1587 - English explorer John Davis discovers Davis Strait and travels as far north as Sanderson’s Hope at 72 degrees 12’ N.

1616 - Englishmen William Baffin and Robert Bylot explore Baffin Island to Smith Sound.

1728 - Russian explorer Vitus Bering sailed through the Bering Strait and proved that Eurasia and America were separate continents.

1741 - Vitus Bering sighted Alaska from sea, but his lieutenant, Chirikof discovered the coast.

1771 - Samuel Hearne from the Hudson’s Bay Company, traveled from Prince of Wales Fort (Churchill, N.W.T.) on Hudson Bay to the Coppermine River near Coronation Gulf on the arctic coast.

1789 - Alexander Mackenzie from the North West Company, explored an area from Montreal to the Mackenzie River on the arctic coast.

1820-23 Russian explorer Ferdinand von Wrangell surveyed the Siberian arctic coast, joining British explorer James Cook at North Cape, Alaska to confirm the separation of the Eurasian and North American continents.

1845 - British seaman Sir John Franklin set out with a crew of 150 men and two ships to discover the Northwest Passage. The expedition was never heard from again. It is the largest arctic expedition to have perished.

1888 - Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen led an expedition which crossed Greenland’s icecap from coast to coast on skis..

1893-96 Fridthof Nansen set out in the custom-built ship "Fram" to purposely get wedged in pack ice and drift through the polar basin. The ship drifted from New Siberian Island off the Russian coast to Spitzbergen, Norway proving the presence of an arctic current. In 1895 Nansen left the ship and made a daring attempt to reach the North Pole by dog team. With the pack ice drifting south, he had to abandon his quest for the pole, reaching Franz Josef Land off the coast of northern Russia by kayak and skis. He had reached farther north than any previous explorer and was celebrated as the greatest explorer of his time.

1897 - Swedish explorer Salomon Andree disappeared after setting out in a balloon from Danes Island, Spitsbergen to drift across the North Pole to America. The frozen bodies of the three expedition members were found 33 years later on White Island in the Northwest Territories.

1903-06 Norwegian scientist-explorer Roald Amundsen is the first person to sail the Northwest Passage. He is also the first person to reach the South Pole . (1911)

1909 - After nearly 20 years of arctic exploration and several failed efforts to reach the North Pole, Admiral Robert E. Peary, achieved his goal on April 6, 1909. He, along with Matthew Henson and 4 Eskimos; Coqueeh, Ootah, Eginwah and Seegloo, became the first explorers to reach the North Pole.

1926 - Americans Richard Byrd and Floyd Bennett are the first people to fly over the North Pole (May 9).

1926 - Roald Amundsen, Lincoln Ellsworth and Umberto Nobile are the first to fly over the North Pole in a dirigible (May 12).

1928 - Umberto Nobile crosses the North Pole in an airship, but crashes the following day. Explorer Roald Amundsen dies during the rescue effort.

1958 - The American nuclear-powered submarine Nautilus became the first vessel to cross the North Pole beneath the arctic ice.

1960 - The United States submarine Seadragon made the first underwater transit of the Northwest Passage under the command of Commodore George Steele 2d.

1977 - The Soviet icebreaker Arktika became the first surface vessel to reach the North Pole by breaking through the ice pack.

1978 - Japanese explorer Naomi Uemura became the first man to reach the North Pole alone by dog sled.

1982 - British explorers Sir Ranulph Fiennes and Charles Burton were the first people to circle the earth from North Pole to South Pole. Their 52,000-mile journey took three years to complete.

1986 - The Steger Expedition, composed of Americans and Canadians, reached the North Pole by dog sled. They were the first expedition to do so without mechanical assistance since Robert Peary in 1906.

1988 - The 60-foot sailboat, Belvedere, becomes the first American yacht to transit the Northwest Passage, captained by John Bockstoce.

(Return to Arctic Expeditions Index)


Voyage of the Belvedere (Back to Expedition Index)

The Arctic has been a lifelong passion for Dr. John Bockstoce. After more than 25 years of archeological expeditions along the Arctic coastline and two books dealing with Arctic history, Bockstoce made the expedition of a lifetime. In 1988, after six years of perseverance, he became the first person to pilot an American yacht through the Northwest Passage and the first person to navigate a recreational vessel through the Northwest Passage, west to east.

His attempts to pilot his 60-foot motorsailer Belvedere along the tortuous Arctic coastline were blocked by thick sheets of ice that would not clear during the short northern summer. The Belvedere and her crew set out from Seattle in 1983 sailing through the Bering Sea, ultimately reaching Tuktoyaktuk on the coast of the Beafort Sea. Then came year after year of frustration when the eastern Passage remained icebound. The Belvedere was dry-docked each winter in anticipation of better weather the following summer.

At last the summer of 1988 brought warm weather and fractured ice. The steel hull of the Belvedere was able to move through some of the thinner ice fields and waited for the wind to blow larger ones away. The Belvedere was stopped by ice at James Ross Strait for two days until the wind blew it off the Boothia Peninsula leaving an open channel to Bellot Strait. But Bellot Strait remained as the last potential barrier to crossing the Northwest Passage.

Bellot Strait is a narrow, 15-mile channel that divides the North American continent from the Arctic archipelago. Only a half mile in width at some places, the Strait is a dangerous passageway where the waters of the western and eastern arctic oceans meet to form turbulent rip tides. The entrance to the Strait can be locked in ice if the wind shifts. Bockstoce approached with some uneasiness, timing his entrance at low tide but unsure of what ice conditions he would find.

Still, this was to be the year of the Belvedere. Upon the approach to Bellot Strait, Bockstoce found no ice and calm seas. To celebrate the passage, he photographed the event from a dinghy tethered to the stern of the Belvedere, while an armed crew member stood by on polar bear alert. This now seemingly innocent waterway had eluded explorers for hundreds of years as they searched in vain for the Northwest Passage. It wasn’t discovered until 1852, when explorers William Kennedy and Joseph-Rene Bellot noticed the ice-free channel as they searched for members of the lost Franklin Expedition.

Beyond Bellot Strait the crew of the Belvedere sailed under the glacier-ridged mountains of Baffin Island. Bowhead whales and crystalline icebergs became constant companions as the ship followed the scenic coastline through Lancaster Sound. Then turning down Eclipse Sound between Baffin and Bylot Islands, the ship arrived in Admiralty Inlet in late August. The scene before the crew was magnificent. Mountainous and mysterious Bylot Island to the left, the broad green plain of Baffin Island to the right and the vast blue of Baffin Bay directly ahead. It was here on Baffin Island that so many Arctic expeditions had begun their search to redraw the polar map, unlock the secrets to this unknown region and find the elusive waterway to the Orient.

But the crew of the Belvedere could not rest yet. It had one more passage to make before their mission was accomplished, the crossing to Greenland.
Early September offers a tenuous window of opportunity for open water and calm seas in Baffin Bay. But Davis Strait, between Baffin Island and Greenland, is known as "iceberg alley" due to the hundreds of bergs calved from Greenland and Ellesmere Island which pass this region on their journey to the North Atlantic. The bergs bring their own fog banks with them making navigation treacherous. Fall storms can develop quickly adding to a dangerous mix for shipping.

On a clear, September day the Belvedere set out from Pond Inlet to cross 700 miles of frigid ocean to Holsteinborg, Greenland. The fog was thick much of the time and the icebergs were ever present. These ice-bound cathedrals never ceased to fascinate the crew of the Belvedere with their iridescent hues and menagerie of birds and seals that hitchhiked on them.
Five days later after a flawless crossing, the champagne was uncorked and the crew of Belvedere celebrated its completion of the Northwest Passage.

