Mackenzie Delta — Reindeer Station Historic Relocation Site Viewpoint

Sitting on the west channel of the Mackenzie Delta just south of Inuvik, the Reindeer Station site is where the Canadian government relocated a herd of 3,000 reindeer from Alaska between 1929 and 1935 — a five-year arctic odyssey that became legend. The surrounding delta terrain is classic NWT: braided channels, willow scrub, and a horizon so flat it bends your sense of scale. From the water or from elevated ground near the Inuvik approach, the channels and islands stretch out endlessly. Best viewed at the shoulder season when the ice is off the delta and the land is green.

Access is via water from Inuvik or on foot from the delta margins — there’s no maintained road to the site itself. It’s a reference point and viewpoint for overlanders running the Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk Highway and wanting to orient themselves on the delta geography before pushing north. Cell service drops off fast once you leave Inuvik. Mosquitoes in July are legendary — bring serious head nets.

Where Canada's only reindeer drive ended.