.

• Yellowknife Transit , ☏ +1 867-873-4693 . Buses run every 40 minutes from M-Sa 7:10AM-7:10PM . Operates a three-route bus service. Fares are $3.00. Free transfers between routes. ( updated Nov 2023 )

$4.50 flag rate plus $2 per km.

• City Cab Ltd , ☏ +1 867-873-4444 . ( updated Feb 2024 )
• Yellowknife Cab , ☏ +1 867-873-6666 . ( updated Feb 2024 )
• Aurora Taxi , ☏ +1 867-873-5050 , [email protected] . ( updated Feb 2024 )

• Aurora Borealis ( northern lights ) - This is the one thing that you must see (however, it is best seen in wintertime, when the nights are long , and they cannot be seen at all during the short "white nights" around the summer solstice when the sun never dips far enough below the horizon for long enough for it to get darker than twilight). There are many tour companies that offer different ways of seeing the Aurora Borealis, such as by snowmobile, sled dog expedition, photography workshops and tractor rides to various lodges.
• The many art galleries in town feature the works of local and northern artists.
• 62.4655 -114.348 3 Pilots Monuments , 3511, 3513 Ingraham Dr . Open 24 hours . Sitting on top of a hill, this monument gives tribute to bush pilots who opened up Northwest Territories, delivered food & medicine and transported people. ( updated Nov 2023 )
• Great Slave Lake
• 62.4312 -114.4243 6 Nature's North Wildlife Gallery , 7 Ellesmere Dr , ☏ +1 867-445-5889 , [email protected] . M W Sa 11AM-4PM . Taxidermied animals in various poses. Exhibit includes grolars (polar bear and grizzly bear hybrid), muskox, wolverine and wood buffalo. Self-guided tour $20, tour with tablet $25, youth (10-16) $15, child (6-9) $5, child (under 5) free . ( updated Jun 2024 )

Yellowknife is an outdoor enthusiast's dream. There are several scenic walking and hiking trails within the city boundaries. The Ingraham Trail (Highway 4) connects Yellowknife to many lakes, rivers, and hiking routes that draw campers, hikers, paddlers, fishermen and women, and hunters.

The winter months are dominated by winter sports: hockey, curling, skating, cross-country skiing, broomball, volleyball, and indoor soccer.

A small but active amateur arts community brings theatre, dance, and choral works to the community. Apart from some excellent amateur performers, the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre (NACC), the main venue for the performing arts, endeavours to bring professional level entertainment.

The Snowking Festival and the dog sled races are annual winter events (occurring in March). In the summer, visitors can take in the Summer Solstice Festival, Raven Mad Daze (with its 24-hour golf tournament), and Folk on the Rocks, a popular music festival in mid-July. Raven Mad Daze is a festival to celebrate the beginning of summer, but it has shrunk in size over the past few years and now features mostly sidewalk sales by local businesses. It's held in Downtown Yellowknife.

Or take a tour from one of the many tour companies around Yellowknife, such as Yellowknife Outdoor Adventures or Becks Kennels. They offer many programs. These include dog sledding, aurora viewing, shoreline breakfast/lunch, wildlife viewing, and fishing trips.

• 62.46605 -114.97694 1 Enodah Wilderness Travel - Trout Rock Lodge , Great Slave Lake , ☏ +1 867-874-4334 . Fly in wilderness lodge on Great Slave Lake. Fishing, bird watching, Aurora packages. Day trips or overnight.  
• 62.42673 -114.41242 2 Beck's Kennels , 124 Curry Drive , ☏ +1 867-873-5603 . Dogsled tours. Kennel owned and operated by World Champion dog racer, Grant Beck. Winter activities: Aurora by dog sled, traditional dogsled tours and learn to drive your own dogteam experience. They also offer overnight dogsled adventures. November 1 - mid May. Summer and fall activities: Aurora tours and dogsled on wheels. August 1 - October 31.  

There are many jobs available in Yellowknife, and wages are significantly higher than in the south.