In nearly 500 years of Arctic exploration, the Northwest Passage has been traversed less than 50 times, including transits made by submarines, icebreakers and freighters. It remains to sailors, what Mount Everest is to mountain climbers. The ultimate challenge.

(Return to Arctic Expeditions Index)

 

Helen Thayer - North Magnetic Pole Expedition (Back to Expedition Index)

Ever since fellow New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary went to the South Pole in 1958, Helen Thayer promised that one day she would also go to one of the earth’s poles. In 1988 at age 50, she decided she had waited long enough. Now a resident of the United States, she began training for an expedition to become the first woman to make a solo trek to the North Magnetic Pole. Her greatest dangers on such a trip would be frigid temperatures, Arctic storms and polar bears.

While preparing for the expedition in Resolute Bay, she was encouraged by local Inuit to take along a dog that had been specially trained to ward off polar bears. Charlie was a four-year old husky-Newfoundland mix who would be her only companion on the 27-day, 364-mile journey. On March 30. she set out on skis with Charlie tethered to her waist and a 160-sled in tow.

The first few polar bears she met ran away when she fired her flare gun. The fourth one was not so easily dissuaded. He charged. Helen cocked her rifle and released Charlie, who promptly went for the bear’s leg and refused to let go. Each time the bear tried to bite him, Charlie would twist away. Finally the bear gave up, turning to run with Charlie in pursuit. Charlie proved to be a lifesaver, as well as a valued companion and his heroic efforts won him a place in Helen’s tent and a share of the peanut butter cups.

The frigid temperatures regularly froze Helen’s face mask and her eyes froze shut when another polar bear encounter left her in tears. The spring ice began to shift and break up around them, making travel more dangerous. She spent days in her tent waiting for fierce storms and hurricane-force winds to subside. Near the end of her trip, a storm blew away most of her provisions, leaving her a handful of walnuts and a small amount of fuel for melting ice to drink. At last Thayer’s instruments put her at the North Magnetic Pole. Weakened from hunger and dehydration, she pushed on to her pickup destination on Helena Island and a place in Arctic history.

(Return to Arctic Expeditions Index)

 

Plaisted Expedition (Back to Expedition Index)

On April 20, 1068, Ralph Plaisted received a radio message from an Air Force weather plane verifying his position, "Everywhere from where you are now is south!" Plaisted and three companions were the first people to reach the North Pole by snowmobile, the first attempt ever by motorized vehicle. They traveled 830 miles through and around endless pressure ridges to cover the 413 mile-distance from their starting point on Ward Hunt Island off the northern tip of Ellesmere Island. A previous attempt in 1967 ended in failure, when shifting ice and a powerful spring storm stranded five expedition members 100 miles offshore on Arctic Ocean ice. The party was evacuated at 83 degrees 36’N.

The second time around, Plaisted took more powerful snowmobiles which had been modified to withstand some of the special rigors of Arctic travel. The expedition was regularly resupplied by plane during their long ride across the Arctic Ocean ice.

A native of Minnesota, Plaisted wanted to test the new snowmachines which were becoming popular with winter sportsmen. A person drawn to big ideas, Plaisted wanted to be the first to reach the Pole by crossing the frozen ice of the Arctic Ocean since Admiral Robert E. Peary in 1909.

(Return to Arctic Expeditions Index)

 

Qitdlarssuaq Expedition (Back to Expedition Index)
While much of Arctic history recounts the exploits of European and American explorers, there is little written history of the migration of earlier peoples across the Bering land bridge to the Arctic coast of North America. Certainly these "expeditions" into unknown territory were just as exciting, dangerous and daring as any recorded events. But the story of these early explorers is left to ancient traditions and the quiet testimony of archeological sites.

Still there is one expedition during the 1850’s which had important consequences for Greenland Eskimos. It was led by an Inuk shaman from Canada’s Eastern Arctic who fled to Devon Island after being accused of using his powers to murder several people on Baffin Island. While on Devon Island, he learned of Eskimos that lived across the sea. Fascinated by the prospect of a people he did not know exist, he led a band of followers by dog sled on a six-year journey. They traveled 480 miles (2,900 km) along the rugged coastline of Baffin and Ellesmere Islands, crossing the sea ice of Smith Sound to the northern coast of Greenland.

Near Etah he found the Greenland Eskimos in difficult times. They had lost many traditional hunting skills, in part because of an epidemic which killed most of their elders. Qitdlarssuaq and his followers taught them how to build snow houses, hunt reindeer with bows and arrows and to spear salmon. These skills allowed a small population of Eskimos to survive in Greenland, where today they continue to maintain their traditional culture thanks to the help of Qitdlarssuaq.


(Return to Arctic Expeditions Index)

 

Sir John Franklin Expedition (Back to Expedition Index)

For nearly 200 years, European nations were competing to find the elusive Arctic waterway to the orient. The search for the Northwest Passage included hundreds of expeditions since its discovery promised wealth, power and prestige. In 1845, the British Royal Navy chose Rear Admiral Sir John Franklin to lead a major expedition including two ships; the Eurebus and Terror, and a combined crew of 150 men to find the Passage.

Franklin had previously led an overland expedition from York Factory on Hudson Bay to the Arctic. Between 1819 and 1822, he explored 5,550 miles(8,930 kilometers) of territory from the Coppermine River east along Coronation Gulf and in 1825 he had explored the region west of the Mackenzie River. This previous Arctic experience was central to his choice as expedition leader. Yet in spite of his experience, the Franklin Expedition, last seen by whalers in Baffin Bay in July of 1845, was never heard from again. Nearly 40 expeditions were sent to find them over the next fifteen years.

John Rae, a Scottish explorer and trader with the Hudson’s Bay Company was the first to find proof of the fate of the Franklin Expedition. Inuit hunters brought British silverware and coins to his winter camp at Repulse Bay. With each item and accompanying story from the Inuit, Rae was able to piece together a picture of the expedition’s final days. Over the years the fate of the expedition was pieced together from Inuit stories and various materials found from the crew.

Frustrated by the sketchy stories from Rae and other sources, Sir John Franklin’s widow, Lady Franklin, raised the funds necessary to outfit a search vessel led by Leopold McClintock in 1859. It was McClintock who discovered a cairn that revealed Sir John had died on June 11, 1847 in King William’s land.

Over the years the fate of the expedition has continued to fascinate explorers, historians and the general public. As more materials were discovered and Inuit stories collected, a tragic story of deprivation and hardship unfolded.
The expedition’s first winter had been spent off Beechey Point on Devon Island. In 1846 ice forced the ships south into Victoria Strait where they were trapped by ice off the tip of King William Island for 19 months. By April of 1848, with food supplies running low, the officers decided to abandon ship and walk a perilous journey through the arctic wilderness in search of help. None survived the ordeal. The Franklin Expedition is the largest expedition to ever perish in the history of Arctic exploration.


(Return to Arctic Expeditions Index)

 

Steger-Schurke International Polar Expedition (Back to Expedition Index)

On March 7, 1986, a team of seven men, one woman and 49 dogs left Ellesmere Island for the North Pole by dog sled. Representing the United States, Canada and New Zealand, they were determined to be the first people to reach the pole without mechanical assistance or resupply since Robert E. Peary discovered it in 1909. The expedition hoped to shed light on the debate surrounding Peary’s success, by proving that reaching the Pole by dog sled without resupply of food and fuel was indeed possible.

