The following is a list of territorial highways in the Northwest Territories of Canada. They are divided amongst Arterial Class Highways, of which there are six; Collector Class Highways, of which there are 23; and closed highways, of which there are two. Only some places in the Northwest Territories can be reached by means of highways.
Number | Length (km) [1] | Length (mi) | Southern or western terminus | Northern or eastern terminus | Local names | Formed | Removed | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Highway 1 | 690.0 | 428.7 | Hwy 35 at Alberta border north of Indian Cabins | Wrigley | Mackenzie Highway | 1949 | current | Longest highway in the territory |
Highway 2 | 48.6 | 30.2 | Highway 1 in Enterprise | Northwest corner of Vale Island in Hay River | Hay River Highway | 1949 | current | Shortest highway in the territory |
Highway 3 | 338.8 | 210.5 | Highway 1 near Fort Providence | Highway 4 in Yellowknife | Yellowknife Highway | 1960 | current | Also known as the Great Slave Highway |
Highway 5 | 267.0 | 165.9 | Highway 2 near Hay River | Hwy 48 at Alberta border in Fort Smith | Fort Smith Highway | 1966 | current | Passes through Wood Buffalo National Park |
Highway 7 | 254.1 | 157.9 | Hwy 77 at British Columbia border south of Fort Liard | Highway 1 near Fort Simpson | Liard Highway | 1984 | current | Packed dirt and gravel road |
Highway 8 | 272.5 | 169.3 | Hwy 5 at Yukon border | Highway 10 in Inuvik | Dempster Highway | 1979 | current | Canada's only all-weather road to cross the Arctic Circle; studies are being done to include a possible link to the Mackenzie Highway |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi |
Number | Length (km) [2] | Length (mi) | Southern or western terminus | Northern or eastern terminus | Local names | Formed | Removed | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Highway Aklavik Ice Road | 116 | 72 | Aklavik | Highway 8 in Inuvik | Aklavik Ice Road | — | — | Seasonal |
Highway Colville Lake Winter Road | 165 | 103 | Wrigley-Fort Good Hope Winter Road | Colville Lake | Colville Lake Winter Road | 2008 | c.current | Seasonal |
Highway Délîne Winter Road | 105.3 | 65.4 | Wrigley-Fort Good Hope Winter Road | Délîne | Délîne Winter Road | — | — | Seasonal |
Highway Dettah Ice Road | 6.3 | 3.9 | Dettah | School Draw Avenue in Yellowknife | Dettah Ice Road | — | — | Seasonal |
Highway Dettah Road | 11.3 | 7.0 | Dettah | Highway 4 | Dettah Road | — | — | |
Highway Fort Liard Access Road | 5.3 | 3.3 | Fort Liard | Highway 7 | Fort Liard Access Road | — | — | |
Highway Fort McPherson Access Road | 1.1 | 0.68 | Highway 8 | Fort McPherson | Fort McPherson Access Road | — | — | |
Highway Fort Providence Access Road | 5.4 | 3.4 | Highway 3 | Fort Providence | Fort Providence Access Road | — | — | |
Highway 6 | 90.0 | 55.9 | Highway 5 near Hay River | Fort Resolution | Fort Resolution Highway | — | — | Also provides access to the former community of Pine Point. |
Highway Fort Simpson Access Road | 3.4 | 2.1 | Highway 1 | Fort Simpson | Fort Simpson Access Road | — | — | |
Highway Gamètì Winter Road | 128.0 | 79.5 | Whatì Winter Road | Gamètì | Gamètì Winter Road | — | — | Seasonal; previously Rae Lakes Ice Road |
Highway 4 | 69.2 | 43.0 | Highway 3 in Yellowknife | Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Road | Ingraham Trail | 1965 | c.current | Provides access to Dettah (27 km (17 mi)) when the ice road (6.5 km (4.0 mi)) is closed. |
Highway Inuvik Access Road | 0.6 | 0.37 | Highway 8 | Inuvik | Inuvik Access Road | — | — | |
Highway 10 | 133.6 | 83.0 | Highway 8 near Inuvik | Tuktoyaktuk | Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway | 2017 | current | Replaced the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Ice Road; construction began 2013, completed 2017 and opened in November. |
Highway Nahanni Butte Winter Road | 22.3 | 13.9 | Nahanni Butte | Highway 7 | Nahanni Butte Winter Road | — | — | Seasonal |
Highway Sambaa K’e Winter Road | 126.0 | 78.3 | Sambaa K’e | Highway 1 | Sambaa K’e Winter Road | — | — | Seasonal |