• A Canadian diamond
• A painting by a local artist
• An Inuit stone carving
• A hand-made birch bark basket
• Caribou-skin mittens
• A northern parka, trimmed with fur
• A single spring roll from Corner Mart after a night of ogling teenagers at the Raven
• A world-famous breakfast hotdog from Gas Town (only served until 11AM)
• 62.4677 -114.4259 2 Buffalo Airwear , 108 Berry Street ( Within the airport compound ), ☏ +1 867-765-6023 , [email protected] . M-F 9AM-5PM . Get aviation-themed souvenirs from Buffalo Airways, the airline that still uses DC-3 and other World War II era warbirds in revenue service for cargo delivery to northern remote communities and as waterbombers. ( updated Oct 2023 )
• 62.466117 -114.346521 3 Old Town Glassworks , 3510 McDonald Drive , ☏ +1 867-669-7654 , [email protected] . TU-F noon-5:30PM, Sa noon-4:30PM . ( updated Dec 2023 )

• 62.464752 -114.350241 3 Bullock's Bistro , 3534 Weaver Dr , ☏ +1 867-873-3474 . M-Sa noon-9PM, closed Su . Relaxed, cramped, extra-casual bar and restaurant in circa 1930s cabin. The menu features fish, game, and salads. The fish is as fresh as this morning, and the seemingly hectic grill manages to produce fine results with it. Don't expect anything fancy in service or presentation, but you'll enjoy the lively and authentic atmosphere. Make sure your wallet is well-stocked before coming: a simple plate of fish and chips and a bottle of self-serve beer costs between $40 and $50. ( updated Nov 2023 )
• 62.4527 -114.3693 4 Zehabesha , 5030 50 Street , ☏ +1 867-873-6400 . M-Sa 11AM-9PM, closed Su . Traditional Ethiopian food. ( updated Nov 2023 )
• 62.4455 -114.4118 5 Copperhouse , 484 Range Lake Rd , ☏ +1 867-920-5500 , [email protected] . Tu-Th 11:30AM-2PM, 4:30-10PM; F 11:30AM-2PM, 4:30-11PM; Sa 4:30-11PM; Su 4:30-10PM (closed M) . In the new town. Famous for wood oven pizzas. $24-40 . ( updated Jun 2024 )
• 62.468 -114.347 6 Sundog Trading Post , 4 Lessard Drive , ☏ +1 867-446-8687 , [email protected] . W-Su 10AM-9PM . Panini and ice cream. ( updated Nov 2023 )
• 62.4512 -114.3676 7 The Hungry Wolf Restaurant , 5125 51 St , ☏ +1 867-873-9653 . Tu W 11AM-8PM, Th-Sa 11AM-9PM, Su 10AM-3PM (closed M) . Has fish, curry and pasta of the month. Big portion size. $20-35 . ( updated Feb 2024 )
• 62.4516 -114.3708 1 Barren Ground Coffee , 5103 52 St , ☏ +1 867-873-3030 . M-F 8AM-3PM, Sa Su 10AM-3PM . Cafe with locally roasted coffee. Hot chocolate $3.50, coffee $5+, BLT $11, breakfast sandwich $9 . ( updated Nov 2023 )
• 62.4536 -114.3681 2 Birchwood Coffee Kǫ̀ , 5021 49 St , ☏ +1 867-873-5466 . M-F 8AM-4PM . Good lunch menu with a variety of drink options. Be sure to try their bannock dishes. ( updated Feb 2024 )
• 62.45523 -114.37277 4 The Black Knight Pub , 4910 49th Street , ☏ +1 867-920-4041 , [email protected] . M Tu Th 11AM-11PM, W F Sa 11AM-midnight, closed Su . Somewhat in the tradition of an English pub. ( updated Jun 2023 )
• The Elks Club hosts scotch night every Tuesday.
• 62.4616 -114.3535 5 The NWT Brewing Company's Woodyard , 3905 Franklin Ave , ☏ +1 867-873-2337 , [email protected] . Tu W 4-10PM, Th 4-11PM, F Sa noon-midnight . Only micro-brewery in the territory and their pub serves food and many of their northern-named beers on tap. They have won awards for their Kicksled Cream Ale. Though they have a poor management on the waitlist and it's best to call ahead to reserve a table. ( updated Nov 2023 )
• 62.4556 -114.3697 6 Harley's Hardrock Saloon , 4919 48 St , ☏ +1 867-873-4030 . ( updated Feb 2024 )