Led by Minnesotans Will Steger and Paul Schurke, the expedition spent 55 days zigzagging around pressure ridges logging nearly a thousand miles to cover the 500-mile distance from Ellesmere to the pole. Two members had to be air-lifted home, one suffering from severe frostbite and one from injuries. On May 2, 1986, the remaining six team members reached the North Pole, including Ann Bancroft, the first woman to ever reach the pole.

Along their route, they crossed paths with French physician Jean-Louis Etienne who was making a solo trip to the pole on skis. He arrived at the North Pole on May 12, 1986.

Several years later, Steger, Etienne and team members from three other countries made an unprecedented 4,000-mile crossing of Antarctica by dog sled in the International Trans-Antarctica Expedition of 1989.


(Return to Arctic Expeditions Index)

 

The Transglobe Expedition (Back to Expedition Index)

There was a psychological profile done of the 1963 American Mount Everest Expedition team which revealed a common trait among members. They all exhibited "assertive individuality," defined as achievers with a strong sense of independence and restlessness, a desire for autonomy, and a dislike of routine.

Sir Ranulph Fiennes and Charles Burton of Great Britain certainly exhibited assertive individuality when they set forth in 1979 on an unprecedented three-year journey to circumnavigate the world via the North and South Poles. The Transglobe Expedition traversed both Poles, five continents and 52,000 miles before returning to England in 1982.

A concept first offered by Sir Ranulph’s wife Ginny, the idea took seven years of planning and coordination and millions of dollars in supplies and support services. Sir Ranulph, a veteran of army service in Britain’s Royal Scots Greys and elite Special Air Service, relished the adventure and physical challenge of such an expedition.

(Back to Expedition Index)

He set out from Greenwich, England in the support ship Benjamin Bowring in 1979 with the initial team members, Charles Burton and Oliver Shepard. They crossed to the continent where they drove via Land Rover through France, Spain, Algiers and along the western Sahara to Cape Town, South Africa. From Cape Town the ship took the expedition members to Sanae Buchte on the Antarctic coast, arriving in January during the mid-Antarctic summer.

There they established a supply camp near the coast and a base camp, 200 miles inland in the mountains near Borga Massif. Ninety tons of fuel and stores were eventually airlifted to the Borga Massif site. Meanwhile the crew and Ranulph’s wife Ginny, who served as radio contact with the expedition, wintered at the base camp for eight months in insulated cardboard huts.

They began their trip to the South Pole the following November at the beginning of the Antarctic summer. Using skis, snowshoes and snowmobiles, the crew passed tenuous snowbridges which spanned bottomless crevasses on their way to the Pole. The trip from the South Pole became another series of delicate maneuvers over dangerous snowbridges. At last they reached more level terrain, covering the 600 miles to Scott Base on the Antarctic coast of the Ross Sea in good time.

At Scott Base, the men met the crew of the Benjamin Bowring once again.
From Antarctica they traveled to Sydney, Australia, then across the Pacific Ocean to Vancouver, British Columbia and ultimately Alaska, arriving at the mouth of the Yukon River as the ice was breaking up. But this time the expedition members consisted of only Sir Ranulph and Charles Burton. Oliver Shepard bowed out for personal reasons and returned to England.

(Back to Expedition Index)

As the two explorers set off from their supply ship, both of their inflatables flipped in heavy seas during the first attempt to reach the river. With some supplies lost and the expedition in early jeopardy, Fiennes and Burton returned to the ship to wait for better weather. But eventually the expedition members traveled the Yukon and Mackenzie Rivers to the Northwest Passage. They worked their way through fog, gales and around icebergs on their journey through the treacherous Northwest Passage, arriving in Tanquary Fjord on Ellesmere Island by late August of 1981. They covered 5200 miles in 62 days. After being resupplied by air, they set out on foot to cross Ellesmere Island to their winter camp on the north coast. There they waited out the months of winter darkness, in preparation for their trip to the North Pole the following spring.

The prevailing currents from the North Pole head south towards Ellesmere Island, forming wave after wave of ice ridges which can reach between ten to thirty feet high. The snowmobiles flown to the island for their trip to the Pole could not negotiate such obstacles and efforts to hack through the ice proved slow and tedious.

(Back to Expedition Index)

At this point Fiennes and Burton decided to ski the sledges through the 70 miles of pressure ridges. Each fiberglass sledge carried 160 pounds of supplies and their progress was slow. But as the area of pressure ridges subsided, the snowmobiles were flown out to the men and they continued toward 90 degrees north. They needed to cross the ocean in one season which meant every day was critical. The spring ice is fractured and unpredictable. They lived in constant fear of being trapped by leads, openings or channels which form when the ice begins to separate. They still needed to shovel and chop their way through pressure ridges, but by Easter Sunday, April 11, 1982 they reached the North Pole. They were at the top of the world.

With very little time to savor their accomplishment, the team continued across the Arctic Ocean ice. They had 1000 miles to go. Their plan was to travel to Spitzbergen before the ice breakup in early June and rendezvous with the Benjamin Bowring. But the ice began to breakup earlier than expected making such a crossing impossible. They decided to hitchhike on a substantial-looking ice floe, in the hopes that it would drift closer to their destination. For 99 days, Burton and Fiennes camped under the endless Arctic sun, drifting nearly 350 miles on their private ice floe. During that time they warded off 18 polar bears and waited for help to arrive. The Benjamin Bowring tried to break through the ice barrier twice but was unsuccessful.

At the end of July, the captain of the ship decided to try and break through the ice again. Some days he made progress, other days it would take an hour to only break through 100 yards. Nearly ten miles from the ice floes near Fiennes and Burton, the ship hit impenetrable ice. If a rendezvous were to take place, the expedition members would have to reach the ship. With 400-pound loads in aluminum canoes which had been flown to them earlier, Fiennes and Burton hauled the canoes over ice and paddled them across leads. The going was difficult but the sight of the Benjamin Bowring on the far white horizon spelled home and the triumphant accomplishment of circumnavigating the globe.

(Back to Index)

Naomi Uemura Expedition (Back to Expedition Index)

It was a 57-day pilgrimage over 477 miles of jagged ice, but when it was completed, Naomi Uemura became the first person to ever reach the North Pole alone. Assisted by his team of 17 huskies, who hauled his 882-pound sledge and warned him of approaching polar bears, Uemura wove his way around breaking ice and cut openings through 30-foot high pressure ridges. Ten days out of Cape Columbia on Ellesmere Island he had only covered ten miles.

His support team made five airdrops of supplies, including seal and caribou meat for Naomi and dog food for the dogs. They landed once to bring in fresh dogs and evacuated a female dog and her puppies, along with the dogs that were too tired to continue the crossing.

His solo trek made in 1978 was followed by scientists at the Goddard Spaceflight Center in Maryland via the Nimbus 6 meteorological satellite which orbited 600 miles over the Pole every 108 minutes. The satellite was able to monitor signals from Uemura’s small battery-powered transmitter which he carried on his sledge.

A national hero in his native Japan, Uemura had previously climbed four of the world’s highest mountains and made a 7,500-mile trek from Greenland to Alaska by dog sledge.

Vuntut National Park (Return to Park's Index)

The Porcupine caribou herd, the world’s largest at 180,000 animals, represents one of the spectacular features of this wilderness sanctuary. The park also includes habitat for North America’s three bear species; grizzly, black and polar bear. The park is home to Dall’s Sheep and arctic fox and there are nesting areas along the coastal plain for snow geese and whistling swans. Located in the northwest corner of the Yukon, this park can only be accessed by air from the communities of Inuvik, Aklavik and Old Crow or by sea from settlements along the Mackenzie Delta. The British Mountains dominate the park and the Malcolm, Firth and Babbage rivers offer wilderness canoeing and rafting.

