DriveNWT Cameras — Live Road Cameras & Map
All DriveNWT cameras — interactive statewide map
About this map
The Northwest Territories runs a small public camera network through DriveNWT, the Government of the Northwest Territories' (GNWT) highway conditions map. It is a far-north system, not a dense one: roughly a dozen cameras are spread across thousands of kilometres of highway, posted at a handful of strategic spots like the approaches to Yellowknife, the Hay River turnoff, Fort Providence, Fort Simpson, Fort Liard, Buffalo Junction near Fort Smith, and Inuvik on the Dempster. Think of them as occasional spot-checks on a few key highways rather than continuous coverage. Between camera sites you can drive for hundreds of kilometres with no live view at all, so plan to combine these images with DriveNWT's road and ferry status reports and a healthy margin of caution.
The cameras sit on the territory's main road spine. Highway 1, the Mackenzie Highway, climbs north from the Alberta border at the 60th parallel through Enterprise, Fort Providence, and on toward Fort Simpson. Highway 2 branches to Hay River on Great Slave Lake, Highway 3 (the Yellowknife Highway) crosses the Mackenzie River on the Deh Cho Bridge and runs through Behchokǫ̀ to the capital, Highway 5 reaches Fort Smith through Wood Buffalo country, Highway 7 (the Liard Highway) drops south to Fort Liard and the BC border, and Highway 8 is the NWT leg of the Dempster Highway to Fort McPherson and Inuvik. A camera looking clear in Yellowknife tells you little about conditions 1,100 km away on the Dempster, so check the site nearest your actual route.
One thing these cameras do not show is a road-surface sensor reading. DriveNWT has no road-weather stations of its own, so each camera is paired with the nearest Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) weather station for air temperature and wind. In the far north that station can be a long way from the camera, so treat the number as a regional reading, not an on-road measurement: it is a useful clue about whether you are looking at a −5 thaw or a −40 deep freeze, but it will not tell you about black ice on the bridge deck or a drifting stretch ten kilometres up the road. Pair the picture and the regional reading with current GNWT advisories before you commit to a long, service-free drive.
Northwest Territories regions covered
Tap an area chip on the map to jump straight to any of these regions.
Territory-wide
The full DriveNWT network at a glance, a dozen or so cameras scattered from the Alberta line in the south to Inuvik in the Mackenzie Delta. Use this view to grasp how thin the coverage really is: a handful of sites on Highways 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, and 10, with vast service-free gaps in between. It is the right starting point for a long territorial drive, but always zoom to the highway you are actually traveling and lean on GNWT road and ferry status reports for everything the cameras cannot see.
Yellowknife
The capital and home to roughly half the territory's population sits at the end of Highway 3, the Yellowknife Highway. Cameras here cover the western approach into the city near Deh Cho Boulevard and the Dettah junction at the start of Highway 4, the Ingraham Trail. Highway 3 is the only road in or out, a fact that became starkly clear during the August 2023 wildfire evacuation, so a clear approach view matters. The nearest ECCC station gives air temperature and wind, but watch separately for blowing snow and bison near the highway.
Southern Highways
The territory's road gateway, where Highway 1 (the Mackenzie Highway) enters from Alberta at the 60th parallel and threads through Enterprise, Fort Providence, and Fort Simpson, with Highway 2 branching to Hay River on Great Slave Lake, Highway 5 reaching Fort Smith at Buffalo Junction, and Highway 7 (the Liard Highway) heading to Fort Liard and the BC border. Cameras spot-check these routes at a few key points. Watch for wood bison between Fort Providence and Behchokǫ̀, and for seasonal ferry and ice-crossing closures on the Liard.
Dempster & Inuvik
The far-north end of the road system, where Highway 8 (the NWT section of the Dempster Highway) runs to Fort McPherson, the Mackenzie River ferry crossing at Tsiigehtchic, and Inuvik in the Mackenzie Delta, with Highway 10 carrying on to Tuktoyaktuk and the Arctic Ocean. The camera at Inuvik is a rare live window on this remote gravel corridor. Coverage is minimal and the gaps enormous, so treat these images as a single data point and check Dempster ferry status, weather, and closures before committing to the drive.
Tips for using Northwest Territories road cameras
- Treat the temperature and wind figure beside each camera as the nearest ECCC weather station's reading, not an on-road sensor. In the far north that station can sit a long way from the camera, so it tells you the regional picture, not whether the bridge deck ahead is iced.
- This is a thin network, around a dozen cameras across the whole territory. Between sites you can drive hundreds of kilometres with no live view, so always pair the cameras with DriveNWT's written road, ferry, and closure status for your specific route.
- Check ferry and ice-crossing status before any drive that depends on one. The Liard River (Lafferty) ferry on Highway 7 and the Tsiigehtchic ferry on the Dempster both shut down during fall freeze-up and spring break-up, when neither the boat nor the ice road can run.
- Watch for wood bison on Highway 3 between Fort Providence and Behchokǫ̀, near the Mackenzie Bison Sanctuary. These are large, dark animals that are hard to see at dusk and after dark; slow down and give them room, especially in the August-to-November collision season.
- Respect the cold. Deep-winter temperatures here run to −40°C and below with long hours of darkness, and a breakdown on a remote stretch is a genuine emergency. Carry winter survival gear, extra fuel, and a way to call for help that does not depend on cell coverage.
- In summer, factor in wildfire. Smoke can cut visibility and fires can close highways with little notice, as the 2023 Yellowknife evacuation showed when Highway 3, the city's only road, filled bumper-to-bumper. Check GNWT advisories before and during fire-season travel.
All DriveNWT cameras by corridor
A complete directory of all 12 DriveNWT traffic cameras, grouped by highway and corridor.
Hwy 3 cameras (4)
- Hwy 3 · Behchokǫ̀
- Hwy 3 · Fort Providence
- Hwy 3 · Yellowknife
- Hwy 3 · Yellowknife
Hwy 1 cameras (2)
- Hwy 1 · Enterprise
- Hwy 1 · Fort Simpson
Hwy 2 cameras (2)
- Hwy 2 · Hay River
- Hwy 2 · Hay River
Hwy 8 cameras (2)
- Hwy 8 · Inuvik (Dempster)
- Hwy 8 · Inuvik (Dempster)
Hwy 6 cameras (1)
- Hwy 6 · Fort Resolution
Hwy 7 cameras (1)
- Hwy 7 · Fort Liard
Live road cameras in other states
The same fast camera map for the other states we cover.
Northwest Territories road camera guides
In-depth guides to the highways, passes and destinations we cover here.