Canada Guide
The North
Inuvik
INUVIK – "the place of man" – is the farthest north you can drive on a public hwy in North America, unless, that is, you wait for the winter freeze and follow the ice road carved across the frozen sea to the north. Canada's first planned town north of the Arctic Circle, Inuvik is a battered spot begun in 1954 as an administrative centre to replace Aklavik, a settlement to the west wrongly thought to be doomed to envelopment by the Mackenzie's swirling waters and shifting mud flats. Finished in 1961, it's a strange melting pot of around 3500 people, with Dene, Métis and Inuvialuit living alongside the trappers, pilots, scientists and frontier entrepreneurs drawn here in the 1970s when a boom followed the oil exploration in the delta. Today the local economy also relies on government jobs, services and the town's role as a supply and communication centre for much of the western Arctic.
The best option for budget travellers is the excellent Arctic Chalet, a set of cabins, most with kitchenettes, in a natural setting beside a lake, 3km from the centre of town off the approach road at 25 Carn St ( 
867/777-3535, 
www.arcticchalet.com ; Price: $41-60). There are three co-owned hotels in town that are similarly pricey: the big Eskimo Inn ( 867/777-2801; Price: $126-175) in downtown at 133 Mackenzie Rd; the Finto Motor Inn ( 867/777-2647; Price: $126-175), to the east at 288 Mackenzie Rd next door to the Western Arctic Visitor Centre, with a good restaurant; and the central and newly-renovated Mackenzie Hotel ( 867/777-2861; Price: $176-240) at 185 Mackenzie Rd. All are online at www.inuvikhotels.com . For an alternative downtown hotel, try the Nova Inn, 300 Mackenzie Rd ( 867/777-6682, www.novahotels.ca ; Price: $126-175). The nearest local campsite, the Happy Valley at the northwest end of town on Franklin Rd off Mackenzie Rd ( 867/777-3652; $10–20; June– Sept), overlooks the delta and Twin Lakes. The simple and peaceful Juk Park site ( 867/777-3613; $15–20; June– Sept) with pretty views of the delta, is quieter but 6km out of town on the way to the airport.
Eating possibilities are largely confined to hotel dining rooms where you can gorge on arctic char and musk ox; the best is probably The Peppermill at the Finto Motor Inn, serving wild arctic char for $27 and musk ox burgers for $14, followed by the Green Briar Dining Room in the Mackenzie Hotel. For coffee, soup and sandwiches, try the Café Gallery at 90 Mackenzie St. TheMadTrapper Pub, 124 Mackenzie Rd (Mon– Sat 11am–2am), is a locals' hangout that puts on live music, while the Cabin Lounge in the Finto is a more relaxed and cosy affair.