Northwest Territories Travel Guide

Featured Lists

Northwest Territories Essentials

Explore the vast wilderness of the Northwest Territories through its most significant natural and architectural landmarks. This collection includes Great Bear Lake, the largest lake entirely within Canada, and the unique igloo-shaped Our Lady of Victory Church in Inuvik. The list also features dramatic geological formations like the Nicholson and Pilot impact craters, alongside major waterways including the Lockhart River lake system and the cascading waters of Lady Evelyn Falls and the Cameron Ramparts.

9 places

Northwest Territories — Map

Climate & when to visit

Select a month

Typical weather in January

Poor

-25°–-21° · varies by region
-29° at night
5–7 rainy days · varies by region
1 sunny day
2 hours of sunshine per day
Dry air
Light breeze
-1°C · too cold to swim
UV index 0 · low
4 hours of daylight

Typical weather in February

Poor

-22°–-18° · varies by region
-28° at night
3–5 rainy days · varies by region
7 sunny days
4 hours of sunshine per day
Dry air
Light breeze
-1°C · too cold to swim
UV index 0 · low
8 hours of daylight

Typical weather in March

Poor

-18°–-11° · varies by region
-23° at night
3–6 rainy days · varies by region
19 sunny days
9 hours of sunshine per day
Dry air
Light breeze
-1°C · too cold to swim
UV index 1 · low
11 hours of daylight

Typical weather in April

Poor

-8°–1° · varies by region
-11° at night
3–6 rainy days · varies by region
18 sunny days
11 hours of sunshine per day
Dry air
Light breeze
-1°C · too cold to swim
UV index 2 · low
15 hours of daylight

Typical weather in May

Poor

2°–13° · varies by region
-1° at night
5–9 rainy days · varies by region
16 sunny days
12 hours of sunshine per day
Dry air
Light breeze
-1°C · too cold to swim
UV index 3 · moderate
19 hours of daylight

Typical weather in June

Good

9°–20° · varies by region
7° at night
4–10 rainy days · varies by region
11 sunny days
12 hours of sunshine per day
Dry air
Light breeze
0°C · too cold to swim
UV index 4 · moderate
21 hours of daylight

Typical weather in July

Great

13°–23° · varies by region
10° at night
6–11 rainy days · varies by region
7 sunny days
10 hours of sunshine per day
Dry air
Light breeze
5°C · too cold to swim
UV index 4 · moderate
20 hours of daylight

Typical weather in August

Good

13°–20° · varies by region
9° at night
9–10 rainy days · varies by region
6 sunny days
7 hours of sunshine per day
Dry air
Light breeze
9°C · too cold to swim
UV index 3 · moderate
16 hours of daylight

Typical weather in September

Poor

7°–13° · varies by region
4° at night
8–11 rainy days · varies by region
5 sunny days
5 hours of sunshine per day
Dry air
Light breeze
7°C · too cold to swim
UV index 1 · low
13 hours of daylight

Typical weather in October

Poor

-3°–3° · varies by region
-5° at night
7–13 rainy days · varies by region
2 sunny days
2 hours of sunshine per day
Dry air
Light breeze
3°C · too cold to swim
UV index 0 · low
9 hours of daylight

Typical weather in November

Poor

-17°–-9° · varies by region
-18° at night
5–11 rainy days · varies by region
0 sunny days
1 hour of sunshine per day
Dry air
Light breeze
0°C · too cold to swim
UV index 0 · low
5 hours of daylight

Typical weather in December

Poor

-23°–-18° · varies by region
-27° at night
5–6 rainy days · varies by region
1 sunny day
1 hour of sunshine per day
Dry air
Light breeze
-1°C · too cold to swim
UV index 0 · low
3 hours of daylight

This destination spans several climate zones, so these figures are a range across the region rather than exact values. Climate data: NASA POWER (MERRA-2); NASA POWER + Copernicus ERA5-Land and ERA5 · 1996–2025