Rankin Inlet (Kangiqliniq)

The Largest Community On The Hudson Bay Coast Of Nunavut, Founded In The 1950s Around A Nickel Mine And Now Home To A Well Known Inuit Ceramics And Print Studio, The Itsarnitsiaq Territorial Park And Fishing For Arctic Char. A Working Administrative Town Rather Than A Sightseeing Destination, With A Short Summer Visitor Season · Rankin Inlet, Nunavut

Rankin Inlet, Kangiqliniq in Inuktitut, is the largest community on the Hudson Bay coast of Nunavut and the regional hub of the Kivalliq, with a population of a few thousand. It began in the 1950s around a nickel mine and is now a working administrative and service town of gravel streets, government offices, an airport, a health centre and a harbour on the west coast of Hudson Bay. It is known for a well-known Inuit ceramics and print studio, for Itsarnitsiaq Territorial Park and for fishing Arctic char. It is not a sightseeing town: a walk covers the centre in an afternoon, and the real experiences, such as fishing, boat trips and visits to nearby coast, are arranged with local outfitters and the Hunters and Trappers Organization. It suits business travellers, researchers, artists and people already in the north. It is worth the trip in summer, for the short season of long light, open water and char. Flights from Winnipeg take about two hours and commonly cost CAD 800-1,800 return, so confirm fares first.

Rankin Inlet, the regional hub of the Kivalliq on the west coast of Hudson Bay, about 2 hours by air from Winnipeg; coordinates approximate, Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, Canada

Rankin Inlet works as a normal town, so shops, government offices and the airport keep regular weekday hours that you should confirm locally, with reduced hours on Sundays and holidays. The ceramics and print studio, craft sellers and any visitor facilities keep their own hours and may be closed outside summer or by appointment, so call ahead. Itsarnitsiaq Territorial Park and the shore are free to walk at any daylight hour but are covered in snow most of the year. Boat and fishing trips run in the open-water season, roughly July to September, with ice-based trips in spring. In midsummer the days are very long; in winter the sun is up only a few hours.

Rankin Inlet (Kangiqliniq) on Spottos · Explore more places on Spottos