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Yellowknife Old Town Photo Gallery


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Aurora tours typically pick up at around 9pm and drop you back at your hotel by 2am. Sleep in and do some brief outdoor activities during the daytime, from dog-sledding and ice-fishing to a walking tour of the city's attractions.

The Old Town deserves 2-3 hours of your time. Just walk downhill along Franklin Avenue, the city's main thoroughfare, past the Days Inn. It takes about 10-15 minutes before you reach the first attractions in the Old Town. The furthest end of the walking tour would be the hill in the distance.

Ragged Ass Road was originally named by prospectors who had gone broke. This part of town orginally had an unorganized mix of shacks and outhouses. It became a popular street sign to steal although souvenir copies can now be bought instead. Nicer domes dot both sides nowadays.

This backyard actually fronts Great Slave Lake, which is frozen and snow-covered for the season so it looks like it has merged with land.

With the lake frozen over, it is possible to drive across the lake to Dettah, an indigeneous community. Houseboats on the lake have also frozen over.

Besides Ragged Ass Road, nice homes also dot its neighbour, Bryson Drive.

To combat bitter cold winter temperatures, cars have electric cords at the front so when they park, they can plug in to keep the equipment warm.

Many of these northern communities are not easily accessible due to distance and harsh weather conditions. Hence, air travel is crucial for both passengers and cargo in this vast wilderness. The Pilot's Monument celebrates bush pilots from yesteryear with a simple structure on top of a hill commanding lovely views of the city. From the ice road, it is only a short uphill walk.

With the lake frozen, it is possible for planes to land on the ice as well. A make-shift runway was shoveled off the lake and these small planes are able to safely land in the Old Town.

Happily satisfied with the views, I now head back to my hotel through a few other side streets to the west side of the lakefront.

Yellowknife has a bus service with 3 routes, and I did spot a few buses rumble by every now and then during my walk. However, with heavy winter gear, it is perfectly possible to walk around on your own, popping into a shop every now and then to warm up.

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