The Dispatch
— Field notes from That Is Interesting —
Freezing in the Coldest City in North America: A Week in Yellowknife
When my buddy Carter and I decided to head up to Yellowknife, Canada for a week, I knew we were in for a serious adventure. Packing for a sub-arctic trip isn't like any of our usual budget runs where I just throw a few t-shirts into a backpack. When you're stepping straight into negative-degree weather, it takes heavy-duty outerwear, endless thermal layers, and a mountain of camera gear to capture it all.
Arriving in the Frozen North
After a long marathon of flights through Chicago and Vancouver, we finally touched down in Yellowknife around midnight. Driving into town from the airport felt almost eerie—the streets were completely empty, the air was bitterly cold, and a snowstorm greeted us the second we stepped off the plane.
We lucked out with a spot right on an arm of a frozen lake. Even when the entire city went black from a local power outage on our first full day, we didn't let it slow us down. We grabbed a solid breakfast at Sundog Trading Post, picked up groceries, and hiked up a hill near our stay for our first real panoramic look at the snowy town.
Short Days and Pink Sunsets
With only a tiny window of daylight each day, the light up here does some truly incredible things. By around 3:00 PM, the sun starts dipping low, painting the entire sky in brilliant shades of pink with the moon hanging right beside it. We spent our afternoons trekking straight out across the thick, frozen lake ice, visiting the local museum, and grabbing dinner back at our cabin.
Catching the Northern Lights
The ultimate goal of this trip was to see the Aurora Borealis, and Yellowknife did not disappoint. We picked up a few local beers from the brewery—specifically a batch called "No Lights Tonight," which turned out to be our ultimate good luck charm.
Around midnight, with temperatures hovering somewhere around -28°C (-18°F), the cloud cover finally broke. We suited up in all our heavy gear and headed up to the Bush Pilot's Monument overlooking the city. Looking up to see bright green ribbons of light dancing across the crystal-clear night sky made every single shivering minute completely worth it.
Quick Travel Highlights
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Favorite Breakfast: Sundog Trading Post (the warm cinnamon rolls are elite after a cold walk).
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Best Viewpoint: Bush Pilot’s Monument for panoramic town views and aurora chasing.
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Local Hangout: NWT Brewing Company.
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Pro Tip: Dress in more layers than you think you need—when that sub-zero wind hits, you'll be glad you did.