Only in Yellowknife: A Caribou Carnival and a Championship Dog Derby

On the last weekend in March, while winter makes its soggy, slushy retreat from southern Canada, the snow in Yellowknife is still clean and dry, and the ice on Great Slave Lake is frozen solid. For half a century (50 years in 2004), the city of Yellowknife has hosted “Caribou Carnival,” the largest winter carnival in the Northwest Territories. Held on the banks of Frame Lake, the “spring event with winter weather” features Snow Stage entertainment, snowmobile races, and feats of strength and skill.

The centerpiece of the Carnival is the world-class Canadian Championship Dog Derby, part of the World Cup of dog sled racing. Top mushers from around the world with custom-bred dogs and high-tech sleds compete on an 80-kilometre-long icy course that starts in Yellowknife and sweeps across the frozen expanse of Great Slave Lake before circling back to the city. Individual chutes funnel into a single plowed track. Stake out a prime viewing spot at Dettah Lake Crossing to see some of the best mushers and fastest dogs in the world.

While the Great Slave Lake race is the highlight of the Dog Derby, there’s lots of entertainment value in the weekend program. Watch a “Drag Race” with a difference, as teams of dogs attempt to pull a heavy-duty truck along a downtown course. Marvel at the animals’ strength during the “Strong Dog Pull,” and the finesse of their mushers on the “Heritage Race” course, a 4-kilometre route with tight turns, narrow trails and steep hills. This competition dates back to days when sled dogs were an everyday part of the northern life: racers are judged on their equipment, their speed – and their ability to boil water and make tea!

At -25C, your nose may be cold, but the Dog Derby’s roster of “Kid’s Fun Races” is sure to warm your heart. Watch the championship mushers of tomorrow manoeuvre their sleds and dogs.