Road to Yellowknife, NWT

Follow along our 10 day adventure to Yellowknife, NWT!

Day 1 Wednesday August 6th

Sexsmith to High Level, Alberta 430km

The views were relatively flat. We stopped at an abandoned motel to say hi to a friend passing by. The motel was very cool. Someone still lives there it appears. Lots of burned trees nearing High Level.

We stayed at Hutch Lake Campground. Our sites were in the trees and very beautiful and quiet.

Day 2 Thursday August 7th

Hutch Lake, Alberta to Twin Falls Gorge Territorial Park, NWT 232km

We left the campground in search of multiple waterfalls today. We stopped at Indian Cabins just before the border to get gas. At the border we stopped at the 60th Parallel Visitor Centre and got some brochures and I also got a certificate! We hit up Alexandra Falls where we could see the falls from a lookout and walk down onto the top of the falls. The rock there is 400 million years old. We then drove 3km up the road to the Twin Falls Gorge Territorial Park. We set up camp and then found the trail to Louise Falls. Kyle went to the bottom of the spiral staircase onto the falls where you can see he had some fun getting a little close to the edge. We winded down with a rogue game of bocce ball, dinner and a fire. At night, the host, Sheila came around to let us know how cool the moon looked and we ended up at her site for a drink and some very cool conversations! Thank you Sheila!

Day 3 Friday August 8th

Twin Falls Gorge Territorial Park to Hay River, NWT 54km

We got to rock a shower in the morning before leaving the campground and it felt great! On the way to Hay River, we stopped at the Hay River Visitor Centre for some brochures and stickers for my collection. Kyle and his parents got some goodies too and we got some solid insight on some things to check out around town. We then made our way to the Hay River Territorial Park and set up camp for two days. Kyle and I went on a detour to the abandoned town of Pine Point and saw some old tailing ponds from the mine. The group site we are staying at is right along The Great Slave Lake and behind us is an old boat yard for decommissioned boats.

Day 4 Saturday August 9th

Hay River, NWT

We stayed at the Hay River Territorial Park for another day. We started off the day by checking out Fisherman's Wharf and the family had some fresh fish and chips. I had some chips. We also walked over to the museum and found some cool stuff and lots more information on the abandoned town of Pine Point. After we got back to camp, we pumped up the paddleboard and drove down to Pumphouse Beach for some much anticipated beach fun on the Great Slave Lake! Kyle and I had to walk out quite a ways to get some depth to paddle and once we did I managed to knock Kyle off the paddleboard haha! We also got Kyle's dad, Kirk up on the paddleboard! Way to go Kirk!

Fun fact: The Great Slave Lake is the ninth largest and sixth deepest lake in the world and the deepest lake in North America!

Day 5 Sunday August 10th

Hay River to Yellowknife, NWT 478km

We packed up camp and made the journey around the Great Slave Lake to Yellowknife! The drive was long and at times, there's not much to look at. The most exciting part of the drive was probably crossing the Mackenzie River. We saw three bison within the Mackenzie Bison Sanctuary and lots of trees still smoldering from the recent fire. About 100km before Yellowknife we started seeing a whole new type of topography with huge rock shelves and also a ton of frost heaves in the road. So bouncy! We are camping at the Fred Heene Territorial Park for two days. Our site is small but very nice with a rock shelf for our backyard.

Day 6 Monday August 11th

Yellowknife, NWT

We went down into town and checked out the Yellowknife Visitor Centre where we discovered both museums and other spots were closed today, so it was going to be a rather short one. We did stop at two gift shops and grabbed some souvenirs and Kyle treated me to some wonderful gifts as well! We hit up Canadian Tire for some supplies and then back to camp for a slower pace day. Kyle and I wandered down to the beach and enjoyed the sunshine and seagull friends while plane watching. Later on, the family took a group photo with our new Yellowknife gear and winded down with a game of trivia, which Kyle and I crushed the parents at! We are planning a big day for tomorrow and will stay one more day in Yellowknife!

Day 7 Tuesday August 12th

Yellowknife, NWT

We stayed one more day at camp and got up early to make the most of it. We headed out for the Ingraham Trail and drove the 70km to the very end of the road where the ice road begins in winter. We passed several abandoned mines along the way and rode some seriously wild frost heaves. While taking a short break at the end of the Ingraham Trail, we saw a helicopter fly overhead with a giant raft and began lowering it right beside us. Just around the bend at the boat launch, a group of researchers were getting ready to head out on an expedition with their newly delivered watercraft!

On the way back, we stopped at the Yellowknife River for a little pit stop. When we got back to town, we made our way out to the Giant Mine and visited the Yellowknife Historical Museum. The museum is inside the old mine recreation hall and covers everything from the early days to the current remediation. A very playful fox even came out of the fence to say hi. We then made our way to the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre and explored that museum.

After that, we went to the Bush Pilot's Monument and had a stunning view of the Harbour and Old Town. We stopped at the Down to Earth Gallery and the Gallery of the Midnight Sun to see some more local gift shops. Kyle bought me a lovely necklace! The final stop was a walk down "Ragged Ass Road" which is the Abbey Road equivalent of Yellowknife. It's been a long day with so many beautiful sights. I can't believe we made it all the way to Yellowknife! The trip of a lifetime!

Day 8 Wednesday August 13th

Yellowknife to North Arm Territorial Park, NWT 104km

Today we packed up camp and left Yellowknife, but not before stopping for some photos at the Yellowknife sign and the giant plane! It was a short drive to the North Arm Territorial Park where we set up for the night. The lake still looks beautiful from here but quite muddy along the shores. I was still able to find some rocks for my collection though. We are enjoying a bit of a wind down day and staying warm by the fire. It's cooling off more and more every day here. The bugs are surprisingly minimal. At night, we were treated to a beautiful display of the Northern Lights!!

Day 9 Thursday August 14th

North Arm Territorial Park to 60th Parallel Territorial Park, NWT 418km

We packed up camp and got back on the road. On our way through the Mackenzie Bison Sanctuary we saw many more bison and even a baby! We stopped in Fort Providence for gas and then a short five minute drive to the Mackenzie River Bridge for a little photo break. It was quite stunning. Back in the truck, we continued on to Lady Evelyn Falls for a short walk to some gorgeous falls. It was a quick stop because we had to continue on to our destination for the night: The 60th Parallel Territorial Park. Just before the park we saw a medium sized black bear, very cute. When we got to the park, we learned a mumma and two cubs were seen in the park, so to be on alert. Tonight will be interesting.

Day 10 Friday August 15th

60th Parallel Territorial Park, NWT to Sexsmith, Alberta 623km

We survived the night with no bear encounters! We packed up camp one last time and made the long journey back to Sexsmith, Alberta. The drive was still nice. We crossed the Dunvegan Bridge over the canyon which was pretty cool. Also saw a cute black bear with a deer snack.

It's always sad ending the holidays but I really had the best time. Thank you to Kyle and his parents Kirk and Bonnie (and dog Bones) for making this trip so special. I've really cherished this amazing time I got to spend with my second family. Thank you everyone for following along on this adventure! Until next time!