Aulavik National Park

Aulavik National Park, Canada

A wide view of the Thomsen River winding through green tundra under warm midnight sunlight in Aulavik National Park.

Aulavik National Park offers weeks of quiet paddling down an Arctic river, past grazing muskoxen, tundra wildflowers and old Inuvialuit camps, with no other travellers in sight.

The place

Aulavik National Park sits at the northern end of Banks Island in the Northwest Territories, well inside the Arctic Circle. Its name comes from Inuvialuktun and means roughly "place where people travel", which suits a landscape organised around one slow river, the Thomsen. The park was established in 1992 and has no road, no town and no built facilities for visitors. It is reached by chartered light aircraft that land at a few designated sites. The ground is low, open tundra with no trees at all, and in the south a sparsely vegetated plateau rises above the lowlands. This is a polar desert: very little rain or snow falls in a year, and wind is the defining feature of the weather, often strong and relentless for days at a time. Muskoxen are the animals most visitors come for, grazing in herds along the river valley, and the island holds a very large population of them. Peary caribou, Arctic foxes, hares, lemmings and wolves share the tundra, while snowy owls and falcons hunt overhead. Ptarmigan and ravens stay through winter; most other birds arrive only for the short summer. Polar bears, seals and whales live along the north coast. Wildflowers cover the ground in surprising variety once the thaw comes. It is a place for self-reliant paddlers and walkers rather than casual sightseers.

Its story

Aulavik National Park lies on land that people have crossed for a very long time. Pre-Dorset families lived in this part of Banks Island before the Thule culture spread through the southern end of the island. When the climate cooled during the Little Ice Age, the island was most likely left empty for a stretch, and the Inuvialuit later returned to it. Their stone tent rings, which once weighted down the edges of hide shelters, still sit on the banks of the Thomsen River. The best-known outsider story belongs to the Royal Navy. Captain Robert McClure took HMS Investigator into the Arctic while searching for the lost Franklin expedition, and the ship became trapped in the ice of Mercy Bay on the park's north coast. McClure and his crew endured winters there, then abandoned the vessel and crossed the sea ice of the strait to reach another ship, HMS Resolute. The wreck and its supplies did not go to waste. Copper Inuit travelled from Victoria Island to salvage metal and wood left behind, and they hunted caribou and muskoxen nearby, as the many surviving food caches show. Parks Canada now protects the whole area, and archaeological sites are treated as off limits for camping.

What to see

Culture

Aulavik National Park is Inuvialuit homeland, and its culture is best understood as a long habit of travel and hunting along the Thomsen River. The Inuvialuit, who live today mainly in communities such as Sachs Harbour, trace their connection to the land through generations of fishing, caribou and muskox hunting, and seasonal movement. Copper Inuit from further east also came to the area, and earlier peoples left traces that archaeologists still study. The landscape holds this history openly: tent rings, food caches and old hunting sites sit on the surface of the tundra, unfenced and unsigned. Knowledge of weather, ice and animal behaviour is passed on through families, and local guidance still matters more than any map. Music, drumming, storytelling and sewing remain living parts of community life in the western Arctic, though visitors to the park itself will meet them mostly through conversation in Sachs Harbour or Inuvik rather than at any site. The park is also a working part of the island's hunting land, so respect for local use of the country goes together with respect for the animals and the quiet. Leave every stone ring, cache and artefact exactly where you find it, photograph without touching, and never camp on an archaeological site.

What to wear

Aulavik National Park has no resident population, so its dress traditions belong to the Inuvialuit and Copper Inuit communities of the wider region. Traditional clothing was made from caribou and sealskin, cut for warmth in extreme cold: hooded parkas, trousers, mittens and soft skin boots called kamiks, stitched with sinew and often finished with fur trim. Women's parkas were cut full to carry a child, and cotton overparkas later became common, often decorated with bands of colour and braid. Skin and fur clothing is still made and worn for hunting and for ceremonies, but everyday dress in Sachs Harbour and Inuvik now looks much like anywhere in northern Canada: insulated jackets, fleece, jeans and sturdy boots, with a hooded winter coat in the cold months. Visitors going into the park in summer should think in layers. Pack a windproof and waterproof shell, a warm mid-layer, a hat, gloves and thermal base layers, since the wind is relentless and the air stays cool even in July. Waterproof boots with good ankle support suit wet tundra and river landings. Add midge protection such as a head net, and sun cover for long daylight hours. No dress code applies in the park, but dress modestly and neatly when visiting communities.

What to eat

Plan it

Best time. July and August, when the short Arctic summer opens the river and the charter flights run; the tundra flowers peak in July. The park is a polar desert with strong, prolonged winds, so cold, gusty days are normal even in summer.

How long. 7–14

Getting there. Fly to Inuvik, which has daily flights from southern Canada and is also reached by the Dempster Highway. From there, book a charter aircraft to one of the park's landing sites. Check the official Parks Canada site (https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/nt/aulavik) and contact the park office before planning.

Budget. high

Tips

Etiquette

Nearby

Sources