Tulita (Fort Norman)

A Dene Community Where The Great Bear River Meets The Mackenzie, With Bear Rock Rising Above The Junction, A Fur Trade Post History, And The Cultural Landscape Of Sahtu Stories. A Small Community With Limited Services, Reached By Air, The Winter Road Or The River · Tulita, Northwest Territories

Tulita, once called Fort Norman, is a Sahtu Dene community of about 500 people where the Great Bear River joins the Mackenzie River in the central Northwest Territories. The Dene name Tulit'a is usually given as the place where the rivers meet, and above the junction rises Bear Rock, a tall limestone ridge that is central to Dene stories and to the prophet Ayah, whose visions are remembered here. A North West Company post opened at the junction in the early 1800s, and the community grew around the river trade. Tulita is reached by scheduled flight from Norman Wells, by the Mackenzie Valley winter road in cold months, or by boat on the river in summer. It is not a sightseeing town. There is no tour desk and no fixed programme. Visitors arrange river trips and guides through the band office, the hamlet office and local outfitters. Services are a store, a small lodge or guest house and a few takeaway counters (confirm). The river and the rock are the reason to come.

Tulita, a Sahtu Dene community of about 500 people at the confluence of the Mackenzie and Great Bear rivers, reached by scheduled flight from Norman Wells or by the Mackenzie Valley winter road; coordinates approximate, Tulita, Northwest Territories, Canada

Tulita keeps no visiting hours because it is a living community. The store, the lodge or guest house and any band or hamlet office keep their own hours, often a weekday pattern of roughly 9 to 5 with shorter days at weekends - confirm by phone. The Mackenzie Valley winter road runs roughly January to March when the ice holds, and river and boat trips run roughly June to September in open water. Winter is dark and cold, with aurora and few services for visitors. Walking the river bank costs nothing at any hour. Sundays and public holidays are quiet, so buy food and fuel the day before.

Tulita (Fort Norman) on Spottos · Explore more places on Spottos