About Hay River

Welcome to Hay River!

Hugging the shore of the Great Slave Lake, Hay River is the “Hub of the North” and also a hub of activity! Our small community of 3,500 residents boasts a large amount of activities and events, local attractions and the aspiration to return.

The summer in Hay River is bustling with activity, anything from our Fisherman’s Wharf, which takes place every Saturday to our annual Hay Day’s festival. Hay River also has beautiful beaches that rival some of the best in the Southern provinces and stretch on for miles. If you’re interested in exploring the area, we have several different waterfalls that are only a 25 minute to 1.5 hour drive from town. This includes the Alexandra Falls, which is great for a picnic, Louise Falls where you can set up a camper, up the road to Mcnallie Creek and Lady Evelyne Falls (see The Waterfall Route https://www.nwtparks.ca/explore/waterfalls-route). Our Hay River, which flows into the Great Slave Lake is a prime spot for fishing, kayaking or just taking a nice boat ride. The Town of Hay River also showcases a beautiful 9-hole golf course, which turns into an excellent cross-country skiing trail during the winter months. If you are interested in the history of Hay River, both the Visitor Centre and the Hay River Heritage Museum are excellent sources of information. The museum is open during the summer months and exhibit photos, artifacts and events, the Visitor Information Centre is open year-round.

During our winter months be sure to gaze up to catch a spectacular northern lights show as the aurora dances across the sky! This time of year brings out the best in Hay River as we host a number of winter activities that will catch your interest. Our annual Polar Pond Hockey tournament brings between 30 to 40 teams from across the territories, Alberta and British Columbia to compete in a weekend of fun out on the river ice. The area also hosts many other annual events; K’amba Winter Carnival, Ptub Cross-Country Ski Races, Figure Skating Ice Carnival, Santa Claus Parade, Midnight Madness and the Festival at the Forks New Year’s fireworks to mention a few. Outside of our annual events you can go snowmobiling, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, ice fishing, and dog sled racing almost every day during the Winter months.

Hay River is the Hub of the North so come and be a part of our Hub of Activity!