The 23 best things about summer in the North
This post originally appeared on the Spectacular Northwest Territories website.
Summer in the North is total euphoria. No darkness. No deadlines. No limits. Just an infinite wild wonderland and months on end to enjoy it. Here's how.
1. Fishin' at midnight
... or at midday, or whenever you darn well please. Our fish don't wear watches. They're biting all the time.
2. Waterfall rainbows
Holy geez, could this scene get any more magical? Maybe you're dreaming. To find out, go ...
3. Skinnydipping – briefly
Because nothing clears your head like a quick splash in a glacier-fed mountain stream.
4. Welcoming summer visitors
Our greeters have a wild side. Probably best not to shake their hands.
5. Watching the aurora above your campsite
Stay up late enough and you might see the sky go crazy.
6. Riding on car ferries
Yes! Free boat rides!
7. Sailing on Great Slave Lake
This billion-gallon lake has maybe 20 sailboats tops. Find a lonely island and call it your own.
8. Dining at the Wildcat Cafe
Yellowknife's legendary pioneer restaurant is open only in the summer. Make it your first Northern meal.
9. Napping on a riverbank
Snooze whenever, wherever, you get tired. I mean, it's not like you're on a deadline. It's your holiday after all.
10. Getting up close and personal with vivid tundra foliage
Lie face down and stick your nose in our Barrenland flowers. You'll be amazed – it's like a tiny jungle down there.
11. Roadtripping on dusty trails
There's a reason country tunes are always about dirt roads. They're romantic, lonesome, and wild. We've got 'em in spades.
12. Four-wheelin' on the beach
Look, sometimes you just want to giv'er. Quadding, as we call it, is a great way to have a splash.
13. Having bonfires
Because there's something totally primal about sitting around a campfire.
14. Fresh-caught shore lunches
Om nom nom nom. The only thing better than landing a fish is frying in up on the waterfront.
15. Watching birds on their breeding grounds
Anyone who thinks the Arctic is dreary and dead doesn't know anything about birds. Each summer they flock up here by the gazillions, turning the landscape into a soaring, hooting, honking, flapping madhouse. It's remarkable to see.
16. Getting in 18 holes after dinner
Golf is suprisingly popular up here. One great course is in Norman Wells, at the cusp of the Arctic Circle. It won't get dark here until, like, September. Fore!
17. Flying in floatplanes
Flying a small plane is cool. Landing on water? Even cooler. If we could pick just one vehicle to use for the rest of our life, it would be a floatplane.
18. Driving around with your kayak on your car
Who needs a home when you've got a car and a kayak? Adventure is at your fingertips.
19. Attending outdoor cultural festivals
Friends, food, and fun in the sun. What could be better.
20. Picnicking in the wilderness
Especially when the picnic beside a massive lake, or one of Canada's most amazing waterfalls.
21. Watching the snowline on the mountains recede
Our alpine snowcaps are like the world's biggest clock, tracking the passage of summer.
22. RVing to the top of the world
Climb in your Winnebago. Point it north. Don't look back.
23. Going paddling any time of the day or night
If you've never canoed at 3 a.m., you haven't lived.
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