Historically, the north shore of Great Slave Lake was home to the Yellowknives and Tlicho Dene. Their descendants continue to live in the Yellowknife region, some in the adjoining communities of Dettah, Ndilo and Behchoko. Explorers in the late 18th and early 19th centuries recorded their visits to the Yellowknife area. First was Samuel Hearne in 1770, followed some 50 years later by Sir John Franklin on his epic journey to the Arctic Coast. Hearne’s meeting with the Dene took place in a bay near the Yellowknife River, just outside the current city of Yellowknife.

Yellowknife sits on the northern shore of Great Slave Lake and the big lake is important for birds. Thousands of gulls, terns, ducks, shorebirds and songbirds nest on its islands, in its marshes and along its shoreline. Many more stop in and around Yellowknife during migration.

Niven Lake, a small lake a five minute walk from downtown Yellowknife is a favourite resting stop for migrating birds after the long flight across Great Slave Lake. In May, dozens of species stop here, attracted by its early ice free surface and nutrient-rich waters.

Summer in Yellowknife starts in June, and by the summer solstice on June 21, our summer activities are in full swing. On the longest day of the year, we celebrate with summer festivities such as a midnight sun golf tournament and a day-long tribute to Indigenous culture and peoples. By June, shorts and sandals have replaced parkas and boots and everyone is outside, paying homage to the sun at midnight.

Yellowknife has a summer to rival almost any in Canada, and here are some of our local's favourite things to do:

Thanks to Yellowknife's prime spot below the auroral oval, our community is the best place in the North, and the world, to view the Northern Lights. If your goal is to see a dazzling Aurora Borealis show, with the lights spiralling all around you, Yellowknife is the place to see it! You'll be picking your jaw off of the ground when you leave, with a memorable story and photos to show your friends and family. 

Yellowknife is perched on the shore of one of the largest and deepest lakes in the world – a lake renowned for its trophy-sized lake trout and great northern pike.

But that’s not all.  Dozens of smaller lakes accessible from Yellowknife also offer excellent fishing and Yellowknife is the starting point for many fly-in fishing lodges, usually the only lodge on a lake at least 10 miles long.