For More Information contact:

Chief Park Warden
Vuntut National Park
105-300 Main St.
Whitehorse, YT Y1A 2B5
403) 667-3970


Ivvavik National Park (Return to Park's Index)

Adjoining Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Ivvavik provides a valuable extension of protected calving grounds for the Porcupine Caribou Herd. Ivvavik means "a place for giving birth and nursing young," reflecting the unique nature of this coastal region which has been a pathway for caribou migration over thousands of years.

The park is 3,926 square miles of open tundra, treeless mountains and coastal lowlands, a vast wilderness preserve with no road access or visitor facility. White-water rafting on the Firth River is the main recreational activity within the park. The Firth River flows north through the British Mountains and drains into the Beaufort Sea at an important wildlife sanctuary. The river delta is close to Herschel Island, the site of an old whaling station. Trips can be planned through outfitters in Inuvik, 125 east of the park where charter flights are available.

The park is home to Dall sheep, grizzly and polar bears, wolves and arctic foxes. In the delta there are numerous species of migrating waterfowl and along the coast, beluga and bowhead whales.

Located in the northwest corner of the Northwest Territories and bordering Vuntut National Park to the south, Ivvavik is the first national park in Canada to be created by a land claim settlement with aboriginal people. The Inuvialuit people share in the management of the park and are still guaranteed their hunting and fishing rights to carry on their subsistence lifestyle.

For More Information Contact:

Ivvavik National Park
Box 1840
Inuvik, NT X0E 0T0
(403) 979-3248




Lake Clark National Park (Return to Park's Index)

Located 150 miles from Anchorage, the Lake Clark National Park lies in the Chigmit Mountains, where the Alaska Range and Aleutian Range meet. The 4 million-acres of roadless wilderness encompasses mountain peaks, hanging glaciers and semi-active volcanoes. The volcanoes, Mount Iliamna and Mount Redoubt which rise over 10,000 feet above sea level, border the western coast of Cook Inlet. Accessible by plane from Anchorage, the park offers bird watching, fly-fishing and whitewater rafting and kayaking on its lakes and rivers.

For more information contact:

Superintendent
Lake Clark National Park
4230 University Drive, #311
Anchorage, Alaska 99508
(907) 271-3751


Ellesmere Island National Park Reserve (Return to Park's Index)

Just 800 kilometers from the North Pole, Ellesmere Island is a national park at the top of the continent. It is located in the Queen Elizabeth Islands, 600 kilometers north of Grise Fiord, one of North America’s most northerly permanent communities. The park landscape is composed of hundreds of glaciers which reach into numerous valleys and fjords. The highest peak in eastern North America, Mount Barbeau (2,600 meters), towers over the park. Because of the low precipitation, most of the area is a polar desert.

From the Grant Land Mountains, the land descends to the Hazen Plateau and Lake Hazen, the largest lake north of the Arctic Circle. Here there are areas of thermal oases which attract wildlife and support vegetation. The park is also home to muskox, peary caribou, arctic wolves, arctic fox and polar bear. On the northern coast, ice shelves jut far into the Arctic Ocean, while on the southern coast, 900-metre high cliffs rise over glacial valleys and deeply incised fjords.

The park offers hiking and wildlife observation. Artifacts from ancient Inuit cultures and cairns left by European explorers remain as evidence of the islands history. Because the land here is so fragile and susceptible to environmental damage, a national park reserve was established. A national park reserve is an area that will become a national park when native land claims have been settled. Access to the park is via charter air service out of Resolute, Northwest Territories. (This part of the Northwest Territories will become Nunavut in 1999.)

For more information contact:

Superintendent
Ellesmere Island National Park Reserve
Box 353
Pangnirtung, NWT X0A 0R0
(819) 473-8828




Cape Krusenstern National Monument (Return to Park's Index)

Cape Krusenstern National Monument captures a record of geologic change dating back to the melting of the Wisconsin glaciers, when ocean levels rose and covered the Bering Land Bridge between Alaska and Asia. The Monument covers 560,000 acres of coastal lowland bordering the Chukchi Sea above Kotzebue, Alaska. Gravel driven by prevailing west winds accumulates offshore near Cape Krusenstern, and every fifty years or so the springtime wind shifts to the southwest. The wind pushed giant ice floes which drive the gravel on shore, creating a succession of new beaches. Nearly 114 beach ridges can be traced from the current shoreline inland to Ingitkalik Mountain, the ancient shoreline of the Chukchi Sea.

The park offers no real facilities at this time, so travel must be carefully planned. Kotzebue is a short flight from both Anchorage and Fairbanks. It is estimated to be one of the oldest communities on the continent dating back 6,000 years ago when early nomadic people made their way across the Bering Land Bridge. Eighty percent of Kotzebue residents are Eskimo who carry on subsistence hunting of whale, walrus and seal. The Living Museum of the Arctic in Kotzebue offers exhibits on the early culture.

For more information:

Cape Krusenstern National Monument
Box 287
Kotzebue, Alaska 99752
(907) 442-3890


Wrangell-St.Elias National Park (Return to Park's Index)

Wrangell-St. Elias is the largest national park in the United States, covering over 12 million acres. Bordering Canada’s Kluane National Park, the two parks encompass over 20 million acres of wilderness and both have been placed on the United Nations’ World Heritage List of outstanding natural areas. Wrangell-St. Elias National Park encompasses the greatest concentration of high peaks on the continent. Mount St. Elias at 18,008 feet is the second highest in North America, after Mount McKinley. Several other peaks exceed 14,500 feet.

The park has more than 100 glaciers, creating the largest ice field below the polar region. The Malespina glacier alone, is larger than the state of Rhode Island. Katabatic winds caused by super chilled air rising off the surface of the ice blow frequently. Along with the rugged mountains and numerous river valleys, the park also includes coastal beaches bordering the Gulf of Alaska.

The old mining towns of McCarthy and Kennicott are located within the Chitina Valley, remnants of the time when 1,000 residents worked one of the world’s richest copper deposits.

For more information contact:

Superintendent
Wrangell-St.Elias National Park
Box 29
Glennallen, AK 99588
(907) 822-5234

Bering Land Bridge National Preserve (Return to Park's Index)

Thousands of years ago, as glaciers receded, North America and Asia were connected by the Bering Land Bridge. This land bridge linking Siberia to Alaska’s Seward Peninsula, offered a passageway for early peoples and animals to migrate from Asia into the North American continent. Remains of mammoths and giant bison have been found in the region, as well as remnants of nomadic hunters dating back nearly 6,000 years. Covered by water as the last glaciers melted, the land bridge is commemorated by this national preserve of 2.7 million acres just below the Arctic Circle on Alaska’s northwest coast. The preserve offers an excellent place to view waterfowl and shorebirds migrating north to breed during the short Arctic summer. Eskimos can be seen pursuing their traditional hunting and fishing activities. There are no real facilities for travelers here, so visitors must come with all necessary food and equipment. Air service is available to Nome or Kotzebue, and from there flights can be chartered into Serpentine Hot Springs or beaches within the preserve.

For more information contact:

Bering Land Bridge National Preserve
Box 220
Nome, Alaska 99762
(907) 443-2522


Auyuittuq National Park Reserve (Return to Park's Index)


Located on Baffin Island, the world’s fifth largest, Auuyuittuq National Park Reserve lives up to its name - "The place which does not melt." The Penny Ice Cap is a large glacier in the heart of the park. Here is a majestic arctic wilderness of year-round ice, jagged mountain peaks, and deep valleys and fjords. Visitors can access the park from Pangnirtung via Inuit freighter canoe, snowmobile or by foot. Pangnirtung Pass, which runs for 60 miles across the Cumberland Peninsula, is a preferred hiking route to the park. There are shorter walks which begin and end at Pangnirtung Fiord. Experienced mountain climbers are attracted to peaks along the Reserve’s east coast.

