The Great Slave Lake lies in Canada’s province of Northwest Territories (NWT). NWT encompasses 1,346,106 square kilometers (519,735 sq mi) and as of 2021 from the NWT Bureau of Statistics, a population of 44,579, or one person per 30-square kilometers (km). The southernmost edge of the Great Slave Lake is 122 km from the Province of Alberta’s border.
The Magnificence of Great Slave Lake, Northwest Territories, Canada
At Great Slave Lake, summers last for four months in June, July, August, and September. Those months are pleasant and partly cloudy. Winters bring on a partially frozen or frozen, snow-laden, and mostly cloudy climate for the other eight months of the year.
The Great Slave Lake is resonant with a bounty of flora and fauna, pristine terrain, and white sand beaches. Visitors can reach the NWT easily by plane from southern and western Canada. Flights from Calgary and Edmonton to Yellowknife operate daily. Flights from Vancouver are seasonal. You can drive to Yellowknife, but it is more comfortable to fly.
How Did Great Slave Lake Get its Name?
Archeological sites are rich with artifacts from the ancestors of the Native Dene, known as Taltheilei people, who were in the Great Slave Lake region from 500 to 1840 B.C. Most sites collectively lie on the lake’s eastern shore. They spoke proto-Athapascan. It gets confusing from here.
The Dene First Nation people include the Yellowknifes and the Chipewyan and possibly the Dene Dogribs. The Dogribs are also known as the Tilcho. They speak native languages in different dialects, and in the Great Slave Lake region, French.
A group of Dene lived at Great Slave Lake called the Slavey, which was pronounced “Slay-vee” or “Slave” during the fur trade heydays. The Cree people called their traditional enemies called the Slavey, “Awokanek”, which translates to Slave.
The Cree raided and enslaved the less aggressive Slavey at times, the Cree’s neighbors to the north. The Slavey called the Crees “Enna”, which translates to enemy. Of the Dene group, the Yellowknife’s tribal name is T’atsot’ine.
Around 1825, Tilcho leader Edzo and T’atsot’ine leader Akaitcho made peace. It is believed that they guided the Sir John Frances expedition to the shores of the polar sea, or the Arctic Ocean.
The French word “esclave”, means “slave” in English, the word-for-word translation from French “esclave” to the Cree name, which is Slave, also what the Cree called the Awokanek. In English, the final “e” came to be pronounced “vee”. This pronunciation was first written Slavé and later Slavey.
We know how the Great Slave Lake possibly got its name, with “possibly” being the key word. The names of the Slave River, Lesser Slave River, Great Slave Lake and Lesser Slave Lake do not necessarily derive from the people now known as Slavey.
But, again these names could derive from the indigenous Dene people…Or the French…or both. The literal French word “esclave” means “slave” in English. The Dene word pronounced “Slay-vee” coincidentally sounds very close to the French word “esclave” and the English word “slave”.
Location of Great Slave Lake
The Hay, Slave, and Taltson Rivers feed the Great Slave Lake. Mackenzie River’s headwaters flow out of it. The Mackenzie River is North America’s largest northward flowing river. The river itself is 1,650-kilometers (1,025-miles) long and includes numerous tributaries.
The Great Slave Lake is in the south of the Northwest Territories Province of Canada, near Alberta Province’s northern border. The Mackenzie River headwaters form at the western end of Great Slave Lake. It flows northwest and empties into the Arctic Ocean via the Beaufort Sea.
The Mackenzie River Basin is huge at 1,805,200 sq km (446,074,634 acres/697,000 sq mi). It is the longest river system in Canada and the second longest in North America. This basin encircles thousands of lakes and is full of dozens of tributary rivers, which include:
· Arctic Red River
· Athabasca River
· Bonnet Plume River
· Great Bear River
· Hay River
· Kakisa River
· Keele River
· Liard River
· Mountain River
· Natla River
· Peace River
· Peel River
· Ramparts River
· Redstone River
· Slave River
· South Mackenzie River
· South Nahanni River
· Taltson River
· Trout River
About Great Slave Lake
The Great Slave Lake is the deepest lake in North America, the second largest lake in Canada behind Great Bear Lake to its northwest, and one of the ten largest lakes on earth. Its official maximum depth measures 614 meters (2,014 feet).
Professor of Earth Science at the University of California Santa Cruz, Slawek Tulaczyk, conducted bathymetric soundings in Christie Bay on Great Slave Lake’s northern arm in 2005 and 2006, and reported that there are trenches that reach even farther down, by as much as 30 meters (98.5 feet).
The Great Slave Lake covers a surface area of 67,213 million acres or 28,568 sq km (11,030 sq mi). It has a North Arm and an East Arm and a wide pool on its west. It contains an intricate network of over 2,000 islands, which lie mostly in the East Arm.
