Many visitors who come to Pangnirtung arrive here to visit the majestic Auyuittuq National Park. Auyuittuq National Park is roughly a 30-kilometer boat ride from Pangnirtung. Outfitters can be easily hired from Pangnirtung by contacting the Angmarlik Visitor Centre.
Most visitors select the Akshayuk Pass in order to hike, ski or climb in the park. Akshayuk Pass was named after a local elder from Pangnirtung.
To access the Auyuittuq National Park, you can start from either Pangnirtung or Qikiqtarjuaq. You have to register and undergo a safety orientation before entering the park. This can be completed in community Parks Canada offices both in Pangnirtung and Qikiqtarjuaq.
Natural resources
The word "Auyuittuq" is an Inuktitut word meaning "the land that never melts".
Auyuittuq National Park now includes an area of 19,089 square kilometres and lies almost entirely within the Arctic Circle. Included within the park is the 6,000 square km Penny Ice Cap, representing the most southerly remnant of the former Laurentian Ice Sheet which, about 18,000 years ago, covered most of Canada east of the Rocky Mountains.
The remainder of the Park is a glacier-formed landscape that still displays glacial processes, large outlet glaciers and small cirque glaciers radiating from the Penny Ice Cap. Landforms such as cirques, aretes and horns, which give the park its distinctive and scenic mountainous appearance, were formed by alpine glaciers.
Mt. Asgard in Auyuittuq National Park. Photo by Markus Siivola
Climate
The climate of Auyuittuq is extremely harsh, complex and variable. The long, cold winters are characterized by short days, light precipitation and strong winds. Summers are short, with moderate temperatures and long days.
Links
Please use the following links to find out more information about the park or to hire outfitters to take you to the park.
» Parks Canada Website for Auyuittuq National Park
» Angmarlik Visitor Centre
Akshayuk Pass north-east of Thor Peak. Photo by Markus Siivola