Best Things to do in Inuvik, NWT

I spent nearly 6 days traveling the nearly 1,100 miles of the Dempster Highway in Yukon and Northwest Territories.   I spent 2 nights (and almost a 3^rd night due to rain) in Inuvik and got a chance to do many of the activities around town.  These are the best things to do in Inuvik, NWT. 

Check Out the Community Bulletin Boards

Most of the activities around town are only open for a few hours or days per week.  There are also multiple free activities in the afternoon and evenings most days.  The best way to find the most up-to-date information about these is at the bulletin boards in the two city campgrounds or the Inuvik city or Western Arctic Visitor Centers.  If you can’t make it to one of those, there are also bulletin boards at the library and Northern Store. 

Inuvik Igloo Church

The Igloo Church is the most iconic building in town, and an active Catholic Church.  It’s possible to tour the church a few times per week (check bulletin boards for latest hours).  The tour includes an interesting video about the construction of the church.  The guy who designed the church had no engineering or architectural background. 

Do some of the Free Activities Around Town

The Inuvik city Visitor Center and the Western Arctic Regional Visitor Center regularly schedule cultural events in the afternoon and evening.  Events include movie nights or tea with the elders in the Chief Jim Koe Park in the center of town.  Cultural events at the Western Arctic Center include storytime and free cooking and arts classes.  I took a dream catcher making class and got to hang out with some locals and tourists alike.  One evening I watched two NWT movies in the park – a documentary about placing the Canadian flag on the bit of land closest to the North Pole.  The other was a fictional movie about a young woman to was forced to go from the big city to stay with her grandmother in Fort McPherson, one of the towns in which I stopped along the Dempster Highway. 

Western Arctic Regional Visitor Center

This is a really great visitor center and a good place to kill a couple hours if the weather is bad or the Dempster Highway driving conditions are bad.  They have displays on aurora, animals, and local culture.  They have loads of different videos on demand.  I watched a couple videos, and highly recommend the video on the last year of the Ice Road between Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk.  Don’t forget to pick up your free certificate here commemorating your crossing of the Arctic Circle!

Day (or Overnight) Trip up to Tuktoyaktuk, NWT

If you’ve made it as far as Inuvik, you absolutely must drive the last 90 miles to Tuktoyaktuk and the Arctic Ocean.  I met one woman who had bicycled to Inuvik and wasn’t going to ride to Tuk – I told her she must find someone to hitch a ride to visit the unique site at the end of the world.   If you don’t have transport (or don’t want to drive your vehicle up there), there are a couple tour operators around Inuvik which will take you, but it’s spendy. 

Soak or Swim at the Aquatic Centre at the Midnight Sun Complex

You can swim, ride the waterslide, sit in the sauna or steam room, ride the lazy river, or soak in the hot tub all year long at the aquatic centre.   The hot tub is especially inviting after a chilly trip up to Tuktoyaktuk.

Tour the Inuvik Community Garden

This summer-only greenhouse is a converted hockey rink.  The community garden gives tours a few times per week in the late afternoon for a small donation. 

Stop into the Airport to see the Polar Bear

It’s worth the stop into the airport to see the stuffed polar bear (don’t worry, a sign tells you it died of natural causes).  You can also eat lunch or breakfast at the Cloud 9 cafe, one of the best places to eat in town.

See the Midnight Sun Mosque

Inuvik is home to one of the northernmost mosques in the work (there’s one in Russia that’s 1 degree further north). 

Attend a Town Festival

I was hoping to time my visit with the Great Northern Arts Festival in July, a festival showcasing local arts.  But summer 2019 had loads of wildfires and heavy smoke in the Arctic in July so I headed south to the Atlin Arts and Music Festival instead.   But the most interesting sounding festival is the Sunrise festival, held in January after the 30 days of constant winter darkness. 

Stop Into the Library

If you need access to wifi, the best place in town is the local library. 

Check Out the Shopping

If you want to appreciate the shopping prices from your hometown, stop into the Northern Store to check out the grocery prices.   In addition to groceries and a KFC express, this shop sells everything from clothing to $18,000 snowmobiles.   There are also a few shops around selling art and souvenirs.  I found the selection here was much better than the souvenir shop in Tuktoyaktuk.

Where to Stay in Inuvik

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I like to camp for free when I can, but there weren’t any clearly great free places to camp between Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk (in fact, Tuk has security guards that will wake you up in the night if you try to free camp too close to town).  For $24 CAD, you can camp at one of the two Northwest Territories Campgrounds in Inuvik –  the Happy Valley Campground is right in town, and the Jak Campground is between the town and the airport.  I stayed at Jak Campground which had really great hot and clean showers included in the camping fees.    If you’re not camping, or want a break from the weather, there are several good motels in Inuvik (Oil company workers often have to visit for work).  Check Rates and Availability in Inuvik. 

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