The Mackenzie River flows grandly northwest across the Northwest Territories, pulling river after river into its embrace. The Mackenzie drains a fifth of Canada, making it the largest watershed in the Western Hemisphere, exceeded only by the Amazon and Mississippi Rivers. As it approaches the Beaufort Sea and the Arctic Ocean, this immense mass of water fans out to create a delta 150 miles long and 60 miles across.

Exploring the delta is not easy. Only a few locals live here, fishing in summer and trapping in winter. But out-of-towners can fly to Inuvik, on the delta’s eastern edge, from Canadian or Alaskan cities. Or they can drive the Dempster Highway, then venture out on guided boat and airplane trips. Visitors can also explore the boreal forest around Inuvik.

Inuvik is the hub of the western Arctic. Several hiking trails begin in town. Starting near the hospital on the east end to town, the Jimmy Adams Peace Trail follows the perimeter of Boot Lake for a couple of miles. Midnight Sun Tundra Nature Hike leads almost 6.4 kilometres uphill to Three Mile Lake, passing through boreal forest and up into the tundra.