Norman Wells is a small town of 800 people in the Sahtu region in the heart of Canada’s Northwest Territories and is even better known as the “gateway to adventure”. Only two hours by plane from the capital Yellowknife, its unique location on the north-eastern bank of the legendary Mackenzie River is truly captivating and inspiring. While mountain panoramas of the Franklin and Richardson Mountains rise of the horizon of the river delta, the Mackenzie Mountains of the same name rise up on the other side of the Mackenzie Valley.
A scenery that makes the small town the perfect starting point for a flightseeing paradise. Panoramic scenic flights take off in all directions over the mighty Mackenzie River and dreamlike mountain landscapes with deep canyons, past wild rapids, to remote lakes and Indigenous villages. The bird’s eye view offers spectacular views of many of the region’s highlights:
Dodo Canyon
Like a bit of the Desert Southwest transported to the Arctic Circle, Dodo Canyon is a red-rock badlands – a deep, scenic gulch carved out by a meandering river. The walls of the arroyo feature spires and hoodoos that would make Arizona proud. In winter, frozen waterfalls add even more dazzle.
Alpine vistas
The uttermost arm of the Rockies, the Mackenzie Mountains are Canada’s northern spine, dividing the Mackenzie and Yukon drainages. Peaks 9,000 feet high pierce the heavens, and alpine tundra reaches to the far horizon, wandered by mountain caribou, huge moose, grizzlies and more.
Carcajou Falls
Just one of several gushing cascades to be found near Norman Wells, Carcajou splashes over a stony escarpment, sending spray into the mountain air. It’s considered one the of most idyllic waterfalls in the North, and it’s almost never visited – except by lucky flightseers like you.
Further information on the Northwest Territories can be found at www.spectacularnwt.com.
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