In order to ensure a safe venture to the North, here are a few suggestions:

• Summer driving

• Winter driving

• Ice roads

• Phone service for road, ferry & ice crossing status

• Weather conditions

• Road Travel Emergencies

• Northwest Territories Highways Map provides full information on all of our road tours.

• Specialized vehicles are not necessary to drive on gravel highways, but services tend to be far apart. It is a good idea to carry extra vehicle fluids, spare belts, some basic tools, flare, tow-rope, axe, knife & matches.

• Slowing down and pulling over as far as possible when meeting other vehicles, especially large trucks, will minimize rock damage to windshields and lamps. Protect your headlights with mesh covers.

• Drive with headlights on at all times - it's the law in the NWT, as is driving with your seatbelt fastened.

• Highways can be dusty in summer - to minimize dust inside your vehicle keep your windows closed and use your fan set to defrost with the heat off.

• Avoid sudden braking or steering to prevent sliding or skidding on loose road surface

• Traffic will be light, so you must come well prepared.

• Carry a shovel, sleeping bag, stove, matches, emergency snacks, and clothing for cold outdoor temperatures.

• Have a vehicle that is dependable and well-maintained. Ensure that all of your tires are in good condition, with lots of tread, and have at least one full-sized spare tire in good condition, two if your tire is an unusual size.

There are three ferry crossings in the Northwest Territories, but if you are going to be traveling here it is obviously important that you know where they are, and when they operate.

Use the Highway status report service to check on current road conditions and on ferry schedules at any time of the year. It provides a toll-free year-round phone service.

Each winter, after freeze-up has provided a thick enough bed of frozen ground, and a coat of ice on the lakes, a network of winter roads is cleared from the terminations of the permanent highways. They extend generally northwards, to service both mines operating out on the Barren Lands, and the communities that do not have permanent roads. These roads are the only way of reaching these remote communities, other than by air.

Warning: The Winter Access Roads are operational only during the winter, usually from mid-January to late March, but that may vary with weather conditions. They are for the most part privately built, operated and maintained, and offer no services, emergency or otherwise. There are short periods, at "freeze-up" in the winter, and at "breakup" in the spring, when the ice is not able to bear the weight of vehicles or clear enough for the ferry to run. At those times highway service may be interrupted for a short time. If planning to travel in the spring or early winter, make sure to phone the toll-free Highway status report first. Don't get stranded!. You use Ice Roads at your own risk.

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