Great Slave Lake & Wood Buffalo National Park

World Heritage Site in 1983

Now easily reached by air from Whitehorse, the NWT offers an exciting self-drive destination. Wood Buffalo National Park is the home of the last great free roaming buffalo herds, whooping cranes and the summer residence of pelicans. Our new self-drive itinerary features; Yellowknife, Great Slave Lake and Wood Buffalo. In summer the southern climate is warm and lush, vegetation provides an attractive and different northern landscape.

The new self-drive route showcases the Great Slave region and Canada’s largest park - Wood Buffalo National Park straddles the NWT – Alberta border and provides habitat for wolf, bear and moose. The park is unique in Canada with its extensive salt plains (favored by buffalo herds) and the Peace-Athabasca Delta help form one of the largest inland freshwater deltas in the world. Several vantage points allow visitors to view the park interior and study one of the best examples of karst topography in North America. Wood Buffalo was designated a World Heritage Site in 1983 and it’s here that Whooping Cranes make their only known nesting grounds; these large birds are among the rarest species in the world. Al though their nests are protected, visitors can occasionally spot the birds in flight. The self-drive route includes  the park interior and Pine Lake. Fort Smith, the gateway to the park, was formerly the capital of NWT. This quiet, attractive town situated on the banks of the Slave River has the most northern colony of Pelicans in the world, located near the rapids - just a short distance from the hotel.

Itinerary

Duration: 8 days / 7 nights

Day 1: Arrival in Yellowknife, pick-up car. Overnight Chateau Nova or similar.

Day 2: Yellowknife - Hay River
Southbound drive around Great Slave Lake to Hay River. Overnight Ptarmigan Inn.

Day 3: Hay River - Fort Smith
Explore Hay River. Afternoon drive to Fort Smith. Overnight Pelican Rapids Hotel.

Day 4+5: Wood Buffalo
Full day to explore Wood Buffalo National Park. Overnight Pelican Rapids Hotel.

Day 6: Wood Buffalo - Hay River
Scenic drive via Fort Resolution to Hay River. Overnight Ptarmigan Inn.
 

Day 7: Hay River to Yellowknife
Drive back to Yellowknife. Overnight Chateau Nova or similar.
 

Day 8: Conclusion of self drive itinerary