Bed and breakfast

• 62.4503 -114.3679 1 Embleton House , 5203 52 St , ☏ +1 867-873-2892 , [email protected] . Private bedrooms and one suite. Bedrooms: single occupancy $125, double occupancy $140. Suite: single occupancy $170, double occupancy $190 . ( updated Nov 2023 )

Motels and inns

• 62.448024 -114.411198 2 Super 8 Motel - Yellowknife , 308 Old Airport Road , toll-free: +1-866-875-7666 . Check-in: 3PM , check-out: 11AM . ( updated Jan 2024 )
• 62.455195 -114.368032 3 Discovery Inn , 4701 Franklin Ave , ☏ +1 867-873-4151 , [email protected] . Has on-site restaurant and art gallery shop. $162 . ( updated Nov 2023 )
• 62.4663 -114.3455 4 Aurora Bayside Inn , 3505 Mcdonald Drive , ☏ +1 867-333-2514 , [email protected] . Check-in: 3PM , check-out: 11AM . Private room, cabin or suite. $165+ . ( updated Apr 2024 )
• 62.45447 -114.361434 5 Polar Developments Hotel Suites , 4503 52nd Ave (Watermark Tower); 5300 49th St (Anderson Thomson Tower) , ☏ +1 867-873-5701 , [email protected] . Suite and apartment-style hotel. ( updated Apr 2024 )
• 62.45841 -114.374236 8 Chateau Nova Hotel , 4571 48 Street ( Just north of The Explorer Hotel, beneath the hill ), ☏ +1 867-766-6682 , toll-free: +1-866-722-6682 , [email protected] . 141 rooms and suites with Wi-Fi, flatscreen TV, A/C, kitchenettes. Complimentary parking and free airport shuttles are provided. Quarry Restaurant steakhouse open 7AM-2PM and 5PM-9PM, Quarry Lounge open 11AM-10PM. $250+ . ( updated Feb 2024 )
• 62.4499 -114.379 9 Capital Suites , 5603 Franklin Ave , ☏ +1 867-669-6400 , toll-free: +1 877-669-9444 , [email protected] . Gym, free Wifi and airport shuttle. $219 . ( updated Apr 2024 )

Driving, particularly away from the main highway, may involve long distances without seeing much traffic. Be sure to check the usual summer driving requirements: spare tire, water, etc. In winter, temperatures can drop to -40 °C/°F and colder. Be prepared! Bring a candle lantern for heat, a thermos of hot water, foods such as chocolate or nuts and a heavy blanket, and mitts (not gloves). If stranded, do not leave your vehicle unless forced to. See our page on winter driving for more tips.

Bison are prevalent between the Mackenzie River at Fort Providence and Behchoko. They like to amble on the highway. Take care during night driving along this section.

Do not stop on the Ingram Trail highway to see aurora lights. There are designated aurora viewing parking and pull-off sites along the highway for you to safely see the aurora. Cell phone signal starts to weaken after the 40-kilometre mark on Ingram Trail.

• 62.453195 -114.368869 2 Yellowknife Public Library , 5022 49 Street ( Second floor of the Centre Square Mall ). M 9:30AM-8:30PM, Tu W 9:30AM-6PM, Th 9:30AM-8:30PM, F 10AM-6PM, Sa 10AM-5PM, Su (October to April only) 1-5PM . Offers two hours of free wireless per day (more time can be purchased); ask the Circulation desk for a username and password. ( updated Dec 2023 )
• Drive to Dettah on ice road on Great Slave Lake in winter (6.4 km) or around Great Slave Lake in summer (21 km)
• Drive south along the Mackenzie Highway (5.5 hours) or fly on First Air (40 mins) to Hay River

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