Pickup at your hotel or downtown or Old Town accommodation in Yellowknife
Yellowknife Bucket List City Tour
Best for a customizable half-day introduction to the city and its history, for groups of up to 15
Price on request
Request a quoteNorthwest Territories · Canada
Yellowknife tours and things to do
Yellowknife is the capital of the Northwest Territories, on the north shore of Great Slave Lake and 1,503 km (934 miles) by road north of Edmonton. Voyzo lists 4 private tours here: a northern lights evening, an ice-fishing night on the lake, a winter fat-bike ride and a city tour, each quoted by email for your group. Spectacular NWT lists two aurora seasons for the territory, mid-August to the end of September and mid-November to early April, and says the lights can be seen up to 240 nights a year.
4private tours, each quoted by email for your group
3–5 hourshow long the tours run: 3, 4 or 4 to 5 hours
−25.5 °Caverage January temperature, 1991–2020 (Environment Canada, Yellowknife Airport)
4attraction guides
Last updated 26 October 2026. Tours are quoted by email, so no prices are shown; weather figures are Environment Canada 1991–2020 normals, and opening hours, fares and events were checked on that date.
Tours
Yellowknife tours
Voyzo lists 4 private tours in Yellowknife today. They are quoted by email for your group, so no price is shown; send a request and we reply with the price. Listed in Voyzo's own order, the city introduction first, then the two night tours, then the winter ride: not ranked by price or reviews.
Showing all 4 tours
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Hotel pickup in Yellowknife
Yellowknife Private Northern Lights Tour
Best for an evening away from city lights with a photographer-guide who helps with your own camera or phone
Price on request
Request a quote -
Pickup at your hotel lobby in Yellowknife
Yellowknife Private Ice Fishing & Aurora Tour
Best for ice fishing for burbot from a heated hut on Great Slave Lake, with the sky watched for the aurora
Price on request
Request a quote -
Meet in Old Town, across from the Fisheries and Oceans garage
Yellowknife Winter Fat-Bike Tour
Best for a winter fat-bike ride along Great Slave Lake and through Old Town, with cold-weather gear provided
Price on request
Request a quote
Not sure which tour fits?
Tell us your date, group size and what you want to see. We reply by email with the tour that fits and the price for your group.
Check each tour page for what is included, where it starts and the cancellation terms. No tour can promise an aurora sighting, and ice and weather change the plan; we confirm what runs on your date.
Things to do
Things to do in Yellowknife
4 attraction guides for the places these tours visit. Opening hours were checked 26 October 2026.
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Old Town YellowknifeThe original settlement beside Yellowknife Bay. The City of Yellowknife's designated heritage sites include the Canadian Pacific Float Base (built 1946 on the Old Town waterfront), and it calls the Wildcat Café Yellowknife's oldest, most historic building.
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Great Slave LakeThe lake the city sits on: the Extraordinary Yellowknife visitor site calls it the ninth-largest lake in the world and the deepest recorded lake in North America; it freezes for much of the winter.
- Prince of Wales Northern Heritage CentreThe territorial museum and archives. Its website lists 10 am to 5 pm Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and 10 am to 8:30 pm Thursday.
- Nature's North Wildlife GalleryA gallery of northern wildlife in taxidermy at 7 Ellesmere Drive: Monday to Thursday 10 am to 5 pm, Friday 10 am to 3 pm, Saturday 11 am to 4 pm, closed Sunday.
Plan your visit
Plan your visit to Yellowknife
Seasons, getting there and a one-day plan, checked against official sources where they publish a figure, on 26 October 2026. Each block names its sources.
Yellowknife at a glance
Facts from the Extraordinary Yellowknife visitor site, Spectacular NWT, the City of Yellowknife, Environment Canada and the Government of the Northwest Territories. Where sources disagree, both figures are given.
- Where
- On the north shore of Great Slave Lake in the Northwest Territories. It is the territory's capital and, according to Spectacular NWT, its largest city.
- Population
- The Extraordinary Yellowknife visitor site says 20,000 people live in Yellowknife; it gives no census year.
- Land and name
- Yellowknife is on Yellowknives Dene territory. The most common Dene name is Somba K'e, which Spectacular NWT translates as 'Where the money is'.
