The Land of the Midnight Sun has many fun activities and attractions to entertain you and your family on your next vacation.
The country of Canada is divided into ten provinces and three northern territories. These are the Yukon, the Northwest Territories (NWT), and Nunavut, a land base inhabited and governed by the Inuit people.
Where is the Northwest Territories? On a map (it will have to be the newest issue), look north from the 60th parallel and you will see it, bordered on the west by the Yukon, on the south by the Canadian prairie provinces, and on the north and east by Nunavut, Canada's newest territory as of April 1, 1999. With the establishment of Nunavut, the NWT was reduced from more than two million miles to about 1.3 million miles.
The NWT, where mining is the primary industry and the numbers of caribou far exceed those of inhabitants (about 40,000), is considered to be one of the last great wilderness areas on earth. Its climate is crisp and very cold and the air is bracing, but the sun shines much of the time.
Not everyone wants, or can afford to adventure into the wilds, but it is nonetheless possible to appreciate some of the remarkable features of this region without donning a backpack, hiring a guide or outfitter, or undertaking an extreme sport, like whitewater rafting on one of NWT's three tumultuous rivers.
That said, unless world-class trophy fishing is your passion-and you would not be disappointed in this pursuit--fly-in canoe trips booked by your travel agent are probably the best way to see as much as possible in as short a time.
Take a few weeks and paddle wild rivers and lakes remote from civilization to see the Arctic in its full splendor--from grassy green tundra abounding in dainty, pastel-hued flowers; hundreds of species of migrating birds; and teeming wildlife, such as prehistoric muskoxen, moose, grizzlies, wolves, and caribou herds upwards of half a million at a time, to virgin fishing for northern pike, grayling, arctic char, and lake trout.
If you crave adventure and you can afford a fly-in trip, there is little need to worry about your safety. You will have superior guides native to the region, perhaps Dene or Inuvialuit; and if you are fortunate, an experienced wildlife biologist may accompany your small group on its excursion to point out anything of interest that you might miss.
If you are not an adventurer, or you do not have the resources for an extended tour, you can still experience the Northern Lights (aurora borealis) at their finest, and be dazzled by the midnight sun. Fly, bus or drive to Yellowknife, NWT's capital (population 15,000), during the last week in March. Check in at the Caribou Festival. It is the time of year when brilliant sunlight reigns around the clock.
If you reserve ahead, the hotel accommodations will be better than average, and the food will be satisfying (and more than ample, a feature of northern cuisine). Tee-off time is 2:00 a.m. for the annual Midnight Classic Golf Tournament, and you can enjoy the spectacle of the internationally famous Canadian Championship Dog Derby, where the world's finest sled dogs compete in a 150 mile race across frozen Great Slave Lake, for a purse of $30,000. You will be treated to bannock making (and eating), log sawing and ice sculpting competitions; and it is almost a guarantee that the all-night performances of the Northern Lights will ace your trip.
It is also possible to enjoy the scenic North in comfortable weather (June, July, or August) by heading to Yellowknife once again. It is a city surrounded by many breathtakingly beautiful, crystal-clear lakes; its public beaches are popular in the summer months.
