 | This article has no lead section .(August 2021) |
The following is a list of territorial highways in the Northwest Territories of Canada.
| | This article has no lead section .(August 2021) |
The following is a list of territorial highways in the Northwest Territories of Canada.
| Highway | Name | Length (km) [1] | From | To [2] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Mackenzie Highway | 690.0 km (428.7 mi) |  Hwy 35 at Alberta border north of Indian Cabins | Wrigley | Construction began 1938, paused during Second World War, resumed and completed to Hay River in 1949; extended to Highway 3 junction in 1960 and to Fort Simpson in 1971; latest extension to Wrigley completed 1994; Longest highway in the territory |
 | Hay River Highway | 48.6 km (30.2 mi) |  Highway 1 in Enterprise | Northwest corner of Vale Island in Hay River | Also connects with Highway 5; Shortest highway in the territory |
 | Yellowknife Highway | 338.8 km (210.5 mi) | Highway 1 near Fort Providence |  Highway 4 in Yellowknife | Also known as the Great Slave Highway, completed in 1960 |
 | Fort Smith Highway | 267.0 km (165.9 mi) |  Highway 2 near Hay River |  Hwy 48 at Alberta border in Fort Smith | Completed in 1966, passes through Wood Buffalo National Park |
 | Liard Highway | 254.1 km (157.9 mi) |  Hwy 77 at British Columbia border south of Fort Liard | Highway 1 near Fort Simpson | Packed dirt and gravel road |
 | Dempster Highway | 272.5 km (169.3 mi) |  Hwy 5 at Yukon border |  Highway 10 in Inuvik | Canada's only all-weather road to cross the Arctic Circle, completed as a through road from the Yukon in 1979; studies are being done to include a possible link to the Mackenzie Highway |
| Highway | Name | Length (km) [3] | From [4] | To | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aklavik Ice Road | 116 km (72 mi) |  Highway 8 in Inuvik | Aklavik | Seasonal. | |
| Colville Lake Winter Road | 165 km (103 mi) | Wrigley-Fort Good Hope Winter Road | Colville Lake | Seasonal. | |
| Délîne Winter Road | 105.3 km (65.4 mi) | Wrigley-Fort Good Hope Winter Road | Délîne | Seasonal. | |
| Dettah Ice Road | 6.3 km (3.9 mi) | School Draw Avenue in Yellowknife | Dettah | Seasonal. | |
| Dettah Road | 11.3 km (7.0 mi) | Highway 4 | Dettah | ||
| Fort Liard Access Road | 5.3 km (3.3 mi) |  Highway 7 | Fort Liard | ||
| Fort McPherson Access Road | 1.1 km (0.68 mi) | Highway 8 | Fort McPherson | ||
| Fort Providence Access Road | 5.4 km (3.4 mi) |  Highway 3 | Fort Providence | ||
 | Fort Resolution Highway | 90.0 km (55.9 mi) |  Highway 5 near Hay River | Fort Resolution | Also provides access to the former community of Pine Point. |
| Fort Simpson Access Road | 3.4 km (2.1 mi) | Highway 1 | Fort Simpson | ||
| Gamètì Winter Road | 128.0 km (79.5 mi) | Whatì Winter Road | Gamètì | Seasonal. | |
 | Ingraham Trail | 69.2 km (43.0 mi) | Highway 3 in Yellowknife | Tibbitt Lake | Provides access to Dettah (27 km (17 mi)) when the ice road (6.5 km (4.0 mi)) is closed. |
| Inuvik Access Road | 0.6 km (0.37 mi) | Highway 8 | Inuvik | ||
 | Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway | 138 km (86 mi) | Highway 8 near Inuvik | Tuktoyaktuk | Replaced the Tuktoyaktuk Winter Road; construction began 2013, completed 2017 and opened in November. Designated as Highway 10. |
| Nahanni Butte Winter Road | 22.3 km (13.9 mi) | Highway 7 | Nahanni Butte | Seasonal. | |
| Sambaa K’e Winter Road | 126.0 km (78.3 mi) | Highway 1 | Sambaa K’e | Seasonal. | |
| Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Road | 568 km (353 mi) | Tibbitt Lake | Contwoyto Lake, Nunavut | Private road first built in 1982 to service mines and exploration activities | |
 | Tłı̨chǫ Highway | 97 km (60 mi) | Highway 3 near Behchokǫ̀ | Whatì Winter Road | Opened in November 2021. |
| Rae Access Road | 10.5 km (6.5 mi) | Highway 3 | Rae borough of Behchokö | ||
| Wekweètì Winter Road | 235.0 km (146.0 mi) | Whatì Winter Road | Wekweètì | Seasonal. | |
| Whatì Winter Road | 100 km (62 mi) | Highway 3 | Whatì | Seasonal. | |
