2023
November 2023
Winter has settled in; the ground is blanketed in snow, and it feels like it’s been a long time since we were at the lodge.
2023 Season
The 2023 was a mixed blessing; it was an unusual year as our season came to an unexpected end due to the threat of wildfires around Yellowknife. As many of you may know, the City of Yellowknife (which is the hub and starting location for our lodge trips), and some other Northwest Territories communities were evacuated mid-August, consequently we had to cancel half of our season. Luckily, Yellowknife did not sustain any damage from the fire, nor did the lodge; the landscape around Yellowknife changed as firebreaks were created in and around the city to mitigate wildfire threat, they will help keep our city safe in the future.
We are incredibly grateful to the businesses, organizations and governments who assisted in the efforts to keep our city safe. Also, our thanks to all of our guests for the emails, phone calls, messages of concern and offers of support. We always say that we have the best guests in the north, and your care, friendship and support during this challenging time showed that to be true.
Prior to the evacuation, it was a great start to the season with virtually no bugs; guests and staff were able to enjoy sitting on the lodge deck after spending days on the lake fishing for lake trout. A new fly fishing lake trout record was made – a whopping 32lb is the record to beat, there were also plenty caught and released over 20 lbs. Traditional lake fishing – trolling / flatline fishing – resulted in some terrific trophy lake trout as well (be sure to check out our lake trout website page for the best lake trout lures in addition to asking us as part of your trip preparation).
Guest Cabin Retrofit Plans – New Amenities
The evacuation also postponed our planned retrofit to one of our duplex cabins until the spring of 2024. The project is expected to be completed prior to the opening of the 2024 season, so it’ll be ready for use. The remodeling plans include adding more square footage to accommodate en-suite washrooms (including toilet & vanity), upgrading the insulation and insulating the shared living/porch space. New energy-efficient heaters, and windows will also be installed along with flooring. We’re excited about the project and trust that the enhancements and amenities will increase the comfort of our guest experience. Over 10,000 pounds of materials were flown to the lodge this year for the project. In addition to flying in the materials needed for the retrofit we also had the opportunity to do quite a bit of painting and general maintenance this year.
Wildlife, Birds & Northern Lights
The first group of caribou were spotted on August 2, and we consistently saw small herds of caribou comprised of bulls, cows and calves from the lodge until we closed the lodge for the season at the end of September. In addition to caribou sightings, wolves, grizzly bears, moose and wolverine, the resident sik-siks, variety of birds – some on their migration route south – and an occasional surprise visitor were also part of the captivating wildlife sightings around the lodge. In addition to stalking caribou to take some wildlife photos we had fun using the Merlin Bird ID App to help identify birds such as the Northern Shrike this year.
As summer winded down and autumn arrived, the rich autumn colours blanketed the tundra landscape in yellow, gold and reds. Coupled with clear starlit night skies as a backdrop to the northern lights, we think it’s the perfect time of year to get out into nature. 2023 has already been a banner year for the northern lights activity, and with prediction for solar max in 2024/2025, this brings the promise of an enhanced opportunity to see the aurora.
Other News
For the last 14 years we operated My Backyard Tours (MBYT), a year-round tour company based in Yellowknife. While we’ve thoroughly enjoyed providing local tours and winter clothing rentals to guests from around the globe our passion for our lodge led us to a decision to sell My Backyard Tours. At the end of October My Backyard Tours was officially under new ownership. We look forward to potential collaborations with the new owners and witnessing the continued success of My Backyard Tours. In light of these changes, please be aware that if you received correspondence from us via the MBYT email address info@mybackyardtours.com it will be delivered to the new owners of MBYT, so please be sure to use our lodge email address for all correspondence: info@petersonspointlake.com.
Looking forward to Summer 2024 Trips
We’ve been operating our lodge for approximately 40 years, and we feel incredibly grateful to spend time in such a pristine, wild and beautiful place. Each year we feel the call to return; we invite you to hear the call North. Join us and contact us today to discover this spectacular barrens. Phone: 867-920-4654, email: info@petersonspointlake.com
2022
March 2022
March 1, 2022 – The Northwest Territories is open to leisure travel! Our warmest welcome to those looking at visiting for the first time and to our returning guests. We’re looking forward to having a terrific time with you this year!
January 2022
We’re doing what we can to make sure we’re open this year for both local residents and out of territory guests, and we have terrific news – we have been approve as a Remote Tourism Operator. This enables us to host guests from Canada and around the world until the Northwest Territories opens the border to leisure travellers.
There’s a little less than six months before our season opens. We hope that’s ample time for case counts to have waned and for the Northwest Territories border to open. However, with our COVID-19 safety protocols in place and Remote Tourism Operator status we’ll be able and ready to welcome you.
With limited spaces and dates available we don’t recommend waiting that long to book an amazing adventure. Contact us today.
Autumn 2021 (October)
2021 Season
We made the most of it and packed in what we could this year. We feel extraordinarily fortunate for the business we had, and for the people who were able to help. We were able to host two private groups and offer two staycation packages, including our new Explorer’s Package and our Arctic Photography Workshop to local residents. Lodge improvements were a big part of the season as well. We made significant upgrades to our facilities & equipment to enhance the guest experience, plus we developed a self-guided geological tour guide and hiking guide. Check out the following list to see some of the projects that were on our docket this summer.
- Flying in three new 16’ aluminum Lund boats (there are now five new boats in our fleet).
- Renovations to two of the guest cabins which, entailed extending the roofline, removing the front-screened decks and replacing them with new enclosed porches with sliding windows. Vinyl flooring was also installed as well as metal siding. The end result providing more living space, comfort as well as minimizing annual painting.
