Fort Liard
Deh Cho Region, Northwest Territories, Canada

Fort Liard

Fort Liard, also refered to as, "the tropics of the north", it is a small village located in the Deh Cho Region of the Northwest Territory, Canada. The village is situated in the southwest bottom corner of the region in the Liard Valley surrounded by wildlife and rivers. Other communities in the Deh Cho Region include Trout Lake, Fort Providence and Enterprise.

The community rests on the banks of the Petitot and Laird Rivers. To the west are the Laird, La Biche and and Kotaneelee Mountain Ranges. To the east is a boreal forest. 23 kilometres to the south is the British Columbia / Northwest Territory Border. And to the north is the Nahanni Butte National Park Reserve .

Fort Liard, N.W.T. is a transportation, recreation and art destination located on the Liard Highway. It is the main highway accessing the village. The industry in the region is oil and gas. Fort Liard is often a main gas refueling station for travelers when in the region.

Some of the tourism servcies in the community important to travelers include accommodations, floatplane charters, Internet, ATM, gas station, grocery store, restaurant and art galleries. The First Nation artists in the village are best known for their work in birch bark and porcupine quill.

Tour groups are few in the village and many of the activities are self guided. Some of the more popular summer activities include hiking, flightseeing, canoeing, rafting, fishing, boating and birdwatching. There are wilderness camps set up on the rivers for fishing and trapping.

During the winter months the rivers freeze over, the temperatures drop, snow falls and the days get shorter. The surrounding rivers, trails and gravel roads become popular snowmobile routes and transportation routes for accessing ice fishing huts and cabins.

The rivers and the surrounding boreal forest are home to many species of Northwest Territory wildlife. The village, itself, is on the migratory path for many birds. Some of the wildlfie in the region include beaver, moose, bison, mountain sheep, black bears, lynx, caribou and even grizzly bears.