Heritage Route

This ferry operates daily on demand, from 8 am-11:45 pm from May through October. In winter, an ice road replaces the ferry.

Turn left with Highway 1 to go northwest to the community of Wrigley. Continue straight to travel to the main portion of the village of Fort Simpson.

Located on an island at the confluence of the Mackenzie and Liard Rivers, Fort Simpson (population 1,264) is the largest community in the region and the only village in the NWT. It serves as a base for accessing the Nahanni National Park Reserve and the Nááts'ihch'oh National Park Reserve of Canada.

Fort Simpson has a nine-hole golf course, a 32-site territorial campground and a conveniently located Visitor Information Centre that offers historical walking tours of the village. Local arts and crafts shops feature traditional Dene artwork.

This area was a primary meeting place for pre-contact First Nations and during the fur trade was an important location for the Northwest Trading Company (subsequently the Hudson's Bay Company). It is the oldest former trading post on the Mackenzie River; the "Fort of the Forks" was established 1803 and was later renamed Fort Simpson after the first governor of the Hudson's Bay Company.

The Snye is a shallow wetland ecosystem located between the main portion of the community and the southern shoreline of the river. Many different species of birds have been documented in this area, including tundra swans and snow geese, with many birds using the Snye as a nesting area, making it an excellent location for bird watching.

Located at the confluence of the Mackenzie and Liard Rivers, Fort Simpson Territorial Park has 21 powered and 11 nonpowered sites. Services and attractions in the town are within walking distance of the park, including the Ehdaa National Historic Site and Papal Site, where Pope Saint John Paul II visited in 1987.

To complete the Heritage Route, head northwest on Highway 1 for a 220.5 km drive to the community of Wrigley. The last Territorial Park along the route is at Fort Simpson but Wrigley has a community campground for visitors.

A favourite with local fishers, you'll often see people fishing along the Martin River when the pickerel/walleye or Arctic grayling are active. The one-lane bridge at this location should be taken with great care and reduced speed.

Shale Creek is a shallow tributary of the Mackenzie River. This small creek contains a one-lane bridge that requires caution and reduced speed when crossing.

The ferry operates on demand from 9-11 am and from 2-8 pm from late May through October.

The Willow Lake River winds its way from the Horn Plateau in the east to the Mackenzie River. Historically, Indigenous groups used the river to transport furs to Fort Alexander, Manitoba, during the fur trade era. The furs and supplies were then traded, and goods transported to market via the Mackenzie River.

With three different mountain ranges in sight, this scenic viewpoint offers sweeping vistas to the south, west, and east. Looking to the south of the Mackenzie Valley, you can see where it meets the Willow Lake River. The Mackenzie Mountains come into view when facing west, situated across the Mackenzie River and several islands. To the east you can see the beginnings of the McConnell Mountain Range, which turns into the Franklin Mountain Range a little further north.

This river cuts a channel through the McConnell Range in the east, on its way to the Mackenzie River. The river has substantial cultural and historical significance to the First Nation groups in the area.

Wrigley (population 110) is the northernmost all-season access point along the Heritage Route/Highway 1 road trip. This picturesque community overlooks the Mackenzie River, with views of the Franklin Mountains in the distance. Most of the Dene people in Wrigley live in log homes and carry on their traditional livelihoods of hunting, fishing and trapping. In the winter, the community provides a stop-over for vehicles driving farther north on the winter roads to the communities of Tulita, Deline, Norman Wells, Fort Good Hope and Colville Lake. There is also a community campground in Wrigley.