Mackenzie River

Mackenzie River is a river system in the Northwest Territories, Canada, that runs 1,738 kilometers from Great Slave Lake to the Arctic Ocean. It flows through low-lying land and splits into numerous channels that form a wide delta region before reaching the sea.

Alexander Mackenzie reached the mouth of the river in 1789, opening a major route for the fur trade through the northern territory. Settlers and traders used this connection afterward to reach remote communities and establish trading posts.

The Dene peoples call this waterway Deh Cho, meaning Big River, and have relied on it for generations as a travel and supply route. Inuvialuit settlements developed near its mouth, where families fish, hunt, and use the current for transport.

The river is open for navigation from June to November, when barges move between settlements and carry supplies. Those planning a trip should keep in mind that weather changes quickly and remote sections can be hard to access.

The delta covers twelve thousand square kilometers and contains many pingos, hills with ice cores that form from frozen groundwater pockets. These formations are rare in Arctic regions and give the landscape a distinct appearance.