High Level offers a history lesson in Northern culture

Untold adventures await

High Level is a close-knit community in Alberta’s northernmost region that has plenty of cultural offerings for visitors looking to learn more about early settler life and the fur trade.

At the forefront of High Level’s cultural offerings is the Mackenzie Crossroads Museum and Visitor Centre. Housed in a unique log building that is open year round, the museum has permanent exhibits about High Level’s early pioneers, offering a glimpse into life as it once was for European settlers and First Nations people.

The museum also contains an art gallery, which during the summer months showcases local art exhibits. Throughout June and July the work of local artists is on display, and in September visitors can see entries from a yearly photography contest.

The Mackenzie Crossroads Museum additionally offers travelling exhibits, a souvenir and gift shop and picnic area. Visitor information features local, regional, provincial and national travel tips, with vacation planning brochures and maps.

First Nations culture

For those who visit the area at the end of May and beginning of June, the chance to take in the annual Cultural Family Gathering is an opportunity not to be missed. Featuring the colourful traditional regalia of First Nation round dancers and the powerful voices and beats of many drum groups, the gathering is a unique glimpse into First Nations culture that is a feast for the senses—including the taste buds, as a traditional feast follows the dancing.

The gathering also features a traditional hand games tournament that offers visitors a chance to see a long-standing form of entertainment for First Nations people. Hand games are fashioned around the simple concept of hiding and guessing objects using elaborate hands signals and gestures to both find and hide the object.

Should you miss the gathering in early June, aim to be in High Level for National Aboriginal Day June 21. The High Level Friendship Centre will also be hosting a round dance, hand games, feast, and drum making workshop.

So much to see

For those who come to take in Canada Day in High Level, the community offers up its largest celebration of the year, with food, games, crafts and fun for the whole family.

The cultural experience offered by the High Level area also extends to plenty of opportunities to canoe, hunt, hike and fish, with many local outfitters ready to help you turn your dreams of adventure into reality. And with daylight extending far into the evening the farther north you venture, the opportunities for adventure only increase with every passing mile.  The land of the midnight sun also offers a unique golfing experience each summer solstice as the Fox Haven Golf and Country Club, the most northerly natural greens, offers up 18-hole Midnight Open event.

High Level is also a stop along the Deh Cho Travel Connection, one of Canada’s premiere driving routes. This route takes you along the famed Mackenzie, Liard and Alaska highways and past the area’s boreal forests, incredible waterfalls, and historical water routes of early settlers and explorers.