Climate

Summers are short, warm and dry with long days and temperatures up to 30 degrees celsius. In the fall, the weather is warm and dry until mid-October when things begin to cool off. Winters are moderate until December, in which temperatures can drop to -40 celsius, although the mean is -20 celsius. The average snowfall is 160 cm. Temperatures start to rise throughout March and April, and most of the snow has melted by May.
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Transportation

There is year round access by air. Air Mikisew schedules regular flights between Fort McMurray and Fort Chipewyan. Connecting flights between Fort McMurray and Edmonton are both via Canadian Airlines and Air Mikisew. Northwestern Air Lease in Fort Smith flies weekly scheduled flights between Fort Chipewyan and Fort Smith. A number of small-aircraft charter companies serve the region.
During the summer and fall, there is boat access from Fort McMurray, Fort Smith and Fort Fitzgerald. The Athabasca River corridor between Fort McMurray and Fort Chipewyan takes approximately 8 hours by motor boat. From Fort Chipewyan to Fort Fitzgerald via the Rochers and Slave Rivers takes approximately 4.5 hours under normal conditions. There are also weekly barging services available through Girard Enterprise.
Vehicle access to Fort Chipewyan is limited to the winter road, approximately mid-December to mid-March. Fort Chipewyan is connected to Fort McMurray by a 258-km winter road and is a 4-½ hour trip. The winter road connecting Fort Chipewyan and Fort Smith via Wood Buffalo National Park is 190 km and takes 3 hours. Vehicles should be in good condition, and travelers should always carry emergency survival gear. Up-to-date information on road conditions from Fort Smith to Fort Chipewyan, please call the Parks Office in Fort Chipewyan at (780) 697-3662. Contact Alberta Transportation at (780) 697-3778 for information regarding the Fort McMurray to Fort Chipewyan winter road.

The Environment

Fort Chipewyan has some of the oldest exposed rock on the earth. Worn, eroded, clawed and crushed by Ice-Age glaciation, the rounded red granite stands over 30 to 200m high, especially along the north shore of Lake Athabasca. South of the lake are sandy deserts, marshes and grasslands. The Richardson River sand hills lie in this area where migrating dunes extend for many miles. Because of the nature of the land around Fort Chipewyan, there is a variety of vegetation. The hills are covered with boreal forests. Wild berries are plentiful: cranberries, blueberries, raspberries, and saskatoons. Flowering plants are plentiful; from the time the crocus emerges in the early spring until the fireweed and goldenrod appear in the late summer.

Wildlife

In the area around Fort Chipewyan there are 226 bird species, 45 different mammals and 20 species of fish. In Wood Buffalo National Park, 20.4 km from Fort Chipewyan, the last free-ranging herd of wild bison roams on 27680 square kilometers of boreal prairie and forest. North America’s rarest bird, the Whooping Crane, makes it’s home in the park. The Peregrine Falcon, the Sandhill Crane and Tundra Swan can also be seen. The wet lands around Fort Chipewyan are the lowest in Alberta. They provide a rich habitat for thousands of water foul. Swans, Geese and Ducks migrate north as soon as the rivers are ice-free. The marshes provide homes for the Beaver and the Muskrat. Small animals live in the forest: Weasels, Mink, Squirrels, Skunks and the Snowshoe Hare, which share the forest with several species of Fox, Wolf, Moose and Bear.

Languages

There are two indigenous languages within the community: Woodland Cree (Mikisew Cree First Nation) and Denesolene (Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation). There are large numbers of community members who are fluent in one or the other. The English language is now dominant.

Population

The community has approximately 1400 people… 800 Cree, 250 Chipewyan, 180 Metis, and 170 making up the balance of the population comprised of the RCMP, Parks and Fish, Forestry, teaching and nursing citizens.