Great Slave Lake

Great Slave Lake and Lake Athabasca, NWT, Canada

Great Slave Lake (French: Grand lac des Esclaves) is the second largest lake in the Northwest Territories of Canada, behind Great Bear Lake, and the deepest lake in North America at 614 meters (2,015 ft.). It is 480 kilometres long and 19 to 109 kilometres wide. It covers an area of 28,400 square kilometres in the southern part of the territory. Its volume is 2,090 cubic kilometres. The lake was named for the Slavey North American Indians.

The Hay and Slave Rivers are its chief tributaries. It is drained by the Mackenzie River. Though the western shore is forested, the east shore and northern arm are tundra-like. The southern and eastern shores reach the edge of the Canadian Shield. Along with other lakes such as the Great Bear and Athabasca, it is a remnant of a vast post-glacial lake.

British fur trader Samuel Hearne explored the area in 1771. In the 1930s, gold was discovered there, which led to the establishment of Yellowknife, the territory's capital. Other towns around the lake include: Fort Providence, Hay River and Fort Resolution.

It is at least partially frozen during an average of 8 months of the year. During winter Great Slave Lake is frozen enough for semitrucks to pass over. Until 1967, when an all-season highway was built around the lake, goods were shipped across the ice to Yellowknife, located on the north shore. Goods and fuel are still shipped across frozen lakes up the winter road to the diamond mines located near the headwaters of the Coppermine River, Northwest Territories.