Yellowknife Parks and Trails

Popular walking trails offer walkers, bikers and hikers scenic views of the city skyline and city lakes. There are some 17 lakes and 38 acres of parks and trails within the city limits. No one has to leave town to enjoy the wilderness in any season.

The trails lead past the Heritage Centre, the Assembly building and include several parks and playgrounds. Trails also lead to Fred Henne Territorial Park and the beach at Long Lake. Interpretive signage highlights northern flora and fauna.

Frame Lake Trail

Walkers, runners, cyclists, day-hikers and roller-bladers all make enthusiastic use of this well-designed trail which circles Frame Lake in the heart of town. Interpretive plaques highlight natural treasures along the lakeshore. A more rugged extension of the Trail takes you towards the Bristol Monument, Lakeview Cemetery and Jackfish Lake. Trail maps are posted at major intersections and red-tipped markers will help you navigate these near-wilderness paths. Trail Length: 9.1 km.

Niven Lake Trail

The marshy area alongside this interpretive trail is one of the North's most productive ecosystems, home to amphibians, waterfowl, muskrats and beavers. Some care is required to navigate rocky outcrops on the west side of the trail. To get there, head north on Franklin Avenue towards Old Town and turn west onto 43rd Street leading to Niven Drive where the trailhead is located beside a Canada Post box. You can also access the trail off Highway 3. Parking is available at the Northern Frontier Visitors Association building. Trail Length: 2 km

Prospectors' Trail

An exceptional showcase of Precambrian geology is accessible from the Fred Henne Park Campground. Hikers pass from lichen-covered bedrock to marshes where birds and aquatic mammals thrive. The rock trenches you cross along the trail were blasted by prospectors in the 1930s and 40s. Geological highlights are described in a trail guide available from the Northern Frontier Visitors Centre or the Fred Henne Campground Office. Trail Length: 4 km.

Yellowknife Ski Club Trails

Choose from an easy jaunt around the 2 km Snowflake Trail or a more challenging 10 km route. You'll see Great Slave Lake, and you could encounter rabbits, foxes, squirrels, wolves or lynx in this part of the forest. The trails can be accessed from the clubhouse, only a few km out of town on Highway 3; the turn-off is well marked. There are also connections from the Niven Lake Trail. A day-use fee of $5 can be paid at the clubhouse. Trail Length: 14 km