For more information contact:

Superintendent
Auyuittuq National Park Reserve
Box 353
Pangnirtung, NWT X0A 0R0
(819) 473-8962 Fax:(8612)



Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve (Return to Park's Index)


Sometimes referred to as the "Mississippi of the North," the Yukon River lies at the heart of much of Alaska’s history and folklore. Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve covers 2.5 million acres of interior Alaska which includes a 128-mile long stretch of the Yukon River and much of the Charley River watershed. The Charley River requires experienced canoers, rafters, hikers and campers. White-water rapids dominate a part of the river flowing between Twin Mountain and Mount Sorenseon. Drifting with the current and camping on sandbars and shorelines allows excellent viewing of a wide variety of wildlife.

The Preserve is one of the few national park areas in Alaska accessible by road. Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve can be reached via the Steese Highway from Fairbanks to Circle, or the Taylor Highway from Tetlin Junction to Eagle. Eagle was once a trading center for Klondike miners, a main port of entry from Canada and the first incorporated city in the interior of Alaska (1901). There is a campground and stores that sell provisions, but the lodging facilities are limited. Outfitting arrangements are available.

For more information contact:

Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve
Box 64
Eagle, Alaska 99738



S.S. Klondike National Historic Site (Return to Park's Index)


The steam-powered sternwheeler S.S. Klondike is an historic remnant of the gold rush era when riverboat travel was the main route to Dawson City, Whitehorse and the gold fields beyond. Located on the Yukon River in the town of Whitehorse, this legendary boat commemorates early travel in the Yukon and its effect on the region’s development. The Yukon River is the fifth largest river in North America traveling a distance of 2,000 miles on its journey across the Arctic Circle to the Bering Sea. It drains an area of 858,000 square kilometers (330,000 square miles).

For more information contact:

Yukon National Historic Sites
Canadian Parks Service
Room 119
204 Range Road
Whitehorse, Yukon X1A 3V1
(403) 668-2116



Noatak National Preserve (Return to Park's Index)


The Noatak River is one of the largest untouched river basins in America as it flows through northwestern Alaska to the Arctic Ocean. It provides the centerpiece for this 6.5-million acre preserve above the Arctic Circle. Bordered by Gates of the Arctic and Kobuk Valley National Parks and Krusenstern National Monument, Noatak adds a unique river basin to this vast stretch of protected wilderness.

The Noatak River basin and its steep-walled region known as the Grand Canyon of the Noatak, is formed by the Delong and Baird Mountains. The river and its tributaries provide the only reasonable route of travel through this densely forested area.

The village of Noatak, which lies 50 miles from Kotzebue, is the only permanent settlement in the region. Outfitting for fishing and rafting trips on the Noatak River can be made in Kiana, a small community west of Kotzebue. At the present, there are no public facilities within the preserve.

For more information contact:

Noatak National Preserve
Box 287
Kotzebue, Alaska 99752



Nahanni National Park Preserve (Return to Park's Index)


Located in the Northwest Territory near the Yukon border, Nahanni National Park offers a dramatic display of geologic history in its 1840 square-mile wilderness. Crossed only by river highways, Nahanni is accessible by boat or float plane from Yellowknife. The South Nahanni River originates close to the Yukon border, flowing southeast out of the Selwyn Mountains to meet the Mackenzie Mountains. It winds a course 4000-feet below the limestone bluffs of First Canyon, a cleft of the Mackenzie Mountains carved over time by this relentless waterway.

The Indians called the Nahanni - "Nahadeh" - The Powerful River, due to its affect on the landscape and its treacherous whitewater. Names like Broken Skull River and Deadmen Valley attest to the region’s difficult and dangerous terrain. The park landscape offers dramatic examples of the earth’s ancient evolutionary processes along its canyons, mountain ranges, river valleys and sulfur hot springs. Virginia Falls, one of the park highlights, is nearly one and a half times the height of Niagara Falls. To honor the park’s unique landscape, the United Nations designated it the first World Heritage Park in 1979.

For more information contact:

Director
TravelArctic
Yellowknife, N.W.T. X1A 2L9
(403) 873-7200

Superintendent
Nahanni National Park Reserve
P. O. Box 300 (348)
Fort Simpson, N.W.T. X0E 0N0
(403) 695-3151


Kobuk Valley National Park (Return to Park's Index)

Situated above the Arctic Circle, this broad river valley has drawn migrating caribou for thousands of years on their trek from northern calving grounds to southern wintering grounds. They cross the Kobuk River at the Onion Portage, a favorite hunting spot for Eskimo. Layers of artifacts spanning 10,000 years have been found at this site providing an important archeological record. The park is rimmed by the Baird Mountains and covered with tundra vegetation. In contrast, the park also contains the Great Kobuk Sand Dunes, an area of rolling sand dunes rising 100 feet high in some places. The Dunes are spread over a 25-square mile area.

For more information contact:

Superintendent
Kobuk Valley National Park
Box 287 1029
Kotzebue, AK 99752
(907) 442-3890


Kluane National Park Reserve (Return to Park's Index)

Kluane National Park Reserve is one of the largest and most spectacular of Canada’s national parks. With an area larger than the state of Massachusetts, the park encompasses the highest mountain range in North America, including Canada’s highest peak - Mount Logan (5,950 meters). Only the peaks of Mount McKinley reach higher. Most of the 8,500 square miles (22,100 square kilometers) of park are covered by glaciers, creating the largest ice field outside of the polar region. The Lowell Glacier alone, flows some 45 miles to the Alsek River. Located in the southwest corner of the Yukon, in an area including mountains, river valleys, alpine meadows, glaciers, lakes and tundra, Kluane borders Alaska’s Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. Together they comprise more than 20 million acres of wilderness and have been placed on the United Nations’ World Heritage List. The parks hold the largest array of large mammals in North America. Wildlife includes grizzly and black bear, moose, mountain goats, Dall sheep, wolf, lynx, wolverine and snowshoe hare. Over 170 species of birds have been reported in the park, while 106 species nest there.

With the high mountains and proximity to the Pacific Ocean, the park experiences some of the harshest, least predictable weather. Katabatic winds, formed by super chilled air rising off the surface of ice fields, blow frequently. The park is accessible from the Alaska Highway, but beyond the trails and old mining roads, there is no development.

For more information contact:
Superintendent
Kluane National Park Reserve
Box 5495
Haines Junction, Yukon Y0B 1L0 (403) 634-2251
(403) 634-2251



Klondike National Historic Sites (Return to Park's Index)

The Klondike National Historic Sites celebrate the gold rush of 1890, when thousands of fortune seekers climbed the Chilkoot Pass and floated the Yukon River to Dawson City and the gold fields beyond. Over time $300 million in gold has been taken from this region, a third of it during the gold rush. Dawson City once had 30,000 people, making it the largest city west of Winnipeg and north of San Francisco. The park encompasses historical sites significant to the gold rush era, such as Dawson City itself, the Gold Fields, Bear Creek, the Robert Service Cabin, Redfeather Saloon and the Governor’s residence.