You can see the Aurora Borealis often at Great Slave Lake. The Aurora Borealis appears around 10 p.m. and becomes most active between midnight and 3 a.m., when the sky is darkest. The best views are on Great Slave Lake’s northern borders and in the northern towns of Behchoko, Dettah, or Yellowknife.
Great Slave Lake also witnesses the hypnotic phenomenon known as the Midnight Sun. The Midnight Sun occurs during the summer solstice. The sun remains visible in the sky for 24 hours, creating a surreal and magical atmosphere. The City of Yellowknife averages 1,034 hours of sunlight from June to August.
Information, Maps, and Outfitters at Great Slave Lake
For every outdoor activity available at Great Slave Lake, there are a plethora of maps of paddle routes and trails, tour guides, charter/travel options, lodging options, and equipment suppliers/outfitters. Wilderness and water safety survival skills apply. The most informative way to find out about any amenity or service is to contact the Yellowknife Visitor Centre.
Things to Do at the Great Slave Lake
East Arm
The East Arm is more popular than the North Arm of the Great Slave Lake. The East Arm is known for its excellent fishing and islands. The North Arm is beloved for sandy beaches and birding. Yellowknife is the capital of NWT. Restaurants serving up fresh local fish, galleries of First Nations art, unique log cabins, and colorful houseboats fill Old Town Yellowknife.
North Arm
The North Arm features a utopia of glacier carved, Precambrian rock islands. The many channels and bays of the North Arm are significant habitats for breeding birds, and attract over 100,000 northbound migrating waterbirds annually.
The shoreline of Great Slave Lake’s other communities include Hay River, the historic Métis town of Fort Resolution, Łutsel K’e on the East Arm, and Behchokǫ̀ on the North Arm. The Łutsel K’e community of about 300 Dënesųłiné, or Chipewyan Dene, is accessible only by air, boat, or snowmobile.
Thaidene Nëné National Park Reserve
Canada’s newest national park, the Thaidene Nëné National Park Reserve, stretches from Great Slave Lake’s East Arm north to the Barrenlands, a large tundra area in the NWT. Thaidene Nëné translates to “The Land of the Ancestors” in Dënesųłiné Yati. It is an Indigenous Protected Area of over 26,000 square kilometers. Catch a scheduled or charter flight to Łutsel K’e from Yellowknife to get there.
Mackenzie Bison Sanctuary National Park
The Northwest Territories is home to the vast majority of the world’s wood bison and the Mackenzie Bison Sanctuary National Park. Before the 20th century, Canada’s wood bison herds numbered in the tens of thousands. The wood bison sanctuary contains the world’s largest wild wood bison herd closest to Fort Providence, west of the lake. Wood bison are taller, heavier, and longer-legged than plains bison.
Exploring Indigenous Cultures at Great Slave Lake
When you visit the communities along the shores of the Great Slave Lake, you cannot help but to immerse yourself in the thousands of years of native culture. Towns facing the shores of Great Slave Lake or a nearby river/tributary of the lake are:
· Behchokǫ̀
· Dettah
· Fort Resolution
· Hay River
· Łutselk’e,
· Ndilǫ
· Yellowknife:
The NWT Bureau of Statistics 2021 census found that Indigenous People make up 49.6% of the NWT Province’s population. Indigenous experiences are the heartbeat of the Great Slave Lake communities. Visitors can listen to the legends and stories of the Aurora Borealis.
Great Salt Lake Indigenous guides operate tours in any season to hunt, fish, paddle, learn how the people preserve their culture, and understand their relationship with the land. These native peoples preserved their culture and traditions of living in one of the harshest climates on earth.
Fishing Great Slave Lake
Anglers frequently land lake trout from Great Slave Lake between 15 kilograms (33 lbs) and 25 kg (55 lbs). Record-setting fish tales surround the lake about catches of scale-crushing 35 kg (77 lbs). Great Slave Lake is famous for its behemoth lake trout.
Lake whitefish are the predominant species in Great Slave Lake, followed by cisco, and then white suckers. Other game species are burbot, goldeye, inconnu, longnose sucker, northern pike, and walleye. Anglers will find fishing day trip operators and fishing lodges, offering unforgettable fishing experiences on Great Slave Lake.
Paddling Great Slave Lake
Opportunities for canoe and kayak paddling in one of the most remote lakes in North America are endless at Great Slave Lake. However, the paddle tour guides recommend that visitors should be familiar with the basics of kayaking. Paddlers who take off on their own should be proficient in paddling.
Dramatic cliffs line the East Arm’s shoreline and islands, along with hidden waterfalls and hundreds of remote islands. The Macdonald Fault formed the iconic towering cliffs in the East Arm. Astronauts can see the magnificent formations found around Etthen and Red Cliff Island from outer space.
