1. Yellowknife. Capital of the Northwest Territories, grew up around a 1930s gold rush. While all of the miners tents of Old Town have long since been replaced, there is now a mix of wooden heritage buildings, arts and cultural institutions like the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, and a bustling community life fueled by the mining industry.
2. Nahanni National Park Reserve. Here, the raging Nahanni River flows through the stunning canyon scenery of the Mackenzie Mountains, challenging experienced canoeists and rafters. The South Nahanni River also tumbles over the 90-meter precipice of spectacular Virginia Falls, creating one of the most impressive waterfalls in Canada.
3. Wood Buffalo National Park. While the park was originally intended to protect the herds of wood buffalo that inhabit the area, it has also served as a safe haven for other important species, such as the extremely rare whooping cranes that nest in the delta region.
4. Great Slave Lake is North America's fifth largest lake and reaches depths of more than 600 meters in places. Though it's frozen for eight months of the year, it sees plenty of action. In summer, house boaters and sailors enjoy the freshwater. In fact, the lake is home to the Commissioner's Cup, the world's longest freshwater sailing race.
5. Hay River. On the southern bank of Great Slave Lake, Hay River is the southernmost port on the Mackenzie River System. Here, freight (mainly building materials and fuel) destined for settlements along the Mackenzie River and in the Arctic is transferred to barges.
6. Inuvik is the trading, administrative, and supply center for the western Arctic. From here, the many supply planes set off for the exploration bases in the far north to destinations such as the Mackenzie delta and Beaufort Sea. Sightseeing flights over the Arctic also take off from here.
7. Great Bear Lake. The shores of Great Bear Lake are rich in wildlife, with martens being particularly numerous. Grizzly bears roam the shores in summer, and the pinewoods are the haunt of elk in winter.
8. Mackenzie River is the second longest river in North America, and its catchment area covers a fifth of Canada.
9. Victoria Island. It lies well north of the Arctic Circle, where Ice-Age glaciers flattened everything into a rather monotonous terrain of moraines, drumlins, and glacial lakes.
10. Banks Island possesses rich tundra vegetation and is home to many animals, especially the more than 65,000 musk-oxen (Ovibus moschatus), the largest population anywhere in the world.