Auyuittuq National Park

Location and access

Auyuittuq National Park is located on the Cumberland Peninsula of Baffin Island in Nunavut. The park is located within the Arctic Circle. The park covers 21470 km2The Municipality of Pangnirtung website states that the park measures 19089 km2. and is located partially within the Penny Highlands and contains the 6000 km2 Penny Ice Cap. The Penny Ice Cap, made of ice sitting on Precambrian granite, creates a series of glaciers, among them the Coronation Glacier. The land reflects the geological history of the area, with deep valleys between the peaks, which include Mount Asgard with an 800 m face, and Mount Thor with a 1250 m face. Along the coast are deep, narrow fjords. In Akshayuk Pass, the winds can reach 175 kph.

The nearest towns are Qikiqtarjuaq and Pangnirtung. Visitors wishing to enter the park are required by Parks Canada to register at the park office in Pangnirtung or Qikiqtarjuaq, and attend an orientation session. Park user fees apply.

History

First established in 1972 as Baffin Island National Park, in 1975, Parks Canada chose to rename the park in order to better reflect the landscape and the Inuit history within the region. After some debate, the name was changed to Auyuittuq National Park, which is an Inuktitut word meaning "the place that does not melt".

Flora and fauna

Little vegetation can be found in Auyuittuq Park, although the plants found there range from flowers such as mountain avens, campion, Papaver, and saxifrage to shrubs like dwarf birch, Arctic willow, and heather. Many of the plants in Auyuittuq Park grow in clumps to create their own warmer "microclimate" to survive the harsh Arctic conditions.

Because of the exceptionally low vegetation supply on land, wildlife is very scarce. However, the park is bordered on three sides by sea and marine life is found within the park's boundaries. Species that live in Auyuittuq Park include lemmings (both the North American brown lemming and the northern collared lemming), red foxes, snowy owls, peregrine falcons, ermines, rough-legged hawks, gyrfalcons, beluga whales, snow geese, polar bears, wolves, narwhals, Canada geese, Arctic foxes, Arctic hares, and some barren-ground caribou.

Activities

The most common backpacking route in the park is known as Akshayuk Pass, and follows the Weasel and Owl rivers via Summit Lake. In 2008, heavy rain and warm weather caused Summit Lake to burst through its banks, flooding the Weasel River and washing away the Windy Lake bridge. As a result, the hiking routes in the pass are limited to either side of the Weasel River.

Gallery

File:Mount_Asgard_3_2001-07-25.jpg|Mount Asgard, Baffin Island, 2001 File:Pangnirtung Fiord N 4 2001-07-25.jpg|Maktak Fiord Delta File:Lateral Moraines at Margins of Penny Ice Cap.jpg|Horseshoe-shaped lateral moraines at the margin of the Penny Ice Cap File:Auyuittuq ThorPeak 2007.JPG|Along the Weasel River, hiking to Mount Thor File:Mount Odin snow and ice.jpg|Mount Odin File:Auyuittuq NP 1 2001-07-25.jpg|Rock formations and glaciers. Turnweather Peak in the middle. File:Auyuittuq_SouthEnd_2007.JPG|Weasel River Valley with Schwartzenbach Falls in the distance File:Baffin Mtns Cumberland Peninsula 2.jpg|Baffin Mountains from the air, Cumberland Peninsula File:Summit Lake, Akshayuk Pass, Baffin Is.jpg|Summit Lake at Akshayuk Pass File:Pangnirtung Nu 2.jpg|Auyuittuq National Park Office in Pangnirtung

Notes

Citations

References

1. "Protected Planet {{!}} Auyuittuq National Park Of Canada".
2. Canada, Parks. "Parks Canada attendance 2022_23 - Parks Canada attendance 2022_23 - Open Government Portal".
3. Lawrence, R. D.. (1985). "Canada's National Parks". Collins.
4. "Auyuittuq National Park". Municipality of Pangnirtung.
5. (2017-05-30). "Visitor Information Package". Parks Canada.