Quttinirpaaq National Park

Quttinirpaaq National Park

Quttinirpaaq National Park is located in the northeastern part of Ellesmere Island in the Yukon Territory. Established in 1988, it covers an area of 37,775 square kilometers, making it the second-largest national park in Canada. The park’s location is the most remote of all national parks and represents the last part of Canada not to be overtaken by the Arctic Ocean.

In Inuktitut, Quttinirpaaq means "top of the world," which also means that Quttinirpaaq National Park is the second northernmost park on Earth after Northeast Greenland National Park. The park is covered with rocks and ice, and in slightly lower latitudes are massive polar glaciers, presenting a vast white icy world. Due to the sparse vegetation in the park, the number of polar animals living there is limited, such as lemmings, Arctic hares, muskoxen, Arctic wolves, and caribou. During the summer, the park is also visited by lively and adorable birds, such as red knots, gyrfalcons, and long-tailed jaegers.

Due to the high latitude, there are almost no inhabitants in the park. Research on the lake areas in the park suggests that around 5,000 years ago, the ancestors of the Inuit—the Dorset and Thule peoples—once lived here.

Quttinirpaaq National Park

Must-visit reason: Canada’s highest-latitude national park

Continent where the attraction is located: North America 【North America】

Country/region where the attraction is located: Canada [Canada]

Province/state where the attraction is located: Yukon Territory [Yukon]