For more information contact:

Klondike National Historic Sites
Canadian Parks Service
P. O. Box 390
Dawson City, Yukon Y0B 1G0
(403) 993-5462


Gates of the Arctic National Park (Return to Park's Index)

It seems somehow appropriate that the park which borders this vast arctic wilderness is America’s second largest. Situated above the Arctic Circle, 200 miles northwest of Fairbanks on Alaska’s North Slope, Gates of the Arctic National Park covers 7,952,000 acres of untouched land. This wild, scenic region borders the Brooks Range which reaches from the Yukon to the Arctic Sea. The park covers an area rich in wildlife. The Western Arctic caribou herd migrates through the passes on their way from northern calving grounds to southern winter feeding grounds. The park is home to Dall sheep, grizzly bear, wolves, wolverines and lynx. Fairbanks and the small town of Bettles, 50 miles south of the park, offer transportation and outfitting services for hikers, campers and canoeists. The Noatak River flows 450 miles from the Brooks Range to Kotzebue Sound on the Arctic Ocean. Lake trout, char and grayling are found in the numerous lakes and rivers. An Eskimo village lies within the park at Anaktuvuk Pass.

For more information contact:

Superintendent
Gates of the Arctic National Park
Box 74680
Fairbanks, Alaska 99707
(907) 456-0281



Denali National Park (Return to Park's Index)

Denali is an Aleut Indian word meaning "the high one," an appropriate name for a park with the highest mountain on the North American continent. A truly spectacular sight, Mount McKinley has two peaks; South Peak which rises 20,320 feet and North peak which rises 19,470 feet above the surrounding landscape, visible on clear days from both Anchorage and Fairbanks. It was named for President William McKinley by prospector W. A. Dickey in 1896. Another mountain peak, Mount Foraker is 17,400 feet high, still higher than any mountain in the lower 48 states. The park covers 6 million acres of expansive wilderness; mountains, broad valleys, tundra, lakes and the largest northward-flowing glacier in Alaska - Muldrow Glacier. Most of the park lies above the tree line, dominated by Alpine vegetation and the glacier-covered peaks. The North Peak was first climbed in 1909 and the South Peak in 1913. Today, Mount McKinley still represents a formidable challenge to mountain climbers from around the world. The mountain experiences severe weather with winds of 100 miles per hour near the summit. In addition to mountaineering, the park offers hiking, backpacking, fishing, camping and wildlife watching. It can be reached by car, bus, plane or train from Anchorage or Fairbanks.

For more information:

Superintendent
Denali National Park
Box 9
Denali Park Station, Alaska 99755
(907) 683-2294




Aniakchak National Monument (Return to Park's Index)

This national monument preserves one of the largest calderas in the world. A caldera is the collapsed summit of a volcano which can occur after a violent eruption. Aniakchak Caldera remained largely unknown until Father Bernard Hubbard led an expedition into the caldera in 1930. He found lush plants growing in areas of subterranean heat, ancient lava flows across the floor and a secondary cone within the caldera 2,200 feet high. Wildlife in the region include brown bear, moose and caribou. Aniakchak covers more than 600,000 acres on the Alaska Peninsula, including tundra, lakes, rivers and volcanic peaks. It is located 400 miles from Anchorage and accessible by charter flights from King Salmon. The caldera is subject to violent weather which can make travel in the park difficult. The Aniakchak River is part of the Wild and Scenic Rivers System, offering challenging whitewater rafting.

For more information contact:

Aniakchak Nat’l Monument & Preserve
Box 7
King Salmon, Alaska 99613


North Baffin National Park (Return to Park's Index)


North Baffin National Park sits on the edge of the world’s fifth largest island, surrounded by glacier clad mountains, deep-set fjords and iceberg-laden seas. The rich arctic waters attract seals, walruses, beluga whales and narwhals - the unicorns of the arctic seas. Bylot Island, an international bird sanctuary off the northeast shore of Baffin Island, attracts thousands of murres, guillemots and kittiwakes.

Nearby Pond Inlet is one of the oldest Inuit sites in the Canadian Arctic. Fishing, hunting and trapping are still important to the traditional way of life, but old and new ways blend in this city at the edge of the Arctic. The community has been visited by whalers, missionaries, traders and now tourists, who can explore the park by dogsled, kayak, snowmobile or skis. Outfitters offer fishing, hiking and wildlife trips.

For More Information Contact:

North Baffin National Park
Box 353
Pangnirtung, NT X0A 0R0
(819) 473-8828



Aulavik National Park (Return to Park's Index)


Aulavik National Park is located on the northeastern side of Banks Island, home to 70,000 muskoxen and 3500 years of arctic history. The island has numerous archeological sites providing a unique view of early island cultures. Sachs Harbour, the island’s only settlement, is situated along the fabled Northwest Passage which drew early European explorers in their search for a route to the Orient.

Today approximately 140 people live in Sachs Harbour and there are no facilities on the island. Charter air service is provided to the park from Inuvik, 450 miles to the south.

The Thomsen River, northernmost navigable waterway in the world, meanders through the park’s tundra and arid badlands, offering easy canoeing but a very short season. Parts of the river may stay frozen until June.

Polar bears come to the park in the summer months as ice floes melt. Arctic wolves, foxes and Peary caribou roam the park as well, along with a large portion of the island muskoxen. These prehistoric-looking animals are remnants of herds which crossed into North America from Siberia along the Bering land bridge nearly 90,000 years ago. They survived the last glacial period in the ice-free areas of the northern arctic islands and Greenland.

For More Information Contact:

Aulavik National Park
General Delivery
Sachs Harbour, NT X0E 0Z0
(403) 690-3904

(Return to Park's Index)

Lopez, Barry. Arctic Dreams: Imagination and Desire in a Northern Landscape. New York: Charles Scribner’s., 1986.

Berton, Pierre. The Arctic Grail: The Quest for the North West Passage and the North Pole 1818-1909 . Toronto: McClelland and Stewart.,1920.

Bockstoce, John R. Whales, Ice & Men: The History of Whaling in the Western Arctic. Seattle: University of Washington Press,. 1986.

Bockstoce, John R. Arctic Passages: A Unique Small-Boat Voyage in the Great Northern Waterway. New York: William Morrow & Compant, Inc.,1991.

Steger, Will with Paul Schurke. North To the Pole. New York: Times Books., 1987.

Schurke, Paul. Bering Bridge. Duluth, Minnesota: Pfeifer-Hamilton.,1989.

Indian and Northern Affairs. Canada’s North: The Reference Manual. Ottawa: Supply and Services Canada. Canadian Government Publishing Centre., 1990.

Mowat, Farley. The Polar Passion. New York, Little, Brown & Co., 1968.

Frome, Michael. National Park Guide.

Young, Steven B. To The Arctic: An Introduction to the Far Northern World. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1989.

Government of Canada. The State of Canada’s Environment. Ottawa: Supply and Services Canada. Canadian Government Publishing Centre., 1991.

Weaver, P. A. and R. S. Walker. The Narwhal Harvest in Pond Inlet, Northwest Territories: Hunt Documentation and Biological Sampling, 1982-1983. Winnipeg: Central and Arctic Region Department of Fisheries and Oceans., 1988.(Canadian Manuscript Report of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences No. 1975).

The Caribou Are Our Life, Executive Council Office, Government of the Yukon, January, 1988.

Canada’s Northwest Territories 1989 Explorer’s Guide, TravelArctic, Government of the Northwest Territories.

Baffin: The Accessible Arctic, Supplement to Arctic Circle, March/April 1991.

1992 Earth Journal, Buzzword Magazine.

Macduff, Alistair, Lords of the Stone,North Vancouver, British Columbia, Whitecap Books.

Asch, Michael, Home and Native Land, Toronto, Methuen.

Foster, Michael and Carol Marino, The Polar Shelf: The Saga of Canada’s Arctic Scientists, Toronto, NC Press Limited, 1986.

