Paddling in Auyuittuq National Park

Auyuittuq sits on southeastern Baffin Island in Nunavut, a landscape of glaciers, steep fjords, and river valleys carved through the Akshayuk Pass.

The water here is glacier-fed, cold beyond what most paddlers encounter in the south, and the park's remoteness means that any mistake on the water is a serious one.

The Weasel River is the water most visitors encounter, running through the Akshayuk Pass corridor. It is not a paddling route — one experienced whitewater canoeist described it as the wildest and scariest river they had ever seen, effectively unrunnable.

Hikers crossing the pass ford it repeatedly, and those crossings alone are a significant hazard. Sea kayaking the fjords is the other mode of travel here, with routes moving through deep Arctic fjords past the park's dramatic peaks.

Access to the park requires a boat from Pangnirtung or Qikiqtarjuaq, and all trips must be registered with the park before entry and de-registered on return.

During registration, Parks Canada staff provide current route conditions, water levels, and recent polar bear sightings. The park issues its own fishing permits — check directly with Parks Canada for current requirements.

July and August are the practical window. Roughly 20 percent of the park is glacial, and the Penny Ice Cap feeds the rivers that drain through it. Winds in the Akshayuk Pass can reach 175 km/h.

The fjords are cold, the tides and ice are real factors, and the nearest help is far away. This is not a place to test new gear or new skills.

It rewards paddlers who come prepared for Arctic conditions, who understand that the water is an obstacle as much as a route, and who treat the land with the seriousness its name demands — "the land that never melts."