In Inuvik, Canada's most northerly town, the church is shaped like an igloo

Inuvik - Our Lady of Victory, the Igloo church, was designed by Brother Maurice Larocque, a local Catholic missionary. The project had its challenges; wood needed to be transported 1,400 km and the building would have to exist on permafrost, which meant it had to be designed in such a way that the land under it wouldn't get warm and melt, or the it would shift and be damaged. The actual construction work, which took two years, was done by volunteers. It opened in 1960. While you are in the neigbourhood go to the corner of Loucheux Road and Breynant St where you'll find the most northern greenhouse in North America. It was made by converting an old arena. Photo courtesy of NWT Tourism

Where: Located 200 km (124 mi) north of the Arctic Circle, Inuvik is Canada's most northern town (there are more northly settlements, such as Alert.) In summer you can reach it by road on the 671-km (417-mile) Dempster Highway, from the Yukon's Dawson City. It's on the East Channel of the Mackenzie Delta. From January to April, the Mackenzie River turns into an ice road, enabling road travel to Aklavik and Tuktoyaktuk.

In the News: If you visit the Western Arctic Regional Visitor Centre in Inuvik you will be given a certificate awarded to all travellers who cross the Arctic Circle.

Canada’s Coolest:

Welcome to a new feature on Canada Cool. I'll be presenting different 'Coolest' lists with my favorites and I encourage you to nominate suggestions from your own experiences. You can Twitter @CanadaCool or email [email protected]. Let me know what makes your suggestion exceptionally cool. Remember, by contributing your comments you are giving Canada Cool permission to quote you. Only a selection of submissions will be included, but all comments and submissions are greatly appreciated!

The first feature is: Canada's Coolest Single Day Scenic Drives

Here are some of my favorites...

The Icefields Parkway, Jasper National Park, Alberta - This 229 km (142 mi) Rocky Mountain route from Banff/Lake Louise to Jasper passes 100 frozen rivers and nudges the base of the Athabasca Glacier - the most accessible glacier in the world. You can stop and explore it. It spills down from the Columbia Icefield, an area of ice so massive that you could fit the entire population of North America on it with each person getting at least a square metre of space.

The Corridor, Algonquin Park, Ontario – this 56-km stretch of Hwy 60 cuts through the southwest section of Algonquin Park. Less than three hours north of Toronto the park is a nature-lover's paradise with 7,725 km of lakes, rivers, forest, trails, camping, comfortable lodges and 2000 km of canoe routes. Offers hiking trails to stop and enjoy, but what makes it really cool is that it’s one of the best places in North America to spot moose (especially in May and June). And, on Thursday nights in August up to 600 cars will gather to listen to wolves howl.

The Cabot Trail, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia – Driving this 303 km (187 mile) route is like riding a roller-coaster: the road snakes around hairpin turns, rises to heights over 365 metres (1200 ft), weaves around headlands revealing spectacular coastal scenery, and plunges down to sea level taking you into the heart of small fishing communities. The most dramatic scenery is between the Cape Breton Highlands National Park entrance near Cheticamp and Pleasant Bay, so go slow. And, plan some flexibility into your schedule, so you can drive it on a clear day.

And here are some of your nominations for 'Canada's Coolest Single Day Scenic Drives'...

More from Canada’s Coolest

'Canada's Coolest' topics we'll be publishing in the future:

• Golf Course Features
• Haunted Hotels
• Hotel Special Services

Send your suggestions to [email protected]

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