Honderich, John, Arctic Imperative: Is Canada Losing the North, Toronto,University of Toronto Press, 1987.

Canadian Arctic Marine Conservation Strategy: Discussion Paper, Fisheries and Ocean Canada, December, 1987.

Prudhoe Bay & Beyond, Standard Alaska Production.

Kuralt, Charles, To The Top of the World, New York, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1968.

Stefansson, Vilhjalmur, Unsolved Mysteries of the Arctic, New York, The Macmillan Company, 1939.

Fiennes, Sir Ranulph, To The Ends Of The Earth, New York, Arbor House, 1983.

Bockstoce, John,"Arctic Voyages of the Motor-Cutter Belvedere 1983-87," Polar Record 24 (150): 231-34 (1988).


Pelly, David F. "The Dawn of Nunavut," Canadian Geographic, March/April 1993, pp. 20-29.

"The Big Melt," Toronto Globe and Mail, October 10, 1992, pp.D1 & D5.

Ford, John and Debra. "Narwhal: Unicorn of the Arctic Seas," National Geographic, March, 1986, pp. 354 - 363.

Vesilind, Priit J. "Hunters of the Lost Spirit," National Geographic, February, 1983, pp. 144 - 197.

Fitzhugh, William W. and Susan A. Kaplan. "Art of the Bering Sea,"National Geographic, February, 1983, pp. 198 - 205.

Chadwick, Douglas, "Our Wildest Wilderness: Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Range," National Geographic,, December, 1979, pp. 737-769.

Rytkheu, Yuri. "People of the Lost Spring,"National Geographic, February, 1983, pp. 206 - 223.

Hoshino, Michio. "Majestic Wanderers: Caribou," National Geographic, December, 1988, pp. 846 - 857.

Lee, Douglas B. "Oil in the Wilderness: An Arctic Dilemma,"National Geographic, December, 1988, pp. 858 - 871.

Darling, James D. "Whales: An Era of Discovery," National Geographic, December, 1988, pp. 872 - 909.

Matthews, Samuel W. "Ice on the World,"National Geographic, January, 1987, pp. 79 - 106.

Eliot, John L. "Glaciers on the Move,"National Geographic, January, 1987, pp. 107 - 119.

Graves, William. "The Imperiled Giants,"National Geographic, December, 1976, pp. 722 - 751.

Bockstoce, John. "Changing Images of the Northwest Passage," National Geographic, August, 1990, pp. 2 - 33.

Norris, Kenneth S. "Beluga: White Whale of the North," National Geographic, June, 1994, pp. 2 - 31.

Scheffer, Victor B. "Exploring the Lives of Whales,"National Geographic, December, 1976, pp. 752 - 767.

Mech, L. David, "At Home With the Arctic Wolf," National Geographic, May, 1987, pp. 562-593.

Stirling, Ian and Holly Cleator, editors. Polynyas in the Canadian Arctic. Ottawa: Supply and Services Canada. Canadian Government Publishing Centre., 1981. (Occasional Paper Number 45 Canadian Wildlife Service).

Ranford, Barry. "In Franklin’s Footsteps," Equinox, June, 1993, pp. 46-53.

Kesselheim, Alan S. "Inukshuks: Tundra Monuments," Up Here: Life in Canada’s North, July/August, 1988, pp. 41-42.

"The Wolf in the United States," International Wolf Center.




Arctic Publications available:

Arctic Circle: articles specific to the North (bimonthly). Available from Nontext Publishing, Suite 280, 14 Colonnade Road, Nepean, Ontario K2E 7M6.

Nunavut: the magazine of the Tungavik Federation of Nunavut, Tungavik Federation of Nunavut, Suite 800, 130 Slater Street, Ottawa K1P 6EA.

The Muskox: a journal of multidisciplinary interests in the North (biyearly). Saskatoon: University of Saskatchewan. Department of Geological Sciences.

Up Here: Life in Canada’s North (bimonthly). Outcrop. P.O.Box 1350 Yellowknife, N.W.T. X1A 2N9.

(RETURN TO MAIN INDEX

 

 

Arctic Bay/Nanisivik
Population: 477 and 315
Baffin Island
Lat. 73°01’N, Long. 85°08’W
Lat. 73°02’N, Long. 84°33’W

While Arctic Bay was established by the Hudson’s Bay Company in the 1920’s, the community didn’t develop until the Canadian government brought in basic health and education services in the 1950’s. Located on the northeast shore of Admirality Inlet, Arctic Bay is an area rich in archaeological sites, with cairns, sod houses, burial sites and stone fish weirs from ancient Inuit cultures. The town offers food and lodging facilities for the employees of the Nanisivik Mines, located thirteen miles away. Nanisivik, the only mining town on Baffin Island, was established in 1974 to serve the underground lead-zinc mining operation. Every summer solstice, Nanisivik holds the Midnight Sun Marathon, the northern-most marathon in North America. Taxi service between Arctic Bay and Nanisivik offers one of the most scenic drives in the High North, traveling literally on "top of the mountains" with views of Admirality Inlet and the surrounding landscape.

(Back to Town Index)


Broughton Island
Population: 451
Lat. 67°33’N, Long. 64°02’W

Broughton Island sits at the eastern border of Auyuittuq National Park off the coast of Baffin Island. It marks the end of the scenic Pangnirtung Pass hiking trail which cuts through the park. Outfitters can take visitors to sites along the coast by boat or dog team, offering opportunities to view the abundance of marine mammals. The island has played a role in the region’s whaling history, but it did not become a permanent settlement until 1956, when the Distant Early Warning Site was built bringing Inuit from Pangnirtung and Padloping Island to help with construction.

(Back to Town Index)


Cambridge Bay
Population: 900
Victoria Island
Lat. 69°07’N, Long. 105°02’W

Cambridge Bay area was named for the Duke of Cambridge by fur traders exploring the region in 1839. While the region has been inhabited by Inuit for hundreds of years, few people lived in Cambridge Bay year-round until construction began on the DEW line, the Distant Early Warning radar defense site, in the 1950’s. Today the town is an administrative and service center for the central Arctic, as well as a departure point for fishing and naturalist trips. Across the bay a picturesque Roman Catholic stone church stands near what was "old town" and the remains of explorer Roald Amundsen’s three-masted schooner Maud, still lie in the harbor.

(Back to Town Index)


Cape Dorset
Population: 961
Dorset Island
Lat. 64°14’N, 76°32’W

Cape Dorset is situated in the valley of the Kingnait Range, providing a beautiful setting for this Inuit community along the Hudson Strait. It was here that remains of an ancient culture were found dating from 1000 B.C. to 1100 A.D. Anthropologists believe that this "Dorset Culture" was ultimately absorbed by the whale-hunting Thule culture, of which modern Inuit are descendants. The cape was named by explorer Captain Luke Foxe after his benefactor, the Earl of Dorset. The Inuit name for the community is "Kingnait" meaning "high mountains" in Inuktitut. Indeed the "Cape" on Dorset Island is a 780-foot high mountain. The Hudson’s Bay Company established a trading post on the island in 1913. In 1953 artist James Houston and his wife came to Cape Dorset and spent ten years encouraging gifted, local artists in carving, handicrafts and print-making. Today Inuit culture is beautifully reflected in the highly-valued limited edition prints, lithographs and soapstone carvings produced by Cape Dorset artists. The West Baffin Eskimo Cooperative, formed in 1959 to promote local art, is now the community’s largest employer.

