Auyuittuq National Park
National Park (Parks Canada) · Pangnirtung, Nunavut
Auyuittuq National Park is an Arctic wilderness on Baffin Island in Nunavut, its Inuktitut name meaning the land that never melts. It is built around the Penny Ice Cap and Akshayuk Pass, a glacial valley of about 97 km that crosses the Arctic Circle and runs beneath Mount Thor, whose west face of about 1,250 m is often called one of the longest vertical drops on Earth. Mount Asgard, with its twin towers, stands nearby. The usual gateway is the hamlet of Pangnirtung, reached by air from Iqaluit, then by boat in summer or snowmobile in spring. This is not a casual park. It suits experienced backpackers, ski tourers and climbers, or visitors who take a day trip with an Inuit-run outfitter. Registration and a Parks Canada orientation are mandatory. Polar bears, river crossings and storms are real, and rescue can take days. Expect it to be remote, weather-bound and expensive, and plan flights with spare days.
Parks Canada office, Pangnirtung, Pangnirtung, Nunavut, X0A 0R0, Canada
The park is open year round, but practical travel falls in two windows: a short summer hiking season, roughly July to August, once the fjord ice clears and rivers can be crossed, and a spring season on snow, roughly March to May, for ski and snowmobile travel. Confirm both with Parks Canada, because ice, weather and river levels decide what is possible. Every visitor must register and attend the orientation at the Parks Canada office in Pangnirtung before entering, and must check out when done. Office hours are limited and seasonal, so contact them well ahead. Flights and boats are weather-dependent, so build in spare days.
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