Northwest Territories Camping

Camping in Northwest Territories

Camping in the Northwest Territories is for serious adventurers — long drives, midnight sun, and access to Nahanni and Wood Buffalo National Parks. Territorial parks line the Mackenzie Highway and Dempster Highway, all run by NWT Parks. Most campgrounds are walk-up only and very affordable, but plan fuel and resupply carefully.

Nahanni National Park Reserve is the NWT's legendary destination — a remote, fly-in wilderness of deep canyons, Virginia Falls (twice the height of Niagara), and hot springs in the middle of nowhere. Most visitors experience it on a multi-day canoe or rafting trip down the South Nahanni River, but even a day-trip flight from Fort Simpson to Virginia Falls will rewrite your definition of wild.

Wood Buffalo National Park, straddling the NWT-Alberta border, is Canada's largest national park and a UNESCO site protecting the world's largest free-roaming bison herd. The Peace-Athabasca Delta within the park is one of the world's great inland deltas, and in winter the park doubles as a Dark Sky Preserve where aurora borealis displays are staggering.

For road-trippers, the Dempster Highway from Dawson City into the NWT is one of North America's last great frontier drives. Territorial campgrounds like Nitainlaii and Vadzaih Van Tshik are simple but atmospheric — you're camping above the Arctic Circle with midnight sun in June and a real chance of seeing caribou herds numbering in the thousands. Fred Henne Territorial Park in Yellowknife is the most accessible option, right on the shore of Great Slave Lake.

Season: mid-May – mid-September · Reservations: NWT Parks (most sites first-come, first-served)

Where to camp in Northwest Territories

• Nahanni National Park Reserve — Virginia Falls, deep canyons and world-class whitewater — fly-in wilderness at its finest
• Wood Buffalo National Park — Canada's largest park with free-roaming bison, UNESCO delta and Dark Sky Preserve
• Yellowknife Aurora Tours — World-class northern lights viewing from September to March around Great Slave Lake
• Dempster Highway — Epic 736 km gravel highway crossing the Arctic Circle into Inuvik

Northwest Territories camping highlights

• Nahanni National Park Reserve (fly-in/canoe access)
• Wood Buffalo National Park
• Fred Henne Territorial Park (Yellowknife)
• Reid Lake Territorial Park

All Campsites in Northwest Territories

• Aulavik National Park — Sachs Harbour (federal)
• Aulavik National Park (Various backcountry sites) — Sachs Harbour (federal)
• Blackstone Territorial Park — Fort Liard (provincial)
• Fort Providence Territorial Park — Fort Providence (provincial)
• Fort Simpson Territorial Park — Fort Simpson (provincial)
• Fort Smith Mission Park Campground — Fort Smith (private)
• Fred Henne Territorial Park — Yellowknife (provincial)
• Hay River Territorial Park — Hay River (provincial)
• Hidden Lake Territorial Park — Yellowknife (provincial)
• Ingraham Trail Campground (Yellowknife) — Yellowknife (private)
• Lady Evelyn Falls Territorial Park — Kakisa (provincial)
• Little Buffalo River Falls Territorial Park — Fort Resolution (provincial)
• Mackenzie Bison Sanctuary Campground — Fort Providence (provincial)
• McNiven Beach Territorial Park — Hay River (provincial)
• Nahanni National Park Reserve — Fort Simpson (federal)
• Nahanni National Park Reserve (Virginia Falls Campground) — Fort Simpson (federal)
• North Arm Territorial Park — Behchokò (provincial)
• Prelude Lake Territorial Park — Yellowknife (provincial)
• Rabbitkettle Lake Campground (Nahanni National Park Reserve) — Fort Simpson (federal)
• Reid Lake Territorial Park — Yellowknife (provincial)
• Sambaa Deh Falls Territorial Park — Fort Simpson (provincial)
• Tuktut Nogait National Park — Paulatuk (federal)
• Tuktut Nogait National Park (Various backcountry sites) — Paulatuk (federal)
• Twin Falls Gorge Territorial Park — Enterprise (provincial)
• Twin Falls Gorge Territorial Park (Alexandra Falls Campground) — Enterprise (provincial)
• Wood Buffalo National Park — Fort Smith (federal)
• Wood Buffalo National Park (Peace Point Campground) — Fort Smith (federal)
• Wood Buffalo National Park (Pine Lake Campground) — Fort Smith (federal)
• Yellowknife River Territorial Park — Yellowknife (provincial)

Frequently asked questions about camping in Northwest Territories