- The completion of our new deluxe guest cabin.
- Development of a self-guided geological tour behind the lodge with help from staff from Northwest Territories Geological Survey.
- Mapping common hiking areas/routes for the development of hiking guide (this document is currently being developed).
- Purchasing and flying in metal siding to reside the lodge.
The ‘to-do’ list is always longer then time and money allows, so there are some things that are on the docket for next year.
Looking forward to 2022
Getting though the pandemic will be one of the biggest hurtles in our forty years of operation. We appreciate the supportive emails and conversations acknowledging the challenges our industry is facing. This hasn’t waned our love for what we do, sharing the trophy lake trout fishing; watching the aurora; hiking to the hilltops for the amazing views; finding ancient artifacts; photographing the spectacular landscape and watching wildlife roam, with you fuels our passion. Our hopes are high that by 2022 travel will be much easier and we’ll be able to have a full operating season. We are very thankful for our customers support, many have been waiting for two years to return, others who have opted for refunds, have left openings for 2022.
As borders continue to open, the number people getting immunized increases and cases decline we’re confident that the Northwest Territories requirements to host out of Territory visitors will be less regulated in the coming months. That being said, the COVID-19 procedures that were implemented this year will continue. The comfort and safety of our guests and staff are our top priority. To find out more about our COVID-19 health and safety procedures please check out our COVID-19 Safety page here.
Great times await and we look forward to sharing them with you.
From all of us here at Peterson’s Point Lake Lodge
Spring 2021
March is a magical month in the North; we’re invigorated by the longer daylight hours, increased warmth and we’re looking forward to summer. Since the Northwest Territories (NT) implemented travel restrictions over a year ago we’ve been able to enjoy life with relatively minimal changes in Yellowknife, despite the cessation of our operations.
Over the last three months we have been helping with the COVID immunization roll-out, by providing transportation services for personnel and supplies that are travelling to the communities of the Northwest Territories to vaccinate residents. Many of us in Yellowknife and throughout the Northwest Territories have already been vaccinated and, by the end of April it is anticipated that the NT will have reached herd immunity.
To date, there is no news of changes to the current travel restrictions to the Northwest Territories (NT). Considering this we’ve made plans to be open this summer with a fantastic line up of staycation options for local residents. We are optimistic that by this fall travel restrictions will have eased, so people from Canada and possibly other countries who want to join us for our annual Arctic Photography Workshop can do so (flexible booking policies are in place should you not be able to join us this year due to the pandemic). Of course, we are monitoring the situation regularly and you can count on us to let you know when travel restrictions ease. Like us, we imagine you are eagerly awaiting the opportunity to travel and we’re grateful that you’re keeping us as the destination you want to visit.
We hope to see you on the lake this year! Margaret, Chad, Amanda & PPLL Team
Autumn 2020 (September)
It was a different year with our lodge being closed and not meeting up with new friends.
Until it is safe for guests to travel to the Northwest Territories, we’re working on some local Staycation packages, and we’re optimistic about seeing you next year.
This years’ ‘pause in operations’ provided us with a unique opportunity to work on a number of maintenance and expansion projects so that we can serve you better (Check out our newsletter to learn more about our projects here).
We missed you and and look forward to hosting you in our favourite part of the world, whether you’ve come for the trophy lake trout fishing, on the lookout for wildlife photography or viewing the aurora, we cant’ wait to share these experiences with you.
Please feel free to reach out and connect with us. Drop a line to say ‘hi’ we’d love to hear from you.
From all of us here at Peterson’s Point Lake Lodge
Spring 2020 (May)
Conditions persist that limit our ability to operate and, unfortunately, we will not be open this summer/autumn. As disappointing as this is, we are very much looking forward to having you as our guest. Know that we’ll be here when the Northwest Territories border is once again open. We’re looking toward the future and we have a great fishing, photography and aurora schedule for 2021. Please see package details and dates on the individual package pages.
We’re working on plans for lodge enhancements to serve you better and, we happy to speak with you about our extraordinary packages. Please be sure to check back for more updates and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Until then we’re wishing you a terrific summer exploring your backyard.
COVID19 – Northwest Territories
There are currently no active COVID19 cases in Northwest Territories. The five cases that were reported have now fully recovered. That being said, the Northwest Territories Chief Public Health Officer extended the State of Emergency, and on April 27 introduced new amendments to the Public Health Order. In addition to social distancing, a ban on indoor gatherings, no visitors from outside your household and 14-day self-isolation for those who return to the Northwest Territories there are now stricter measures for workers coming into the Northwest Territories, residents and non-residents. These measures will last until May 12 as was reported by Cabin Radio regarding their interview with the Chief Public Heath Officer about these new restrictions and what’s next.
For the most current information, the Government of the Northwest Territories Department of Health and Social Services website on the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) can be found here.
Travel Advisories
On April 20, the United States and Canada extended their travel restrictions for another 30 days. Please refer to the travel heath notices from the Government of Canada website here. Please also refer to the US Embassy and Consulates in Canada Travel Restrictions website here.
What does this mean for our lodge 2020 season?
First and foremost, we want to make sure that all guests and staff are safe when we open the lodge. It is also equally important that everyone is safe as they travel to Yellowknife and the lodge. If we open up this year will depend on the Chief Public Health Officer’s recommendations, and if your home country has opened travel and it is safe for people to fly. Considering this we are going to wait until the week of May 17 to reevaluate the 2020 lodge season. We really hope that things improve for the year, that being said, we welcome people to book now for 2021. We’ll keep you updated as new information comes available, please don’t hesitate to contact us should you have any questions. Wishing you and your families our very best, Margaret, Chad, Amanda & PPLL Team