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Beyond the Bumps: Canoe North co-founder’s harrowing drive along NWT ice roads

March 26, 2026   ·   0 Comments

By Constance Scrafield

Starting at Wrigley, the Mackenzie Valley Winter Ice Road connects to Norman Wells, the final stop on Mackenzie Valley Winter Ice Highway 25, which spans 690 kilometres.

Two weeks ago, there were many reasons to contact Al Pace, co-founder with his partner Lin Ward of Canoe North Adventures. Pace had flown back from his trip to their northern headquarters, in Norman Wells, Northwest Territories, only the day before his interview with the Citizen. Flown back, yes, but the journey to the north was the one we had come to hear.

Their son, Taylor, now the operations manager at CN, moved to Calgary with his wife, Verena. He has been setting up another office for the business, and now, departing from nearby Wrigley, the journey to Norman Wells has been reduced by a number of days. Before then, the trip from their Hockley location was much longer.

From Calgary, it is still quite the tale. Wrigley marks the beginning of the approximate 320-kilometre journey to Norman Wells. This is the 13-hour non-stop trip north.

“I’ve been making this trip for ten years,” Pace said. “We like to get started early in the season; when the road is basically frozen. They flood the roads to build up the ice. They use huge rollers to pack the snow when it is minus 40 degrees.”

Pace explained that the ice at those temperatures is so dry that it squeaks under the tires.

“It can get a bit tricky.” he cautioned, “getting lots of sunshine can slick up the ice.”

He described the river crossings, explaining there are three areas where the road crosses three rivers, “We drive out onto the MacKenzie River. It doesn’t freeze flat but is bumpy. Machines cut the bumps but the river can pitch and roll. They flood the river on top of the river ice. In some places, it is five feet thick.”

Pace described the drive on the flooded river, “We travel very slowly on that ice -you can strike a depression in the ice there. To avoid them makes us travel 15 kilometres an hour.”

Pace and his drive companion, Sam Grant, were driving a regular pickup truck with a 14-foot trailer. The trailer was carrying 7,000 to 8,000 frozen pieces of meat, a great deal of other food, a refrigerator, and other items like toilet paper and paper towels. They top the trailer up with light stuff.

“Weird stuff – I was even throwing in bits of lumber,” he mentioned.

“When we get to Norman Wells our lodge is buried in snow. Some days are so short, we seem to always come in the night,” he added. “We fly back.”

Many variations can make for an interesting experience: “It is a very narrow road and it can happen that we need to pull off the road but ever so carefully if another vehicle is coming in the other direction. We both squeeze over an inch at a time.”

“During that trip you might see one other vehicle.” Generally, the trucks carry radios.

About the dark: trucks like to go at night so they can see every bump in their headlights, every dip. In the daytime, everything is white: “the snow, the ice, the air.” Sometimes, it’s very hard to see all the bumps. The road is much easier at night.

One thing really natters on the winter ice road – never ever shut the truck down – if you have to get out for a pee, you crack a window open in case the locks click on.

At all times, the danger of freezing temperatures, down to -45°C, is considered, as your eyelashes can freeze, as can your fingers or the unprotected skin of your face.

Admittedly, there are trucking companies that could take Pace’s gear, but the truth is that doing the journey, knowing the details will be all considered, having the confidence in their own care to deliver all that they will need for their customers, some 150 souls a year, really delivers a good sleep at night.

“This gives us a heck of a head start in the spring,” Pace offered, “We know that all of our goods are stored and ready for our season. It is such a good thing to open the trailer and everything is ready.”

Sometimes they move other stuff up during the summer, but they have to fly them up, as it is not possible to drive up there in June. It is only possible in January, February, and March; absolutely, not in June.

Pace went on to talk a bit about life in the North, saying that they have two small pickup trucks in Norman Wells. Last summer, he took them to a local garage for an oil change, and he gasped a bit when he heard the price: $650 for two light trucks.

It costs $250 to fill two gas tanks.

Trying to cut freight costs raises the question of whether the job will be done to your own standards of care.

As a business that takes people on tours like Canoe North offers, they try to look at things from the client’s point of view, so the whole matter of food deserves real attention, including the wine. Caterers in Calgary prep some food for the many meals, including charcuterie-quality meats.

They need to know who’s coming with allergies or special food needs; it is getting trickier, Pace admitted, but Verena does the work as the designated food manager.

“She does meticulous work,” he boasted about her.

“She brings a meticulous attitude toward the food – a very creative one. This is why we love it when our customers book early.”

All the details of unusual travel: “We drive continuously for 13 hours,” Pace outlined. “Once you get to your destination, you have to take care of your machinery. And, this is important, the Prime Minister is announcing building an all season road going north. Carney is announcing major projects in the North.”

Back on the road, there is a steep incline, but there is total grip on the dry ice – it is really good to have a drive mate.

What it means for people to make the trip to the North in the summer months, flying up – not via the ice highway – they are joining the guided canoe trips that truly are transformational. Travellers really experience the otherworldliness of the North and our place in it.

“This changes them,” Pace was clear, “What they really learn to do is enjoy inspired conversions. There are no devices, no screens.”

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