Camping at Great Slave Lake
Campers do not have to book ahead for a campsite or wonder if they will find a place to camp because of crowds at Great Slave Lake. But campers must primitive camp, follow the “Leave No Trace” policy, and access most areas by boat or charter float plane. There are no amenities.
To truly experience the regal natural environment at Great Slave Lake, NWT Parks highly recommends that visitors know the extensive regulations of camping in its province and parks, learn wilderness survival skills, and familiarize themselves with water safety precautions that are applicable to the NWT water conditions.
The most informative way to discover camping options, regulations, travel choices, and maps of Great Slave Lake is to contact the Yellowknife Visitor Centre. Even in one of the most vast and remote areas of North America, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, has grown into quite the cosmopolitan city with a population of approximately 20,000 in 2024.
Hiking Great Slave Lake
Hikers can find dozens of recreational trail systems and provincial parks across the Great Slave Lake region. Unimaginable scenery awaits hikers and backcountry campers. Follow in the footsteps of historic explorers and fur traders as they traveled overland and followed northern river routes.
The trails at Great Slave Lake range from short half-day hikes to trails that can take as long to hike for as much time you have to hike. Winter sports are alive with trails for cross-country skiing, dog sledding, ice fishing, snowmobiling, and snowshoeing at the Great Slave Lake via trails.
Great Slave Lake FAQ
Does Anyone Live on Great Slave Lake?
Yes, the communities closest to Great Slave Lake range from a recorded population of 227 in Dettah to 20,117 in Yellowknife.
| Town/Community | Population |
| Behchokǫ̀ | 2,057 |
| Dettah | 227 |
| Fort Resolution | 556 |
| Hay River | 3,796 |
| Łutselk’e | 336 |
| Ndilǫ | 321 (2016) |
| Yellowknife | 20,117 |
Why Is Slave Lake so Deep?
According to John Ketchum of the Northwest Territories Geoscience Centre, there are theories and debates about the mystery of Great Slave Lake’s depth. Some scientists and researchers say it’s an ancient rift, like the famous tectonic ruptures in East Africa. Others say glaciers eroding the brittle rock along an ancient geologic fault as they moved caused the lake’s great depth.
Is it Safe to Swim in Great Slave Lake?
Yes, it is safe to swim in Great Slave Lake. Visitors and residents can enjoy all the local areas of Great Slave Lake for all types of water sports and recreation. Parents need to make sure that young children do not put mud and sentiments in their mouths because of arsenic levels. Gold was discovered in 1896 at Great Slave Lake.
It would be 1935 before the arrival of commercial aircraft created easy access to the gold fields. At that time, eager prospectors with investment funds returned to the area. The process of mining gold before 1970 released large amounts of arsenic in Yellowknife Bay and Back Bay.
The Government of Northwest Territories (GNWT) reported in 2021, “Healthy water is of the utmost importance to the NWT and its residents…We continue to gather information on our water, through the GNWT’s regular water quality and quantity monitoring program, and will continue data sharing efforts as part of our transboundary water agreements to help ensure the waters of the NWT remain clean, abundant and productive for all time.”
Is Great Slave Lake Drinkable?
No, it is highly recommended to never drink water straight out of any water body. Because of the arsenic left behind from the gold mining industry, the residents of Yellowknife on Great Slave Lake pipe in their water from the southern flowing Yellowknife River five-kilometers (3-miles) away.
What’s at the Bottom of Great Slave Lake?
Dr. D. S. Rawson and the Fisheries Research Board of Canada sampled over 600 dredgings from the bottom of Great Slave Lake between 1944 and 1947. The researchers obtained samples at depths between 200 and 600 meters (656 to 1,968 feet).
They found that the lakebed of the Great Slave Lake contains single species of amphipod, ostracod, nematode, oligochaete, sphaeriid, and chironomid organisms. Approximately 40% of bottom organisms provided food for the main populations of fish in Great Slave Lake, and over 90% for two species of whitefish and two species of suckers.
Does the Great Slave Lake Freeze Over Completely?
Great Slave Lake begins to freeze over in late November and the ice remains until mid-to-late May. By mid-June, the water is open, and mid-summer is the calmest time on the lake. The lake is at least partially frozen during an average of eight months of the year.
In the wintertime, some portions of the lake freeze over with ice thick enough to drive on. Members of the Lutsel K’e Dene First Nation have observed that the ice on Great Slave Lake does not exceed a thickness of 3 to 4 feet (1 to 1.2 m) in most places.
Great Slave Lake is the subject of legends, myths, and stories passed down for centuries. From fantastical creatures slinking through its depths to stories of treasures hidden and lost, Great Slave Lake possesses an aura of fascination and mystery.