| Wrigley-Fort Good Hope Winter Road | 486.4 km (302.2 mi) | Highway 1 | Fort Good Hope | Connects to Tulita (formerly Fort Norman), Norman Wells, Fort Good Hope, with 106 km branch route to Deline and 165 km branch route to Colville Lake. 34 permanent bridges completed along route which can be used as part of an all-weather route. | |
| Yellowknife Access Road | 3.6 km (2.2 mi) | 49th Avenue, Yellowknife | Giant Mine Boat Launch Access Road | Turns into 48th Street at 49th Avenue. |
| Highway | Name | Length (km) [5] | From [6] | To | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuktoyaktuk Winter Road (closed) | 187 km (116 mi) | Inuvik | Tuktoyaktuk | Former ice road; closed permanently in April 2017 with the completion of the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway | |
| Canol Road (closed) | 357 km (222 mi) | Norman Wells | Macmillan Pass, Yukon/Northwest Territories border | Second World War road completed early 1943, abandoned mid-1945, now the Canol Heritage Trail, connecting to the active Yukon Highway 6, the Canol Road |
The communities reached by the all-weather highway network are:
Communities that can only be reached by ice-road are:
Communities with no access by surface vehicle:
The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada. At a land area of approximately 1,144,000 km2 (442,000 sq mi) and a 2016 census population of 41,790, it is the second-largest and the most populous of the three territories in Northern Canada. Its estimated population as of 2023 is 45,668. Yellowknife is the capital, most populous community, and only city in the territory; its population was 19,569 as of the 2016 census. It became the territorial capital in 1967, following recommendations by the Carrothers Commission.
Yellowknife is the capital, largest community, and only city in the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is on the northern shore of Great Slave Lake, about 400 km (250 mi) south of the Arctic Circle, on the west side of Yellowknife Bay near the outlet of the Yellowknife River.
Tulita, which in Slavey means "where the rivers or waters meet," is a hamlet in the Sahtu Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. It was formerly known as Fort Norman, until 1 January 1996. It is located at the junction of the Great Bear River and the Mackenzie River; the Bear originates at Great Bear Lake adjacent to Deline.
Great Slave Lake is the second-largest lake in the Northwest Territories of Canada, the deepest lake in North America at 614 m (2,014 ft), and the tenth-largest lake in the world by area. It is 469 km (291 mi) long and 20 to 203 km wide. It covers an area of 27,200 km2 (10,500 sq mi) in the southern part of the territory. Its given volume ranges from 1,070 km3 (260 cu mi) to 1,580 km3 (380 cu mi) and up to 2,088 km3 (501 cu mi) making it the 10th or 12th largest by volume.
Enterprise is a hamlet in the South Slave Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada, located between Great Slave Lake and the Alberta border on the Hay River.
Hay River, known as "the Hub of the North", is a town in the Northwest Territories, Canada, located on the south shore of Great Slave Lake, at the mouth of the Hay River. The town is separated into two sections, a new town and an old town with the Hay River/Merlyn Carter Airport between them. The town is in the South Slave Region, and along with Fort Smith, the town is home to one of the two regional offices.
Fort Smith is a town in the South Slave Region of the Northwest Territories (NWT), Canada. It is located in the southeastern portion of the Northwest Territories, on the Slave River and adjacent to the Alberta border along the 60th parallel north.
Fort Resolution is a hamlet in the South Slave Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. The community is situated at the mouth of the Slave River, on the shores of Great Slave Lake, and at the end of the Fort Resolution Highway. It is the headquarters of the Deninu Kųę́ First Nation, whose Chief is Louis Balsillie.
