Hay River and Great Slave Lake Shore

The Largest Community On The South Shore Of Great Slave Lake, A River Port Where Barges Used To Load For The Arctic Coast, With A Long Beach, A Fishing Fleet, An Old Fishing Village On Vale Island And A Dene Reserve At Katlodeeche. A Base For Fishing, Boating And Aurora Viewing, With Alexandra Falls And Twin Falls Gorge A Short Drive South · Hay River, Northwest Territories

Hay River sits on the south shore of Great Slave Lake at the mouth of the Hay River, the largest community on that shore and the northern end of the road from Alberta on Highway 2, about 1,100 km north of Edmonton. For years it has been a river port where barges loaded for the Arctic coast, and the Hay River fishing fleet still works the lake. The long sandy shore, the old fishing village on Vale Island and the Dene community of Katlodeeche First Nation give the stop a quiet, working character rather than a resort feel. Anglers come for pike, pickerel, whitefish and lake trout, birders for shoreline migrants, and aurora watchers for clear nights from about August to April. Yellowknife is about 450 km by road, so this is a base, not a day trip. Summers are bright and buggy, while winters are cold and dark. Confirm local services, ferry history and river conditions before you go, and ask the community before visiting Katlodeeche lands.

Hay River, the transport hub on the south shore of Great Slave Lake at the mouth of the Hay River, about 1,100 km north of Edmonton on Highway 2; coordinates approximate, Hay River, Northwest Territories, Canada

The shore, beach and river banks are open at any hour and cost nothing to visit. Shops, the visitor information centre, the museum or heritage displays and boat charters keep their own hours, commonly shortest from autumn to spring and fullest from roughly late May to early September - confirm by phone. Open-water fishing and boating run mainly June to September, depending on ice-out, which can come in late spring. Ice fishing and winter road travel run from about December to March when the ice is thick enough, but ice conditions vary and must be confirmed locally. Aurora season runs roughly August to April on clear nights. Public holidays are quiet, and some services close outside summer.

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