Highway Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Road | 568 | 353 | Tibbitt Lake | Contwoyto Lake, Nunavut | Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Road | 1982 | current | Private road first built in 1982 to service mines and exploration activities |
Highway 9 | 97.0 | 60.3 | Highway 3 near Behchokǫ̀ | Whatì Winter Road near Whatì | Tłı̨chǫ Highway | 2021 | current | Opened in November 2021. |
Highway Rae Access Road | 10.5 | 6.5 | Highway 3 | Rae borough in Behchokö | Rae Access Road | — | — | |
Highway Wekweètì Winter Road | 235.0 | 146.0 | Whatì Winter Road | Wekweètì | Wekweètì Winter Road | 2019 | c.current | Seasonal |
Highway Whatì Winter Road | 100 | 62 | Highway 3 | Whatì | Whatì Winter Road | — | — | Seasonal; previously Lac La Martre Winter Road |
Highway Wrigley-Fort Good Hope Winter Road | 486.4 | 302.2 | Highway 1 | Fort Good Hope | Wrigley-Fort Good Hope Winter Road | — | — | 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. Thirty-four permanent bridges completed along route which can be used as part of an all-weather route. |
Highway Yellowknife Access Road | 3.6 | 2.2 | 49th Avenue, Yellowknife | Giant Mine Boat Launch Access Road | Yellowknife Access Road | — | — | Turns into 48th Street at 49th Avenue. |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi |
Highway | Name | Length (km) [3] | From [4] | 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 1,127,711.92 km2 (435,412.01 sq mi) and a 2021 census population of 41,070, it is the second-largest and the most populous of the three territories in Northern Canada. Its estimated population as of the second quarter of 2024 is 44,920. Yellowknife is the capital, most populous community, and only city in the territory; its population was 20,340 as of the 2021 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.
Aklavik is a hamlet located in the Inuvik Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. Until 1961, with a population over 1,500, the community served as the regional administrative centre for the territorial government.
Great Bear Lake is a lake in the boreal forest of Canada. It is the largest lake entirely in Canada, the fourth-largest in North America, and the eighth-largest in the world. The lake is in the Northwest Territories, on the Arctic Circle between 65 and 67 degrees of northern latitude and between 118 and 123 degrees western longitude, 156 m (512 ft) above sea level.
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.
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.
Fort Good Hope, is a charter community in the Sahtu Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is located on a peninsula between Jackfish Creek and the east bank of the Mackenzie River, about 145 km (90 mi) northwest of Norman Wells.
Colville Lake is a settlement corporation located in the Sahtu Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. The community is located 50 km (31 mi) north of the Arctic Circle, on a lake of the same name, and is northeast of Norman Wells. This settlement is the administrative office of the Behdzi Ahda band government. The community is likely named for Hudson's Bay Company Governor Andrew Colvile.
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.
The Northwest Territories is a territory in Northern Canada, specifically in Northwestern Canada between Yukon Territory and Nunavut including part of Victoria Island, Melville Island, and other islands on the western Arctic Archipelago. Originally a much wider territory enclosing most of central and northern Canada, the Northwest Territories was created in 1870 from the Hudson's Bay Company's holdings that were sold to Canada from 1869-1870. In addition, Alberta and Saskatchewan were formed from the territory in 1905. In 1999, it was divided again: the eastern portion became the new territory of Nunavut. Yellowknife stands as its largest city and capital. It has a population of 42,800 and has an area of 532,643 sq mi (1,379,540 km2). The current territory lies west of Nunavut, north of latitude 60° north, and east of Yukon.
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 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.