- The lake
- The visitor site calls Great Slave Lake the ninth-largest lake in the world and the deepest recorded in North America; Voyzo's lake guide cites the Government of the Northwest Territories for tenth-largest, so the rank depends on the source.
- Weather
- Environment Canada's 1991–2020 normals for Yellowknife Airport give a daily average of −25.5 °C in January, 17.1 °C in July and −4.0 °C over the year.
- Time zone
- Northwest Territories Time, UTC−06:00, all year. The Government of the Northwest Territories says the territory ended seasonal time changes (release of 23 September 2026), so clocks do not go back on 1 November 2026, and that it now shares a common time with Alberta and Saskatchewan.
- Emergencies
- 9-1-1 for police, fire and medical emergencies (City of Yellowknife).
Sources: Extraordinary Yellowknife: about Yellowknife; Spectacular NWT: Yellowknife; Environment Canada: 1991-2020 climate normals, Yellowknife Airport; City of Yellowknife; Government of the Northwest Territories: end of seasonal time change.
How to get to Yellowknife and get around
Checked 26 October 2026. Routes and fares change, so confirm them before you travel.
By air
The Extraordinary Yellowknife visitor site says Air Canada and WestJet fly direct from Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. In summer, Air North and Air Canada add routes, including Ottawa and Toronto.
By road from Edmonton
Yellowknife is 1,503 km (934 miles) north of Edmonton, and the final 523 km (325 miles) are inside the Northwest Territories. The visitor site gives no driving time, so check road reports before you set out.
Buses in town
The City's fares page, which shows no effective date, lists an adult single fare of CAD 2 (checked 26 October 2026); children 12 and under ride free with a fare-paying parent or guardian. Buses do not take contactless payment: carry exact change or a pass.
Taxis and rental cars
Three taxi companies operate in Yellowknife, and the visitor site says there are no rideshare apps. Car rental is at the airport and around town, and an electric car-share service takes online bookings.
On foot
The visitor site calls Yellowknife an extremely walkable city. In an average January the daily maximum is −20 °C or colder on 16.8 days (Environment Canada).
Entering Canada
Visa-exempt foreign nationals need an eTA to fly to or transit through a Canadian airport, which covers a flight into Yellowknife, but not when they arrive by car, bus, train or boat; U.S. citizens are exempt but must carry proper identification. An eTA costs CAD 7 and lasts up to five years or until the passport expires (IRCC, checked 26 October 2026).
Sources: Extraordinary Yellowknife: transportation; City of Yellowknife: transit fares; Environment Canada: 1991-2020 climate normals, Yellowknife Airport; IRCC: eTA facts.
Best time to visit Yellowknife: season by season
Temperatures and snowfall are 1991–2020 averages from Environment Canada's Yellowknife Airport station. Aurora seasons are as published by Spectacular NWT and the Extraordinary Yellowknife visitor site; events were checked on 26 October 2026.
| Season | Typical weather | What is on |
|---|---|---|
| Late winter (March–April) | Highs of −10.6 °C in March and 0.3 °C in April; lows of −22.5 °C and −11.3 °C. April (281.9 hours) and March (269.2) have the highest monthly counts of clear hours (0 to 2 tenths of cloud, counted across all hours of the day, not only after dark). | The winter aurora season runs to early April (Spectacular NWT). The visitor site lists Snowking's Winter Festival, a snow castle, for March 2027; Snowking's website showed no 2027 festival dates when checked, only a carving symposium on 3 to 6 March 2027. |
| Spring (May) | Highs of 10.4 °C and lows of 0.1 °C. The average last spring frost is 24 May and the last snowfall 9 May. | NWT Parks lists 15 May as the 2026 opening date of the Prelude Lake and Reid Lake campgrounds. No aurora season is listed for May. |
| Summer (June to mid-August) | Highs of 18.6 °C in June, 21.5 °C in July and 18.4 °C in August; lows of 9.0, 12.6 and 10.5 °C. August is the wettest month, with 44.0 mm. | Spectacular NWT says visitors can stay out all night dancing under the midnight sun, and mentions a weekend music festival in the sand; check the festival for dates. No aurora season is listed for June or July. |
