Wander in: Yellowknife

Hey you all. I have a great Wander In today from Nicole of Gypsy in Jasper. Her blog is always full of great new posts and I am absolutely obsessed with her outdoorsy life!  She is also inspiring me to head across the border more often to explore Canada. Hope you enjoy ....

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Hey guys! I'm Nicole from Gypsy in Jasper. I'm here with you today to chat about a place that's really close to my heart: Yellowknife. I lived there from 2010 until 2011 and intend to grow old there one day. Yellowknife is the capital of the Northwest Territories in Canada. It has a population of about 20,000 and it is incredibly isolated. (It's also the place where I met my Northern man, Ian.)

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1. Upon arrival, this is the first stop: The airport, because you sure as hell don't want to drive there. I've only driven out of Yellowknife and, boy oh! boy, that is a drive I don't intend to do again anytime soon. You see, it takes 18 hours to get to the next major centre: Edmonton. EIGHTEEN HOURS. You do pass through some fun little towns, though. I mean, you can stop at the only store in Indian Cabins and buy fireworks. Exciting, right!? So, yeah, first stop: airport. While there, be sure to get your photo taken with the taxidermic polar bear above the baggage pick-up.

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2. To get a taste of the local culture, this is essential: Visit Old Town – the original Yellowknife, which was settled in the 1930s. Here you'll find colourful houseboats floating on Back Bay, you'll see amazing new architecture, old shacks and log cabins from the early days, and you'll get to eat at Bullocks, where the service is gruff and tough and the fish is caught that day.

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3. To ride in style like the locals, I recommend this form of transport: Dog sled. I kid. I guess that would have been true back in the day, but these days, dog sleds are used as a tourist activity and a competitive sport. Most locals get around on foot. But, if you live on a houseboat, you might also get home by canoe – when Great Slave Lake is free of ice, anyway.

4. You will sleep like a baby here: On any couch in town. There are a ton of friendly folks who would happily take you in for a night or two, so be sure to sign up for Couch Surfers. I can almost guarantee you'll be sure to find an awesome friend who will gladly show you the town and put you up.

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5. Want a souvenir, take this home: You can't go wrong with a Ragged Ass Road street sign. Ragged Ass Road is an actual road in Yellowknife. It got its name while a group of guys were having a few beers in the old days. They ended up making their own sign and then eventually the road received an official sign from the city. But, after that, tourists kept stealing them, so now the people who live there have signs nailed to their homes. You can buy bumper stickers and Ragged Ass Road signs in all of the tourist shops in town.

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6. The locals and tourists like to get tipsy here: The Strange Range. This place is totally worthy of it's name (although it's actually called the Gold Range). It's an institution in Yellowknife. On any given night, there are young folks, old folks, southerners and Northerners all on the dance floor two-stepping to the house band: Welder's Daughter. Although you might not guess it by looking at them, this band is amazing. They play covers of all kinds of current and old pop hits, including tunes by the Black Eyed Peas and even some Cher. I danced my heart out at the Range more nights than I can count when I was living in Yellowknife. The atmosphere is like nothing else I have ever experienced. It's a MUST see.

7. The culture here is unique because: Yellowknife is a place like no other. It is incredibly transient and attracts only the most adventurous and often artistic people. It gets down to -40 C in the winter and has the midnight sun in the summer. It was originally settled by aboriginal people and then later attracted southerners when gold was discovered. The town was then settled by miners and prospectors. Now, the population is 51 per cent aboriginal and diamonds are the major resource.

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8. If I had 24 hours here, I would spend it this way: I would have brunch at the Explorer Hotel, go for a walk around Old Town, go fishing in one of the lakes along the Ingraham Trail, make a bonfire in the bush, have dinner at Bullocks, and then dance the night away at the Gold Range. Oh! And I would top the evening off with an early morning corn dog from Corner Mart, which I would eat on my walk home under the Northern Lights.