Auyuittuq National Park
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Auyuittuq National Park |
Contact Information:
Auyuittuq National Park
PO Box 353
Pangnirtung, Nunavut
Canada N0H 2R0
867-473-2500
Size: 19,707 sq. km.
Location: Auyuittuq National Park is situated almost entirely above the Arctic Circle, on the north shore of Baffin Island's Cumberland Peninsula. Most visitors enter Auyuittuq through the park's southern entrance at Overlord, a 25-km trip from the community of Pangnirtung. Travel to the park from either Pangnirtung or Qikitarjuaq can be arranged with local outfitters; travel is either by boat or snowmobile, depending on the season.
Description: Auyuittuq ('the land that never melts") is a rugged mountain tundra park featuring active glaciers, deep valleys, spectacular fjords, and many species of arctic mammals and birds. Park is dominated by the Penny Ice Cap, which covers one-third of the park area and is a vestige of the last Ice Age. With ice as thick as 300 meters in places, the ice cap provides an excellent record of past climates and has been the base for several major scientific studies into climatic change and global warming. Auyuittuq has a rich legacy of prehistoric and historic cultural resources that tell the story of occupation by the modern Inuit and their ancestors for thousands of years.
Activities: Camping, hiking, mountain climbing, fishing, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, wildlife viewing (including whale watching). The majority of park visitors come in July and August, and spend most of their time in the southern part of the park.Places to Stay: The nearest towns are Qikiqtarjuaq and Pangnirtung, which both offer accommodations.
History: Land was set aside in 1972. It was set up as a national park reserve in 1976 and established as a full-fledged national park in 1999 through the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement.
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