Fort Providence and the Mackenzie River Crossing

A Dene Community Where The Mackenzie River Leaves Great Slave Lake, Long Crossed By Ferry In Summer And Ice Road In Winter And Now By The Deh Cho Bridge (2012), With A Famous Bison Herd Of Wood Bison Along The Highway And The Fort Providence Dene Craft Traditions Of Moosehair Tufting And Porcupine Quill. A Stop On The Road To Yellowknife · Fort Providence, Northwest Territories

Fort Providence is a Dene and Metis community of about 700 people on the north bank of the Mackenzie River, just below the point where the river leaves Great Slave Lake. It lies on Highway 3, about 80 km west of the Highway 1 junction and roughly 300 km south-west of Yellowknife. For generations the river was crossed by ferry in summer and by ice road in winter, until the Deh Cho Bridge opened in 2012 and made the crossing possible all year (confirm the length and any toll status). The mission, begun in the 1860s, shaped the village, and local people still make moosehair tufting and porcupine quillwork that you may see at a craft stop (confirm). South of the village the road runs through the Mackenzie Bison Sanctuary, where wood bison often stand on the shoulder. A territorial campground, a hotel and a fuel stop serve road travellers. The village is quiet, the river is wide, and the highway north to Yellowknife is long.

Fort Providence, a Dene and Metis community on the north bank of the Mackenzie River at the head of the Deh Cho (Mackenzie) Bridge crossing on Highway 3, about 80 km west of the Highway 1 junction; coordinates approximate, Fort Providence, Northwest Territories, Canada

The village is open all year and the highway is kept open through the winter, but visitor services are seasonal. A craft shop or cultural stop, if open, keeps short summer hours, usually weekdays from about June to early September, and the territorial campground normally runs from about mid May to mid September, so confirm dates by phone. The hotel, store and fuel stop keep ordinary local hours, with shorter hours on Sundays. The Deh Cho Bridge is open at any hour. Spring breakup and heavy snow can slow Highway 3, and the long summer light lasts until nearly midnight in June.

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