The Territorial Parks and Campground system has grown steadily over the years and offers visitor and resident alike a wide variety of local and holiday options.

In the South Slave and Deh Cho areas there are also several privately operated campgrounds/picnic areas, most notably Paradise Gardens and Polar Lake.

Two National Parks, both world famous, also lie in our regions, Wood Buffalo National Park and Nahanni National Park. Wood Buffalo can be reached easily by NWT Highway 5; Nahanni is fly-in only. Charter flights are available from Fort Simpson on Highway 1 and Fort Liard on Highway 7.

Visitors will always find a warm welcome at the 60th Parallel Visitor Information Centre and Campground. Here you can learn about all parts of the NWT, watch some fascinating videos, examine the displays which come from all across NWT and laze around the grounds or listen to yarns from the staff or other visitors. Several programs take place throughout the season at the VIC and the campground runs down to the Hay River, where you can spend a quiet evening before continuing your journey north.

In Twin Falls Gorge Territorial Park, set yourself up amidst the jack pines at Louise Falls Campground. This is a delightful area, with plenty of safe space for children to play in and wear off some of that excess travel energy. You'll find many interesting and unique plants in the bog areas through which a boardwalk runs on the bank high above lovely Louise Falls. A spiral staircase beside the gorge wall leads down 138 steps to bring you to the last steep run to the water's edge, right where it roars over the precision steps of this fall.

At Alexandra Falls, just south of this campground, a series of viewpoints, trails and a fine, enclosed shelter make an ideal spot for a picnic. Then walk the three kilometre trail along the west bank above the gorge to Louise Falls.

If you want a spectacular view of the gorge and a restful place to browse for the day, with an area where you can safely wade, drop into Escarpment Creek Day-use area. Picnic shelter, water, wood, areas for play and walks. Want real peace and a sense of growing things? Paradise Gardens' operators Ben and Fran Greenfield provide fields of green grass for campers, RVs, picnickers, showers - and that ol' river is right there.

Polar Lake along Highway 5 is a small, delightful little lake with a tended camping and picnic area. This lake was first developed by people from the former Pine Point; it is now maintained through the Municipality of Hay River. Please note, no motorized vessels are allowed on this lake and it's a great place for quiet canoeing. An abundance of wild flowers make the region particularly lovely and you should see eagles.

As you turn south on Highway 5 to Fort Smith and Wood Buffalo National Park, stop in at Angus Tower to view a huge sinkhole. Picnic area and shelter areas can be found here. Little Buffalo River Falls Campground and day-use area has a network of trails that take you through several different ecological areas and allow observation of a re-growing forest.

In Fort Smith, Queen Elizabeth Campground has showers and a good number of camping bays in lack pine. On the outskirts of the town, the area is quiet and comfortable. If you're going into Wood Buffalo Park, check at the Park Headquarters building for up-to-date information on camping sites and then enter another world. Pine Lake Campground is about 45 miles from Fort Smith and offers canoeing and swimming opportunities.

Back on Highway l going north, Lady Evelyn Falls Campground is another lovely spot to spend a day or two with good camping facilities. Semba Deh Campground has showers, a central enclosed shelter and a number of bays for tenting and space for RVs. Walking trails on both sides of the river make this a nice spot to linger.

Fort Simpson has a well-serviced campground, part of the Territorial system - and a wonderful Visitor Information Centre, well worth a visit. If you decide to drive on as far as the terminus of Highway 1 toward Wrigley, camping facilities are at a minimum. (They're coming, though.)

Driving west and south on Highway 7, a stop at Blackstone Territorial Park is a must. On the south bank of Liard River, with a fine view of Nahanni Butte, this park also has a picnic and day-use area as well as the camping area itself. An elegant washroom facility provides the perfect end to a day of Leavening as you luxuriate in a hot shower. The Visitor Information Centre here once more offers a history of the area, the culture of the indigenous Dene people and a wealth of other information.

Another 100km on, you'll find a small, convenient campground at Fort Liard - make sure you visit the Craft Centre in this community. If your holiday is taking you to Yellowknife, after crossing the Mackenzie by ferry, visit Fort Providence, where you'll find a fine selection of crafts and a lot of history. A Territorial Campground runs along the bank of the Mackenzie -water, wood provided. See maps.