(Back to Town Index)


Clyde River
Population: 474
Baffin Island
Lat. 70°28’N, Long. 68°36’W

Clyde River is located on the eastern coast of Baffin Island near Cape Christian. The area was mostly uninhabited until the Hudson’s Bay Company opened a post in 1922. The post drew Inuit that had migrated earlier to whaling stations around Pond Inlet and Cumberland Sound. With the closing of the whaling stations, many returned to the Clyde River. While furs became the only source of cash income in the area for the next 20 years, many Inuit retained their subsistence lifestyle, hunting marine mammals as they had for hundreds of years. Construction of a U.S. Coast Guard weather and naval station during World War II provided some local income. In 1955 a Distant Early Warning station and a school were built, with the addition of other facilities in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Yet today, most Clyde River residents still prefer the traditional Inuit lifestyle.

(Back to Town Index)


Coppermine
Population: 956
Mainland
Lat. 67°50’N, Long. 115°06W

Coppermine is located on the southwest corner of Coronation Gulf at the mouth of the river that bears its name. In 1771, Hudson’s Bay trader Samuel Hearne came to the area searching for the source of native copper brought to Fort Prince of Wales near Churchill, Manitoba. Led by a party of Chipewyan Dene Indians, traditional enemy of the Inuit, the trip ended in tragedy at Bloody Fall, when the Dene massacred a band of local Inuit. Today Bloody Fall is a landmark on the Coppermine River named by Hearne in memory of the event. Today, the Coppermine River offers a 640 kilometer canoe route and excellent fishing for Arctic char. Wildlife and fish are abundant.

(Back to Town Index)


Gjoa Haven
Population: 1065
King William Island
Lat. 68°38’N, 95°52’W

Gjoa Haven was named after Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen’s sloop, The Gjoa the first vessel to ever transit the Northwest Passage. Piloted by Amundsen, who made his historic journey from 1903 to 1906, the crew of The Gjoa came to "the finest little harbour in the world" to escape a gale. They ended up staying here two years, as Amundsen and his crew established a scientific station to explore the mysteries of the North Magnetic Pole, before continuing their successful navigation of the Passage. Today, the Northwest Passage Historic Park celebrates those early years of European exploration and the role of native people in this era of arctic discovery.

(Back to Town Index)


Grise Fiord
Population: 114
Ellesmere Island

Located nearly 900 miles from the North Pole, Grise Fiord is Canada’s most northerly community. A stop off point for trips to the Pole, Grise Fiord also offers area naturalist tours and trips to nearby archaeological sites. The scenery here is breathtaking with towering mountains and a long, deep fjord cutting inland from Jones Sound. Nearby glaciers provide a portion of the icebergs that calve into Baffin Bay annually. Ellesmere Island National Park is located on the northern tip of the island and is accessible by plane from Resolute.

(Back to Town Index)


Holman
Population: 303
Victoria Island

A name synonymous with Eskimo art, Holman is internationally known for its art community. Using lithography, stenciling, stonecut and linocut, the artists of Holman have created a distinctive style of art prints, prized by collectors and museums alike. The town, located on the southwest shore of Victoria Island, offers close proximity to historic Thule archaeological sites, as well as polar bear and musk ox, and Arctic char and lake trout fishing.

(Back to Town Index)


Igloolik
Population: 922
Igloolik Island
Lat. 69°24’, Long. 81°48’W

Located on an island in the northern end of Foxe Basin, Igloolik has been the site of Inuit habitation for nearly 4000 years. There are nearby archaeological sites documenting early life in the region to 2000 B.C. Remnants of the Denbigh, Dorset and Thule cultures paved the way for modern day Inuit. Captain Perry of the Royal Navy wintered in Igloolik in 1822, recording the life of the community at that time. Through the years explorers, missionaries and scientists have come to Igloolik. In 1939 the Hudson’s Bay Company set up a post here. Further growth was spurred by construction of the DEW Line station at Hall Beach in the mid-1950’s and the addition of a school and government facilities in 1959. Today scientists work in the community’s Eastern Arctic Research Lab. Local outfitters are available for fishing and naturalist trips.

(Back to Town Index)


Iqaluit
Population: 2,947
Baffin Island
Lat. 62° 40’N, Long. 66°20’W

Strategically located at the southern tip of Baffin Island, Iqaluit is the gateway to the world’s fifth largest island. The community is a blend of modern and traditional lifestyles as it has grown into a regional center for transportation, communication, retail and tourist services. In 1576 Englishman Martin Frobisher became the first explorer to search for a transcontinental channel through the Arctic linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans - the fabled Northwest Passage. He sailed into the bay which now bears his name thinking he had discovered both the Passage and gold. The gold turned out to be iron pyrite, "fool’s gold," and the Passage would not be crossed for another 330 years. For many years the town was called Frobisher Bay, but in 1986 its name was officially changed back to Iqaluit, which means "place of fish" in Inuktitut. The nearby Qaummaarvit Historic Park provides visitors a first-hand view of an ancient Thule encampment which has been excavated by archaeologists.

(Back to Town Index)

Pangnirtung
Population: 1070
Baffin Island
Lat. 66°09’N, Long. 65°43’W

Sometimes referred to as the "Switzerland of the Canadian Arctic," Pangnirtung is the gateway to the majestic Auyuiituq National Park. Visitors can hike the glacial valleys along the scenic Pangnirtung Pass or explore the area’s whaling history. The history of Pangnirtung’s is interwoven with the history of whaling. By the mid-1800’s, Cumberland Sound became one of the favored gathering spots for whaling ships waiting for the bowhead to arrive. Local Inuit helped Scottish and American whalers at rendering stations, like the one now commemorated at Kekerten Historic Park 30 miles from Pangnirtung. Here rusted iron kettles, stone building foundations, barrels, anchors and ribs of former vessels remain as testimony to an historic period when thousands of whales were harvested to provide baleen and oil to the world. The Angmarlik Interpretive Centre in Pangnirtung provides further exhibits on this era. Pangnirtung is well known for its woven crafts and soapstone and bone carvings.

(Back to Town Index)


Pond Inlet
Population: 885
Baffin Island
Lat. 72°42’N, Long. 77°59’W

Said to be one of the most ancient Inuit sites in the Canadian Arctic, Pond Inlet lies on the northeast tip of Baffin Island, the fifth largest island in the world. Set amid breathtaking scenery of mountains, fjords and ocean, Pond Inlet lies directly across from the world-renowned Bylot Island Bird Sanctuary. Visited by Arctic explorer Lt. W. E. Parry in 1820, Pond Inlet has since seen whalers, traders and missionaries visit it’s shore. Most Inuit continued subsistence living until the 1960’s. Today, fishing, hunting and trapping are still important to the Inuit way of life. But now visitors from all over the world come to Pond Inlet to experience the Arctic. They travel to the floe-edge to view whales, in particular the narwhal or "unicorn of the Arctic seas". Other activities include visiting Bylot Island or regional archeological sites. The inlet was named for Royal Astronomer John Pond in 1888.

(Back to Town Index)



Resolute Bay
Population: 166
Cornwallis Island
Lat. 74°42’N, Long. 94°50’W

A reflection of the history of Arctic exploration, Resolute Bay was named for HMS Resolute, one of the ships which searched for the lost Franklin Expedition in the mid-1800’s. Indeed many of the search vessels at the time passed Cornwallis Island in their vain attempts to find the Franklin crew. In 1947, the U.S. and Canadian governments constructed a joint weather station here and an airport to service it. The airport made Resolute one of the more accessible Arctic outposts, visited by numerous scientists over the years. It is the key staging area for trips to the North Pole and Arctic Islands. Currently, there is limited oil and gas exploration and mining at the Polaris Mine on Little Cornwallis island.

(Back to Town Index)