Bush Pilot's Monument

Yellowknife


Perched atop 'The Rock,' a large outcrop in the middle of the Old Town, this simple needle pays homage to the gutsy bush pilots who opened up the NWT a century ago. Climb the stairs to the viewpoint to watch modern floatplane traffic and envy the people on polychromatic houseboats in the bay. Summer sunsets – if you can stay up that late – are stunning.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Yellowknife attractions

1. Old Town

0.03 MILES

Many living people are older than Yellowknife but, despite the fact the Old Town only dates from the mid-1930s, its ramshackle streets wedged between Back…

2. Yellowknife Cultural Crossroads

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On a huge boulder by the road there's a striking work of art: a soaring eagle, a whirl of colorful handprints and the skeletal outline of a tipi. In front…

3. Ragged Ass Rd

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Named by prospectors who had gone stone-broke (ragged ass), this road was immortalized in a song and album by Tom Cochrane, himself the son of a bush…

4. Great Slave Lake

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Yellowknife sits on the shores of Great Slave Lake – the 10th largest lake in the world and the deepest in North America. It takes its name from the…

5. NWT Diamond Centre

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A great place to buy your diamond bling, this gallery also provides a good overview of diamond mining in Canada's frigid north. The accompanying video…

7. Legislative Assembly

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In the impressive, igloo-shaped Legislative Assembly, you can learn about the territory's aboriginal-style government by joining their free hour-long tour…

8. Bristol Monument

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Overlooking the airport, this Bristol freighter, once operated by Wardair, became the first ever plane to land at the North Pole in 1967.