| Early autumn (mid-August to October) | Highs of 10.9 °C in September and 1.5 °C in October; lows of 4.2 °C and −3.6 °C. The average first snowfall is 3 October. October has 541.1 hours with 8 to 10 tenths of cloud, against 278.4 in April. | The autumn aurora season: mid-August to the end of September (Spectacular NWT), or late August to mid-October, when the clouds settle in (visitor site). NWT Parks lists 15 September as the 2026 closing date of the Prelude Lake and Reid Lake campgrounds. |
| Late autumn (November) | Highs of −9.0 °C and lows of −16.2 °C. November is the snowiest month, with 36.9 cm on average, and has 526.8 hours with 8 to 10 tenths of cloud. | The Yellowknife International Film Festival runs 4 to 8 November 2026 (visitor site). Spectacular NWT's winter aurora season starts in mid-November. Voyzo's lake guide cites NWT Tourism for the lake freezing from late November; ice conditions change every year. |
| Deep winter (December–February) | Highs of −18.0 °C in December, −21.6 °C in January and −18.0 °C in February; lows of −25.6, −29.4 and −27.4 °C. The lowest temperature in 1991–2020 was −45.8 °C, in January and February 2008. | The visitor site says winter viewing starts in December, when nights are colder and the sky is clearer. The ice-fishing tour goes out on the frozen lake and the fat-bike tour uses bikes suited to snow and ice; we confirm what runs on your date. |
Season dates change every year: confirm events and park dates before you go. The climate figures are Environment Canada's 1991–2020 normals for Yellowknife (Airport), a composite of two Yellowknife A records.
Sources: Environment Canada: 1991-2020 climate normals, Yellowknife Airport; Spectacular NWT: aurora; Extraordinary Yellowknife: aurora viewing; Spectacular NWT: Yellowknife; Extraordinary Yellowknife: events; Snowking's Winter Festival; NWT Parks: operating dates.
One day in Yellowknife, built from the places on this page
A plan built only from the stops on this page. Opening hours were checked on 26 October 2026; confirm them before you go.
- Morning: Old TownStart in Old Town, where the settlement began. The City of Yellowknife's designated heritage sites include the Canadian Pacific Float Base (built 1946 on the Old Town waterfront, the city's first permanent floatplane base), and the City calls the Wildcat Café Yellowknife's oldest, most historic building. Voyzo's Old Town guide places the café here and says it operates seasonally, so check before you rely on it.
- Late morning: the lakeWalk the shore of Great Slave Lake. Ice conditions change every year, so confirm any activity on the ice with an operator.
- Midday: the territorial museumVisit the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre. Its website lists 10 am to 5 pm Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday and 10 am to 8:30 pm Thursday. Its Visit Us page says it is closed on Mondays and that admission is free, but that page still lists 2025 dates for the late Saturday openings, so confirm hours and admission with the centre.
- Afternoon: the wildlife galleryNature's North Wildlife Gallery is at 7 Ellesmere Drive. It is closed on Sunday and closes at 3 pm on Friday; admission is listed on the gallery's own Admission page, so check it before you go.
- Evening: the skyIn an aurora season (see the table above), the evening is for the sky; the visitor site points to Astronomy North's forecast. Voyzo's private northern lights tour goes to a viewing spot chosen on the night, and no tour can promise a sighting.
- A second dayAdd a day on the Ingraham Trail (next section), a night of ice fishing or a fat-bike ride, or let the city tour shape the route around your group.
Sources: Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre; Nature's North Wildlife Gallery; City of Yellowknife: culture and heritage; Extraordinary Yellowknife: aurora viewing.
Beyond town: the Ingraham Trail and Dettah
Distances are NWT Parks' kilometre markers, measured from the start of Highway 4 just north of Yellowknife, not the total driving distance. Checked 26 October 2026.
The Ingraham Trail
NWT Parks says the trail (Highway 4) stretches 70 km to Tibbit Lake, with day-use areas along the way, such as Yellowknife River (km 7.7) and Prosperous Lake (km 19.7).
Prelude Lake (km 28)
NWT Parks calls it the largest developed park on the trail, with 79 campsites and trails from a short stroll to a longer interpretive hike. NWT Parks lists 15 May to 15 September as its 2026 campground dates; day-use areas are typically accessible year-round, but facilities may not be maintained off-season. Voyzo's northern lights tour names it as a regular viewing spot.
