Extending 70 km east of Yellowknife, the Ingraham Trail runs alongside rivers, waterfalls, and a network of lakes. It literally is the end of the road for locals and the start of the temporary winter route made reality-TV famous by Ice Road Truckers. But it’s not diamond mines that draw cottagers (and year-rounders) here: it’s the scenery of granite hills, the canoe routes, and the Jack pine forests.
Popular cabin lakes include Prelude, with its many islands, and the expansive Prosperous Lake. Cottages here are all off-grid, from a few that are one-room cabins with woodstoves to fully-equipped houses with solar power, propane heat, and diesel generators. What else do they have in common? They’re hard to come by. Unresolved land claims have halted land development along the Ingraham Trail, so what has already been built on federally leased land is in short supply. Tip: get a realtor who will alert you when something comes on the market, or cozy up to a local for a private sale.