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Explore the Northwest Territories

Small Towns of the Northwest Territories

The Mackenzie River, Great Slave Lake, the Dempster Highway, and the Arctic Ocean —14communities with stories worth the drive.
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14

NWT towns

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NWT Picks

Where to start

Some of the most visited Northwest Territories towns on our platform

🌷 Spring 2026 picks
Dehcho
Fort Simpson
Fort Simpson
Gateway to Nahanni National Park — Virginia Falls, the Liard River, and some of Canada's wildest backcountry.
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South Slave
Fort Smith
Fort Smith
Gateway to Wood Buffalo National Park, Slave River pelicans, Paddlefest, and Mark Carney's birthplace.
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South Slave
Hay River
Hay River
A laid-back northern town on the south shore of Great Slave Lake, known for its sandy beaches, river delta, and role as a key transportation hub in the North.
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Great Slave Lake
Yellowknife
Yellowknife
Territorial capital — Old Town houseboats, aurora viewing, Bush Pilot's Monument, and the Wildcat Café.
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🏔

Great Slave Lake & the Mackenzie Corridor

The Mackenzie River — Deh Cho in Dene — is the second-longest river system in North America. These communities line its shores from Great Slave Lake north through the boreal forest.

Dehcho
Fort Providence
Fort Providence
A small riverside community on the Mackenzie River, known for its iconic bridge crossing and role as a key gateway on the road to Yellowknife.
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South Slave
Fort Resolution
Fort Resolution
One of the oldest communities in the North, set on the south shore of Great Slave Lake, known for its deep Indigenous roots, trading history, and quiet remote setting.
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Sahtu
Norman Wells
Norman Wells
A remote Sahtu community on the Mackenzie River, known for its historic oil fields, rugged landscapes, and role in northern exploration history.
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Sahtu
Fort Good Hope
Fort Good Hope
A historic riverside community along the Mackenzie River, known for its striking hilltop church, deep Dene traditions, and quiet remote northern life.
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South Slave
Enterprise
Enterprise
A tiny highway junction at the southern edge of the Northwest Territories, known as a gateway for travellers heading north toward Great Slave Lake and Yellowknife.
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Sahtu
Délı̨nę
Délı̨nę
A remote lakeside community on Great Bear Lake, known for its deep Sahtu Dene traditions, historic exploration links, and a local claim as the unofficial birthplace of hockey.
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🧭

Western Arctic & the Dempster Highway

The Dempster Highway stretches 740 kilometres from Dawson City to Inuvik, and the new Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway completes the route to the Arctic Ocean. These communities sit at the northern edge of the road system — and beyond it.

Western Arctic
Inuvik
Inuvik
Igloo Church, Great Northern Arts Festival, midnight sun, and the start of the road to the Arctic Ocean.
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Arctic Coast
Tuktoyaktuk
Tuktoyaktuk
Drive to the Arctic Ocean, pingos rising from the tundra, and Inuvialuit culture at the end of the highway.
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Western Arctic
Aklavik
Aklavik
A gateway to the Arctic, highlighting Indigenous cultures and stunning natural landscapes under the midnight sun.
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Western Arctic
Fort McPherson
Fort McPherson
A historic Gwich’in community along the Dempster Highway, known for its cultural heritage, river setting, and connection to the story of the Lost Patrol.
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We're just getting started in the Northwest Territories

Fourteen communities and counting — from Yellowknife to Tuktoyaktuk. If you know an NWT community that belongs on this map, we’d like to hear from you.

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14Northwest Territories towns on the map

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Tourism in the Northwest Territories is supported by NWT Tourism, an industry-led destination marketing organization, and the Government of the Northwest Territories’ Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment. 1000towns complements territorial marketing by giving individual communities national visibility — connecting travellers from across Canada with NWT communities they might not discover on their own.

People of the Northwest Territories

You know his name

A notable Canadian with roots in the Northwest Territories

Mark Carney | Prime Minister of Canada
Mark Carney | Prime Minister of Canada
Born in Fort Smith. Governor of the Bank of Canada, Governor of the Bank of England — the first non-Briton to hold the role in…
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NWT Travel guides

Plan your trip north

Three guides featuring Northwest Territories communities

🌷 Spring 2026 picks
All-season
Top 5 Places to See the Northern Lights in Canada
Top 5 Places to See the Northern Lights in Canada
Dark skies, clear winter nights, and aurora so bright you can hear it — the best small towns for northern lights viewing.
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Fall Spring Summer
Top 10 Canadian Places for Fishing
Top 10 Canadian Places for Fishing
Lake trout, Arctic char, walleye, and Atlantic salmon — 10 small towns where the fishing is as good as it gets.
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All-season
Top 10 Bird Watching Parks
Top 10 Bird Watching Parks
Migratory flyways, boreal wetlands, and shoreline trails — 10 small-town parks where the birding is world-class and the crowds aren't.
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Browse all guides →

Communities & Tourism Organizations

Help travellers discover your NWT community

We work with communities and tourism organizations to give northern towns the visibility they deserve — through enhanced town pages, Google Ads promotion, and featured content across Canada’s coast-to-coast small-town tourism platform.

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