Hidden Lake and the Cameron Falls Trail
Hidden Lake (km 45) is a 3,000-hectare backcountry park with no established facilities. NWT Parks calls the Cameron Falls Trail a short, well-marked and maintained hike; a bridge above the falls gives foot access to Hidden Lake. The Cameron River Crossing day-use area is at km 54.5.
Reid Lake and Tibbit Lake
Reid Lake (km 59) has 63 non-powered campsites and 11 tent pads. Tibbit Lake (km 69.2) ends the trail and has no facilities; in winter, ice roads extend from there to Contwoyto Lake in Nunavut (NWT Parks).
Dettah
Dettah, a Yellowknives Dene community that Spectacular NWT says was founded in the early 1930s, is about a 25-minute drive from downtown, and the visitor site says the trip is even shorter in winter, when an ice road is built across Yellowknife Bay. Ice conditions and openings change every year, so check locally before you plan around the road.
Check before you drive out
On 26 October 2026 NWT Parks' advisories page listed nothing for the Ingraham Trail or Prelude Lake and no fire restrictions. Its campgrounds were closed for the season and reopen starting May 2027.
Sources: NWT Parks: Ingraham Trail; NWT Parks: operating dates; NWT Parks: advisories; Extraordinary Yellowknife: about Yellowknife.
Questions, answered
Yellowknife: your questions answered
Short answers, checked against official sources where they publish a figure, on 26 October 2026.
Still deciding?
Tell us your date, group size and what you want to see. The Voyzo team replies by email with the tour that fits and the price for your group.
Where is Yellowknife, and what is it known for?
Yellowknife is the capital of the Northwest Territories, on the north shore of Great Slave Lake and 1,503 km (934 miles) by road north of Edmonton. The Extraordinary Yellowknife visitor site says 20,000 people live there. It is known for the northern lights, which Spectacular NWT says can be seen up to 240 nights a year across the territory.
When can you see the northern lights in Yellowknife?
Spectacular NWT lists two aurora seasons for the territory: mid-August to the end of September, and mid-November to early April. The Extraordinary Yellowknife visitor site says autumn viewing runs from late August to mid-October, when the clouds settle in, and winter viewing starts in December, and that the lights can be seen on various nights over approximately 28 weeks. It points to Astronomy North's aurora forecast.
How do I get to Yellowknife?
Most visitors fly. The Extraordinary Yellowknife visitor site says Air Canada and WestJet fly direct from Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver, and Air North and Air Canada add summer routes, including Ottawa and Toronto (checked 26 October 2026). By road, Yellowknife is 1,503 km (934 miles) north of Edmonton, with the last 523 km (325 miles) inside the Northwest Territories. Voyzo's tours start in Yellowknife.
How cold does Yellowknife get?
Very cold. Environment Canada's 1991–2020 normals for Yellowknife Airport give an average daily high of −21.6 °C in January and an average low of −29.4 °C. The daily high is −20 °C or colder on 45.0 days a year on average, and the lowest temperature in the period was −45.8 °C, in January and February 2008. July's average daily high is 21.5 °C.
What is the best time to visit Yellowknife?
It depends on what you want. For the aurora, choose one of the two seasons above; Environment Canada's monthly counts, which cover all hours of the day and not only after dark, are highest for cloudy hours in October (541.1) and November (526.8) and for clear hours in April (281.9) and March (269.2). For the midnight sun, choose summer, when July's average daily high is 21.5 °C.
What is there to do in Yellowknife in winter?
Voyzo lists a northern lights evening, a private ice-fishing night on Great Slave Lake from a heated hut, and a fat-bike ride along the lake shore and through Old Town. In town, the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre and Nature's North Wildlife Gallery are indoors. Check each tour page for what runs on your date.
Do I need a car in Yellowknife?
Not for the town centre. The Extraordinary Yellowknife visitor site calls Yellowknife extremely walkable, says three taxi companies operate and there are no rideshare apps, and puts car rental at the airport and around town. The City's adult bus fare is CAD 2 (checked 26 October 2026), paid in exact change or with a pass.
Do I need a passport or an eTA to visit Yellowknife?
Check your entry requirements before you fly. IRCC says visa-exempt foreign nationals need an eTA to fly to or transit through a Canadian airport, which covers a flight into Yellowknife, but not when they arrive by car, bus, train or boat; U.S. citizens are exempt but must carry proper identification. The eTA costs CAD 7 and lasts up to five years or until the passport expires (checked 26 October 2026). Confirm your own requirements with IRCC.
