Fort Severn
The Most Northerly Community In Ontario, A Cree Village At The Mouth Of The Severn River With A Historic Hudson'S Bay Company Post, The Nearby Polar Bear Provincial Park, Birds, Whales And Caribou, And An Old Hudson'S Bay Company Post. Reached Only By Scheduled Flight Or A Winter Road · Fort Severn, Ontario
Fort Severn is a Cree community of about 400 people at the mouth of the Severn River on Hudson Bay, the most northerly settlement in Ontario and one of the most isolated in the province. The Hudson Bay Company built a post at the river mouth in 1689, and the Omushkego Cree of the Hudson Bay lowlands, the Swampy Cree, have hunted, fished and travelled this coast far longer. The people of Fort Severn First Nation still follow the seasons: the spring goose hunt, summer fishing, fall caribou and winter trapping. Around the village lie flat tundra, willow, tidal marsh and the vast Polar Bear Provincial Park, with beluga whales in the river mouth in summer. There is no road open all year: visitors arrive by scheduled flight from the south or, in a good winter, by the winter road. Services are minimal, so arrange a host, a bed and meals before you travel, and ask permission to visit. Plan well ahead.
Fort Severn, a First Nation of about 400 people at the mouth of the Severn River on Hudson Bay, the northernmost community in Ontario, reached only by air or a winter road; coordinates approximate, Fort Severn, Ontario, Canada
Fort Severn keeps no visiting hours because it is a living community. The store, the band office and the school follow weekday hours, roughly 9 to 5, and close on Sundays and public holidays - confirm by phone. Scheduled flights serve the airport several days a week, and weather can cancel them. The winter road is open only in the coldest months, usually January to March, depending on ice, and its dates change each year (confirm). The goose hunt in late April and May brings families to camps outside the village, and some services slow down. Walking the shore and the village costs nothing, but ask before leaving the road.