Northwestel Inc. is a Canadian telecommunications company that is the incumbent local exchange carrier (ILEC) and long-distance carrier in the territories of Yukon, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and part of Northern British Columbia. Originally established in 1979 by the Canadian National Railway from CN's northern telecommunications assets, it has been owned by BCE Inc. since 1988.
The Mackenzie Highway is a Canadian highway in northern Alberta and the Northwest Territories. It begins as Alberta Highway 2 at Mile Zero in Grimshaw, Alberta. After the first 4.0 km (2.5 mi), it becomes Alberta Highway 35 for the balance of its length through Alberta and then becomes Northwest Territories Highway 1.
Buffalo Airways is a family-run airline based in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada, established in 1970. Buffalo Airways was launched by Bob Gauchie and later sold to one of his pilots, Joe McBryan. It operates charter passenger, charter cargo, firefighting, and fuel services, and formerly operated scheduled passenger service. Its main base is at Yellowknife Airport (CYZF). It has two other bases at Hay River/Merlyn Carter Airport (CYHY) and Red Deer Regional Airport (CYQF). The Red Deer base is the main storage and maintenance facility. The airline is also the subject of the History television reality series Ice Pilots NWT.
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Fort Liard is a hamlet in the Dehcho Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is located 37 km (23 mi) north of the British Columbia border. It became accessible by road in 1984 with the completion of the Liard Highway.
Behchokǫ̀, officially the Tłı̨chǫ Community Government of Behchokǫ̀, is a community in the North Slave Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. Behchokǫ̀ is located on the Yellowknife Highway, on the northwest tip of Great Slave Lake, approximately 110 km (68 mi) northwest of Yellowknife.
Kakisa is a "Designated Authority" in the South Slave Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. The community is located on Kakisa Lake, and is southeast of Fort Providence. Originally located at Tathlina Lake, the community moved, in 1962, to the present location in order to be closer to the Mackenzie Highway and is linked by a 13 km (8.1 mi) all-weather road.
Prohibition in Canada was a ban on alcoholic beverages that arose in various stages, from local municipal bans in the late 19th century, to provincial bans in the early 20th century, and national prohibition from 1918 to 1920. The relatively large and powerful beer and alcohol manufacturing sector, and the huge working class that purchased their products, failed to convince any of the governments to reverse their stance on prohibition. Most provinces repealed their bans in the 1920s, though alcohol was illegal in Prince Edward Island from 1901 to 1948. By comparison, Ontario's temperance act was in effect from 1916 to 1927.
Marine Transportation Services (MTS) formerly Northern Transportation Company Limited (NTCL) is a marine transportation company operating primarily in the Mackenzie River watershed of the Northwest Territories and northern Alberta, and the Arctic Ocean using a fleet of diesel tug boats and shallow-draft barges. NTCL filed for bankruptcy in 2016 and its assets were acquired by the Government of the Northwest Territories later that year.
The Charter Community of Délı̨nę is located in the Sahtu Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada, on the western shore of Great Bear Lake and is 544 km (338 mi) northwest of Yellowknife. Délı̨nę means "where the waters flow", a reference to the headwaters of the Great Bear River, Sahtúdé. It is the only settlement on the shores of Great Bear Lake as Fort Confidence was last used in the 1800s and Port Radium closed in 1982.
The Deh Cho Bridge is a 1.1 km-long (0.68 mi) cable-stayed bridge across a 1.6 km (0.99 mi) span of the Mackenzie River on the Yellowknife Highway near Fort Providence, Northwest Territories. Construction began in 2008 and was expected to be completed in 2010 but faced delays due to technical and financial difficulties. The bridge officially opened to traffic on November 30, 2012. The bridge replaced the MV Merv Hardie, the ferry in operation at the time of opening, and ice bridge combination used for river crossing.
Alberta Provincial Highway No. 48, commonly referred to as Highway 48, has been the designation of two separate highways in Alberta's history. The first was a north–south highway in southern Alberta, Canada that existed between the 1950s and 1979. It now forms the southernmost portion of Highway 41. The current Alberta highway 48 connects to Northwest Territories Highway 5 at the Northwest Territories border in Fort Smith NWT to Fort Fitzgerald and Hay Camp Road. The road was chip sealed in July 2021.