Can a northern lights tour promise I will see the aurora?
No. No operator can promise a sighting, because the aurora depends on solar activity and clear skies. Voyzo's private northern lights tour picks the viewing spot on the night, from territorial parks and other dark-sky locations away from city lights, based on real-time aurora activity.
Is the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre open, and when?
Its website lists 10 am to 5 pm on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday and 10 am to 8:30 pm on Thursday, with the last Saturday of every month open until 8:30 pm (read 26 October 2026). Its Visit Us page says it is closed on Mondays and that admission is free, but that page still lists 2025 dates for the late Saturday openings, so confirm hours and admission with the centre before you go.
How does booking a private Yellowknife tour with Voyzo work?
Voyzo lists 4 private tours in Yellowknife, quoted by email for your group, so no price is shown on the page. Send your dates, group size and the tour you like; the Voyzo team replies with the tour that fits and the price. A booking is confirmed once you and Voyzo agree on it in writing (section 5 of the Terms and Conditions); sending a request books nothing and takes no payment.
Free quote
Tell us about your Yellowknife trip
Share your dates, group size and what you want to do: the northern lights, ice fishing, a fat-bike ride or a city tour. The Voyzo team replies by email with the tour that fits and the price for your group. Sending a request books nothing and takes no payment.
- Send the requestYour dates, the number of guests and, if you know it, where you are staying.
- We reply by emailWith the tour that fits and the price for your group.
- Confirm in writingA booking is confirmed once you and Voyzo agree on it in writing; payment follows confirmation.
Prefer email? Write to [email protected].
About
About Yellowknife
Yellowknife is on the traditional territory of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation, and the Extraordinary Yellowknife visitor site calls it Chief Drygeese Territory. Spectacular NWT says it was founded in 1934, and the visitor site says high-grade gold was found on Yellowknife Bay that September. Yellowknife became the territorial capital in 1967 and a city in 1970, and the visitor site calls it the service centre for three diamond mines.
Voyzo's four Yellowknife tours are private: each is for your group only, with the price quoted by email. Three of the four start with pickup at your hotel or accommodation, and the fat-bike ride starts at a meeting point in Old Town. Outings on the ice or under the night sky depend on weather, ice and aurora conditions; each tour page says what is included, and no tour can promise a sighting.
Why Voyzo
Booking Yellowknife tours with Voyzo
- Private tours, with the price for your group sent by email before you commit
- Tours run by independent local operators, all professionally licensed and insured1
- Booked direct with Voyzo: you deal with one team, with no marketplace markup2
- A free quote by email, and nothing is booked until you confirm in writing
- Facts and schedules on this page are checked against official sources where they publish them, and dated
Sources: Environment Canada climate normals, Extraordinary Yellowknife, City of Yellowknife, Spectacular NWT, NWT Parks, Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, Nature's North Wildlife Gallery, Snowking's Winter Festival, IRCC, Government of the Northwest Territories. Rankings and figures differ slightly between sources; where they do, this page says so.
- Voyzo's Yellowknife tours are run by independent local operators, all professionally licensed and insured. Each tour page says who you book with and, where it applies, who runs the tour. See section 10 of the Terms and Conditions.
- Voyzo takes your booking and stays your point of contact for booking, pricing and support (section 10 of the Terms and Conditions, which also describes Voyzo as booking agent for independent operators). A booking is confirmed once you and Voyzo agree on it in writing (section 5, quote requests and bookings).
Nearby
Plan around Yellowknife
The territory around the city, the southern gateway and another northern city.
Northwest Territories
Voyzo's page for the territory, with its destinations and tours.
See the territoryEdmonton
The southern gateway: Yellowknife is 1,503 km north of Edmonton by road, and the Extraordinary Yellowknife visitor site says Air Canada and WestJet fly direct from Edmonton.
See Edmonton toursWhitehorse
Another northern Canadian city with tours and attraction guides on Voyzo.
See Whitehorse toursGroup charters
Group transport with a driver in Yellowknife, from a 6-passenger executive SUV up to a 56-passenger coach, coordinated through a local operator.
See charter options